Two friends, Dan and Jesse, embark on a journey through the southern United States and document everything they encounter along the way. They both grew up in the United States in migrant families and are familiar with the American Dream. They go to dangerous places, meet Texans at local eateries, go to prison, where prisoners participate in a rodeo, talk with activists, and try to understand what the American dream is for those who live in the most disadvantaged and toxic areas of the United States. Their journey is an introduction to forgotten people and their world, in which conspiracy theories, the struggle for democracy, and much more are intertwined.
The American South presents a landscape of stark contrasts, characterized by deep-seated poverty, historical trauma, and persistent racial segregation. Traveling through Vicksburg, Jackson, and Baton Rouge, the hosts encounter abandoned urban centers, high crime rates, and a palpable sense of danger that shapes their p...
A road trip through Louisiana’s True Detective filming locations serves as a lens into the intense cultural and political polarization defining the American South. Conversations with local residents reveal a profound distrust of mainstream institutions, with many attributing extreme weather events and droughts to gover...
The American prison system functions as a brutal, often contradictory extension of the South's history of slavery and racial inequality. At Angola Prison, the annual rodeo transforms inmate suffering into public entertainment, revealing a system that simultaneously exploits human labor and dehumanizes those behind bars...
The Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast, frequently referred to as "Cancer Alley," suffers from severe environmental degradation due to a dense concentration of oil, gas, and petrochemical infrastructure. This region faces alarming cancer rates, contaminated water, and poisoned soil, all exacerbated by climate-intensified h...
The "USA Lost" podcast investigates the "forgotten" America, exploring how political polarization and religious fundamentalism have redefined the American Dream. Traveling through Texas, the hosts examine the motivations of Trump supporters who view the current political landscape through an apocalyptic lens, often equ...
The Deep South serves as a lens to examine a stagnating and "lost" America, focusing on regions like San Antonio, Jackson, and New Orleans where economic hardship contrasts sharply with the nation's overall wealth. Louisiana’s coastline remains environmentally and economically depleted despite its critical role in the ...
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