Wild Boys

This podcast stood out because Sam Mullins is an excellent storyteller and host….manages to expertly blend drama with a dash of comedy all while sounding like an actual person (and not an overly polished podcast host). Listened to his other podcast “sea of lies” after this one and it too is a winner!

I want to write to all the characters and I’ve never felt compelled to do that. The people of Vernon are like modern heroes. I understand why they felt humiliated but I hope they know they give the rest of the world something to look up to - something admirable and pure. They really did save Roen’s life. Excellent storytelling

Sam Mullins has a really nice voice and did his homework in bringing us this follow up story. I appreciated his nonjudgmental approach so that the very unique people in the story felt comfortable enough to really open up and reveal the back story that lead to why the boys ran away and what they are doing now. The world needs more people like Sam Mullins. Great production too, so kudos to the whole team.

So last night I discovered The Binge season Wild Boys and this morning I just finished Episode 6. This has been free. The story is very entertaining and I'm now hooked, however I will not listen to any episodes that require me to have a paid subscription if this requirement arises. Anyway, I'm loving the interesting story so far. This is a top shelf production with great research, professional narration, first person interviews and good scripting.

What really turned me off - almost as much as the boys and their parents - was Mullin’s attempt at making this sound like two rogue boys, through their odd behavior and worldviews, became heroic icons of freedom, resistance of “the establishment” and kicking societal norms to the curb. No. This is not a dreamy fairy tale. It’s instead a sad story about family dysfunction and mental illness. In fact, it’s a classic case-in-point depiction of it. I am a licensed clinical psychologist who has worked with similar adolescents and adults in both inpatient and outpatient settings for nearly 20 years. There are personality disorders, clinical syndromes, probably thought disorders, and likely substance abuse happening here. So PLEASE DO NOT romanticize the Wild Boys saga. I stopped listening to this series several times because of how disgusted I was by it, but I kept going back to it until the end because I wanted to know how this train wreck ended. I would not have wasted my time on it if I had I known in advance.

This show is about undocumented migrants leaving their repressive homeland to find healthcare and community in a more civilized nation. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of raising your kids in a world of religious extremism and conspiracy theories.