The great philosophers of the modern era

I saw a documentary a few months ago about a ballroom dancing instructor, who works with Arab and Israeli children in Jaffa. One of the scenes from the film that I remember most is a conversation that the dance teacher had with a cab driver. In the span of thirty seconds, the cab driver was able to summarize and solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, something that politicians have supposedly been trying to do for decades.

When I saw this movie, I had two ideas: first, we should consider employing more taxi cab drivers as diplomats; and second, I would watch a TV series (or listen to a radio show) that has taxi cab drivers from different countries and cities explaining and solving problems. 

On my way to Curitiba, I had a nine-hour layover in Rio de Janeiro. I spent the time with a friend before catching my evening flight. Because of the mayhem of the World Cup and the fact that my friend was unsure of the bus schedule back to the airport, I decided to err on the side of caution (I've never written phrase before) and take a taxi back to the airport.

The conversation in the car on the way to the airport confirmed that a show with taxi drivers explaining local problems would be a smash hit. In between jokes about local politicians and comments about women we saw on the street, the driver was able to propose solutions to Rio's most pressing problems.

We started talking about the World Cup, as most conversations in Brazil go these days.  Somehow, over the course of the next 35 minutes, we discussed the World Cup, the lack of sexual eduation in Brazil, the limited opportunity for economic advancement in Rio's poor neighborhoods, global warming, the price of gasoline, Carnaval, the Costa Rican national team's improbable run,  the inescapable odor that you catch when driving to the Rio airport, the volunteer work I would be in Curitiba, and the upcoming Brazilian presidential elections.

When I got out of the car, he insulted one of the World Cup cars that was parked in the drop-off lane at the airport.

Somehow, it all flowed and made logical sense. More than anything, it also confirmed that a show about taxi drivers would be a smash hit.  You could also have policy experts respond to the driver's proposals.

Each season could take a certain theme and go around the world getting the opinions of cabbies on that issue. Another way to handle it would be to have the season focus on a certain city, that way you could get some character development.