Episode details

Available for over a year
In the Southern state of North Carolina presenter Tim Samuel finds the contradictions and cultural clashes that are playing out across the US – with men often in the middle of the fallout. Heading through the Appalachian mountains – where traditional blue-collar jobs have collapsed - he sees the social ravages of opioid addiction. Indeed, a doctor reveals that for the first time in generations male mortality is starting to move in the wrong direction; we are in the midst of a man crisis, he says. Away from the mountains – with their moonshine and NASCAR heritage - the clash between conservative and liberal values came to the fore over the state’s controversial transgender bathroom bill. When men’s expectations - and entitlements - for life aren’t being met, when they feel threatened, that destructiveness can turn outwards on others too. Mass shootings - a male preserve. We hear of death threats over a billboard. In Charlotte, a former drug dealer and policeman talk about how their lives were changed after a chance meeting at a race protest, whilst over at an American football game, students from fraternities – which have been under fire in recent years - talk about political correctness on campus culture. (Photo: Lonely man looking with hope at horizon on mountain peak with dramatic sunlight at sunset. Credit: Getty Images)
Programme Website