You're Wrong About

Episode: Where I Live: The Listener Holiday Special

Host: Sarah Marshall
Date: December 23, 2025

Episode Overview

In this unique holiday special, host Sarah Marshall steps aside to let the YOU’RE WRONG ABOUT community take the mic. Instead of the usual deep-dive into a misunderstood historical figure or event, Sarah invites listeners from around the world to share audio postcards. These vivid, personal snapshots capture the essence of home—what it’s really like, how it sounds, and what outsiders get wrong about these places. From snowy Chicago to sunny Melbourne, listeners celebrate local quirks, battle stereotypes, and reveal the hidden strength and beauty in their communities.

Sarah frames the episode as an antidote to divisive media narratives, fostering connection, understanding, and joy in a challenging year. She hopes the episode feels like a ride in Santa’s sleigh—an audio journey around the world, full of warmth, community spirit, and the little things that make a place feel like home.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Reclaiming Local Narratives

• Sarah’s Opening in Portland, OR (00:17)
  • Responds directly to the negative national image of Portland in 2025, emphasizing the real spirit of her city through small, neighborly acts—like sharing homegrown fruit.
  • Quote: “What that kept making me think about was how Portland is, to me, a city where… there’s boxes and bags of pears and apples and whatever fruit people want to offer to their neighbors that are just free for the taking.” (00:51)
  • Asserts that generosity, not violence, is the true face of her hometown's alleged "anarchism."

2. Global Audio Postcards: Home in Listeners’ Words

The bulk of the episode consists of diverse, heartfelt “audio postcards”—here are notable highlights:

Europe

• Denmark: A cozy domestic portrait: old sofas, cats, a crested gecko, messy living rooms, dark midwinter afternoons.
• Greater Manchester, UK: Celebrates the area’s patchwork of towns (Leigh, Wigan, Bolton, Manchester)—each with its quirks and warm traditions, pushing back on the idea of a drab post-industrial north.
  • Quote: “Leigh is a place where all the rugby players wear leopard print… Bolton is where my dogs run out to greet me and where my heart always feels just kind of warm.” (03:15)
• Germany: Community trailer parks, wood-chopping in winter, old trains, communal mealtimes signaled by a trumpet—“the charming sound” of shared life.
• Bonn, Germany: Ring-necked parakeets—unusual for the region—bring moments of joy against the backdrop of political tension.
  • Quote: "Stepping onto the balcony and... listening to these unusual habitants... just puts a smile on my face." (05:50)
• Casablanca, Morocco: The rare tranquility of dawn—call to prayer before the city’s daily motorcycle roar.

Africa & Americas

• Eastern Cape, South Africa: Beautiful farmland, birdcalls, gentle rain. Pushbacks against wild and politicized myths of "white genocide," emphasizing local beauty and peace.
• San Juan, Puerto Rico: The nocturnal chorus of “El Coqui” frogs—a beloved, defining sound. Newcomers’ attempts to silence them are gently rebuffed:
  • Quote: “But the coqui isn’t going anywhere. And neither are we.” (09:11)
• South Florida, USA: Contradictions—ecological abundance, wildlife, and everyday joy coexisting with climate threat and precariousness.

American South & Midwest

• Louisiana Cajun Prairie: Scenes of agriculture, harvests of sugarcane and crawfish, the sensory richness of corn and soybeans, and food as culture and memory.
• Houston, Texas: Celebrates its sprawl, messiness, and radical diversity, directly challenging stereotypes of Texas; describes political disconnect between people and leadership.
  • Quote: “I think people get the wrong idea of Texas because the only things they hear are the things that the people in power here want them to know... but the truth is…that’s not who we are.” (13:50)
• Nashville/Williamson County, TN: The courage of being “loud and visibly queer” in conservative spaces, buoyed by small acts of mutual appreciation among strangers:
  • Quote: “I want [that old man] to make a fuss because I would love to talk back to him, because I don’t care anymore... the blessing of not having any fucks.” (16:10)

Urban & Rural Contrasts

• Memphis, Tennessee: Wrestling with complicated homecomings, queer identity, and belonging in a historically “misunderstood” Southern city.
• Charleston, South Carolina: A city at the crossroads—beauty and charm threatened by gentrification, with resilience and local activism offering hope.
• Richmond, Virginia: Grassroots mutual aid addressing food inequality—a powerful counter to narratives of scarcity.
• Washington D.C.: Joy found in public pools (“Club Banneker”), the sustenance of platonic friendships, the contradiction between beautiful daily life and federal intrusion.
• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The pride and grit of a “city, state, and country of Philadelphia.” Emphasis on civic engagement and the feeling of “the last puzzle piece clicking in.”
  • Quote: "You can say go birds to being anything you want. It depends on your inflection. I guess you can say fuck around and find out because it's true." (29:55)

New England & Rural Life

• New Jersey & “Jersylvania”: Fierce regional pride lashed with wit—debunking state stereotypes, emphasizing local rivalries and resilience.
  • Quote: “Central Jersey does in fact exist.” (33:00)
• Rockefeller Center/New York City: The contrast between the glitz of NYC at Christmas and the real warmth found sneaking off to be with loved ones.
• Massachusetts (Western & Cape Cod): Generosity as resistance; the bittersweet push and pull of living in a “paradise” overrun with tourists.
• Nova Scotia, Canada: Embracing endless grey as a metaphor for living in and learning to love ambiguity.

