C'mon C'mon

Johnny: Okay, I'm gonna ask you a series of questions,

and there are no right or wrong answers.

So when you think about the future,

how do you imagine it'll be?

Like, what will nature be like?

How will your city change?

Will families be the same?

What will stay with you, and what will you forget?

What scares you? What makes you angry?

Do you feel lonely?

What makes you happy?

So we are goin' around the country,

goin' to different cities and interviewing kids,

ranging in age, just about their life

and what they think about the future.

Roxanne: If I ask you anything that you don't wanna answer,

or you don't like a question or whatever, you can just be like, "no."

I want you to just feel comfortable,

and if there's anything that I ask you about

that you don't wanna talk about, say "I don't really wanna talk about that."

I think adults always think they're the boss,

and they always gotta be the boss of everything.

And I think that some adults have that mindset

where "I'm right and you're wrong."

When you think about the future, how do you imagine it'll be?

I imagine and hope it'll be good.

Johnny: And do you ever think, like, what could adults have done

to have made sure that we went in the right path?

Definitely most of all, paid more attention to what's going on around them,

'cause I feel like that's a big problem with, like, literally everything.

Like, that's a big, big thing.

Girl 1: They'll be like, "oh, you're from Detroit."

Like, "it's really dangerous there. The schools are really terrible

and, like, nothing's good there."

I was like, "well, how would you know? You don't live there,

and you don't go to school there. You weren't raised in Detroit.

Like, I've been raised in Detroit all my life."

Girl 2: America, it's so much tragedy,

and some people aren't treated fairly,

because of race, because of who they like,

because of where they live, because of how much money they have.

So I would want it to become a better place

and people to know that just because someone isn't like you

doesn't mean that they're wrong, but then I'm not sure.

Girl 3: We're at the point right now where we have to change things,

and just based on our morals as people,

I don't really see that happening anytime soon.

Johnny: So, you're hopeful for the future?

Like, when you think about the future, you think it'll be better or worse?

Girl 4: For me, personally, I feel like things are gonna get better,

because I have a lot of opportunities right now.

I'm hopeful for myself, for other people.

I don't know if things are gonna get better, it's really on the side,

but I really hope things get better.

Um, but for the overall world,

once again I hope it gets better, but it might not, like everything.

Johnny : If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

Girl 4: That's a hard question.

That's one of the popular questions that I ask people.

Some people say...

Detroit was the future.

So we came to Detroit to talk to young people, kids.

You know, we came to Detroit to talk to kids, young people,

and to ask them what they thought their lives would be like,

how it's changing for them,

what are they inspired by and excited by,

and what are their lives like now?

Viv: Hey.

Hey.

Viv: Hi.

It's nice that you called.

I didn't know if I was gonna call or if you would...

If no one would...

It's a good day to talk.

Maybe mom's listening.

Johnny: Yeah, maybe.

It doesn't feel like it's been a year to me.

Does it to you?

Viv: No, it's weird.

I didn't know what to do with myself today.

Johnny: Yeah, I know. If I just work,

then I feel like I'm not mourning in the right way or whatever.

And if I sit in this depressing hotel room

and just think about mom,

then, yeah, it's just pretty brutal.

So, yeah, I called you.

Where are you?

I'm in Detroit.

I've been interviewing kids.

Uh, so that was cool.

Viv: Cool. — yeah.

Jesse heard you on the radio the other day.

Oh, yeah?

Viv: Yeah, we were driving, and there you were on the radio as usual,

and I had to tell him it was you.

Really? — he's nine, you know?

He didn't recognize your voice, it's been a year.

It's a long time for a kid.

Wow. All right.

Viv: Yeah.

Johnny: How's Jesse? — viv: Uh, he's so good.

He's smart, and he's so weird.

He's older, and he's funny, and I don't know, he's...

He's a whole little person.

And Paul moved to Oakland.

He did? — yeah.

Whoa, really?

Yeah, it's okay. I think so.

Jesse is dealing with it well so far, but Paul's not.

He is...

I mean, he... I'm just...

He's fine. I just have to go up and help a little.

Help him settle in.

Oh, yeah?

Viv: Yeah.

So I'm heading up there soon, but we're good.

So you taking... You taking Jesse?

No. No, I don't think it's that kind of trip.

So who's watching Jesse?

Viv: I haven't gotten there yet.

- Hi. - Viv: Hi.

Hi.

Hey.

Say hi.

"Hi, how are you?"

How are you?

I'm good. How are you?

I'm good.

Viv: Wanna ask uncle Johnny to come in?

You should ask me if I wanna come in.

Jesse: Do you wanna come in?

Thank you. — okay.

I get a hug?

We have, um, her dresses

um, all my homework stuff.

Hmm, cool.

Mom says you're gonna sleep up here tonight

in her extra-big, cozy bed, best bed in the house.

So there are these, um, big, big, big, big,

big little like fungus tubes.

Or tubes that are fungus,

and they're connecting all the trees.

So they're up here. — mm—hmm.

And they'd be really tall.

They get all the food, and then you kinda,

like, go through the tubes into another tree.

And then, um, well, they...

They would, like, get all the food and then it'll go through.

And so the tree needs...

Johnny: What's goin' on with Paul? How's he doin'?

I don't know. I mean, he was offered this incredible position

at the San Francisco symphony, which he totally deserves,

but the transition fucked him up. Like transitions always do.

And then he got a fucking dog, which he should not have gotten, so...

- — No. No. - So, yeah. It's a total mess as usual.

And you have to clean it up?

Yeah.

Yeah, that's Paul.

What about Jesse? What does he know?

Nothing. I said I was gonna help him get organized,

so we'll go together later.

He gonna be okay just with me? Like, what...

He loves it when I'm not around.

He'll have so much fun. — yeah?

It's really good to see you.

Jesse: Hello?

Is anyone home?

- — Hello? - Uh, are you ready for this?

God, what?

- — Hello? - Brace yourself.

There's this, uh, little orphan who likes to come visit me.

In fact, he will probably come visit you,

and he likes to pretend that I have some dead children,

and he asks me a lot of questions about what they did,

so he can do those same things.

That's fucked up. — yeah.

It's really... It's totally normal.

All the kids do this.

Jesse: Is anyone home?

I'm coming.

Is this the orphan?

Mm—hmm.

Can I sleep here tonight?

They only have bunk beds at the orphanage and all the kids snore.

Hmm, of course you can.

Uh, actually, my son's not here tonight, so...

- I could take his place if you want. - That's a good idea.

He usually goes to bed right now.

You know, this way, I happen to have a room

with a bed just your size. You wanna check it out?

"Dorothy lived in the midst of the great Kansas prairies

with uncle Henry, who was a farmer,

and aunt em, who was the farmer's wife."

She hugged me, and she felt different,

or I felt different.

And, yeah, Jesse maybe vaguely remembered me.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Da, da, da, da.

He told me about trees communicating with each other

and how connected they were by an underground network of fungus.