Midwest & Great Plains

• Ohio, Michigan, Chicago, Duluth MN, Nebraska: Local stories refuting national misconceptions; joy, realism, and adaptability at the heart of Midwestern identity.
  • Chicago: Holiday trains, community response to ICE, and the ease with which old conventions fall away for new chosen family.
  • Lincoln, Nebraska: The interplay of landscape and identity—“how people fit into their landscapes and their landscapes shape them.”
    • Quote: “It’s not flat here as people would maybe assume… Nebraska is home to the Sandhills, which is the largest stabilized sand dunes in the world.” (53:40)
• Colorado: A mutual respect among neighbors, joy in unexpected solidarity.

West Coast & Pacific Northwest

• Oakland, California: Despite negative media portrayals, Oakland is painted as tough, resilient, and overflowing with everyday love—especially for family (and dogs).
• Newport, Oregon: Achieving a long-held dream of living by the sea; the peace of finding the place you never want to leave.
• Vancouver, BC: The experience of belonging on both sides of a neighborhood’s mysteries (like a secret laundry door in a cafe).

Canada & Alaska

• Alberta: The sound of thousands rallying for trans rights, defying the province’s conservative image.
• Sitka, Alaska: Deep community involvement—“the town really just rallies around the arts and artists.”

Australia & Aotearoa/New Zealand

• Melbourne, VIC: Urban sprawl, architectural pride, vibrant birdsong, and a gender-inclusive powerlifting meet.
  • Quote: “You can find community if you look for it… On that happy note, Merry Christmas and happy holidays from sunny Australia to you, Sarah, and the You're Wrong About Collective.” (01:14:00)
• Tasmania: Pride in grassroots, volunteer-driven punk festivals; community as antidote to uncertainty.
• Bharara, NSW: The relentless sound of summer cicadas—and practical advice: don’t walk under trees, as “the cicadas will pee on you.”
• New Zealand: Weekend markets mingling tradition and multicultural vibrancy, pierced by gentle live karaoke.

3. Challenging Stereotypes and Misconceptions

Across all locations, listeners directly address what others “get wrong” about their homes:

• Stereotypes of violence, danger, poverty, or monotony are flipped on their head through lived details, local pride, and stories of collective care.
• Acts of communal support (mutual aid, welcoming newcomers, holiday traditions, chosen family) are repeated motifs.

4. What Makes “Home”

• Not geographic perfection, but connection—friends, family, shared rituals, and the desire to make a place better.
• Many note that a place’s problems (politics, crime, weather, gentrification) don’t erase its beauty or the joy to be found in small acts.
• Home is as much about the effort to shape, claim, and love a place—despite everything—as it is about the place itself.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sarah Marshall [on Portland]:
  “What anarchism is about [is] any kind of violence that we see in our cities. And of course, the idea that Portland is a scary place is one that was used and weaponized this year as an excuse to send dangerous representatives of our federal government into it.” (01:14)

• Manchester, England Speaker:
  "It's a weird combination of this really old working class industrial past with...huge glass buildings. But to me, it's the place where I learned to pour a pint and it's the place where I really found my voice." (03:50)

• Houston, TX Speaker (Grace):
  “All it takes is one trip to a neighborhood park to remember that we’re still here. And there’s still joy here and there’s beauty here, too.” (14:40)

• Charleston, SC local:
  "Charleston is a drinking town with a historic problem. Mosquitoes were invented here. I love it." (24:00)

• New Jersey:
  "Central Jersey does in fact exist and there are many such arguments that go on within the borders of this state that make no sense to anyone else." (33:00)

• Springfield, Ohio:
  “Donald Trump said that our Haitian immigrants are eating the dogs, they're eating the cats. That is not happening here, by the way… That is the heart of what this country really is." (48:30)

• Melbourne, Australia (Victor):
  “The rest of Australia calls Melbourne coffee snobs and we deserve that. Still, I take a lot of comfort in a smooth, aromatic flat white.” (01:12:00)

• Alberta, Canada:
  “To anybody who believes that they might be the only one in their town, wherever they are, you're not the only one. People love you. People want you to live your best life… that is thousands of people who love trans people and the trans community.” (01:10:20)

Segment Timestamps

• 00:17 – Sarah's introduction and rationale for the listener postcards
• 03:00 – 14:00 – Europe & Africa contributions (Denmark, England, Germany, Morocco, South Africa, Puerto Rico, Florida)
• 15:00 – 23:00 – The American South and Midwest (Louisiana, Houston, Nashville, Memphis, Charleston, Richmond)
• 24:00 – 40:00 – East Coast (DC, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Nova Scotia, Toronto)
• 41:00 – 1:05:00 – Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountains, and West (Ohio, Michigan, Chicago, Duluth, Nebraska, Colorado, Oakland, Newport, Vancouver, Northern WA, Alberta, Sitka, Alaska)
• 1:06:00 – 1:14:45 – Australia & New Zealand (Melbourne, Tasmania, Bharara, New Zealand)
• 1:14:45 – End – Closing songs and endnotes; “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Auld Lang Syne” from various listeners across the globe, leading into Sarah’s heartfelt signoff.

Episode Tone & Atmosphere

• Warm, honest, intimate, and defiant, with each contributor contributing distinct flavor and local color. The overall spirit is one of solidarity, small joys, and the ongoing work of community—even (or especially) when places are misrepresented or under threat.

• Sarah’s tone is playful (“If you're a Santa type of person, I certainly am…”), gently political, and deeply grateful.

Takeaways

• The places we call home are more complicated, more beautiful, and more resilient than outside narratives allow.
• Community—human and nonhuman, chosen and inherited—transcends borders and shows up in every corner of the world.
• Stereotypes about places are best busted by the voices of those who live there—sharing their favorite sounds, flavors, and found families.
• The show itself becomes a vehicle for connection and care, a reminder, as Sarah says, to “Keep finding joy.”

Endnote:
If you listen to only one episode this holiday season, let it be this one—a testament to the work of loving our own places, and each other, more honestly, fiercely, and joyfully.