Episode 60: International Adoption, Steve Bannon, and Safety-Pin Politics

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the role of citizenship in international adoption, Steve Bannon's appointment as Trump's chief strategist, and the place of safety pins in sartorial politics. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• We discussed the case of Adam Crasper, a South Korean adoptee who is being deported. Natalia recommended Arissa Oh’s To Save the Children of Korea for understanding the Cold War context of international adoption. She also commented on the 1954 book The Family Nobody Wanted that told the story of how one American family adopted twelve children from different ethnic backgrounds.

• Donald Trump has tapped Steve Bannon to be his chief strategist in the White House. Niki outlined Bannon’s connection to the alt-right. (We discussed the alt-right on Episode 50.) Niki noted Bannon’s past as a filmmaker on Ronald Reagan and Sarah Palin. Natalia shared Joan C. Williams’ Harvard Business Review article on white working class voters and the 2016 election.

• Some Americans opposed to Trump’s victory have begun to wear safety pins to signal they are allies to vulnerable groups. Neil commented on why some have critiqued doing so as a type of white privilege or “slacktivism.”, but he argued that symbolic acts could lead to greater activism. Niki agreed, citing David Karpf’s book The MoveOn Effect which argues thin ties of solidarity can lead to thick ties. Neil compared the safety pins to the AIDS ribbons of the 1980s and 90s. Natalia recalled the controversy of Barack Obama not wearing a flag pin in the 2008 campaign and remembered Madeline Albright’s use of brooches to convey political messages as Secretary of State, something she detailed in her book Read My Pins.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the rejection of a Mexican-American history textbook in Texas.

• Neil recommended the Netflix series The Crown.

• Niki commented on need for historical analysis in the Trump era. 

Episode 59: Second Redemption, Glass Ceilings, and Global Populism

In this week's special election episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the onset of the Second Redemption, the highest and hardest glass ceiling, and the place of Donald Trump in global populism.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• We debated Jamelle Bouie’s argument that the 2016 election should be seen as a Second Redemption. Niki also recommended Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow.

• Why did Donald Trump receive support from 53 percent of white women? Natalia pointed to the works of Stephanie Coontz and Rebecca Traister to help explain. Natalia also recently documented 100 years of feminist history through the quotations of thirty women for the website Refinery 29.

• Trump’s victory should be seen in the context of a populist movement sweeping across the globe. Niki recommended John Judis’ recent book The Populist Explosion for better understanding this phenomenon.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia talked about different responses to the 2016 election and recommended Laurie Penny’s article, “Life Hacks of the Poor and Aimless.”

• Neil read from Abraham Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address.

• Niki commented on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the American Civil Liberties Union.

Episode 58: Standing Rock, the FBI, and Political Pundits

In this week's episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the standoff at Standing Rock, the political role of the FBI, and the role of political pundits.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The Standing Rock Sioux and activists are protesting the possible construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline under the Missouri River, the primary water source for the Standing Rock Sioux. Natalia situated the controversy in a long history of broken treaties between the federal government and Native Americans going back to the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868. Niki situated Standing Rock in a history of Native American protest, including Alcatraz and Wounded Knee. Neil commented on how Americans were using Facebook to “check in” to Standing Rock. Natalia also recommended Jill Lepore’s The Name of War and Philip Deloria’s Playing Indian for how white Americans fetishized Native Americans as “Noble savages.”  

• FBI director James Comey has informed Congress that new emails found in an unrelated investigation might be related to the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private server. Neil argued that both Republicans and Democrats were outraged with Comey’s letter because of their belief that the FBI is an apolitical agency, but history does not show that to be the case. Niki recommended a recent Backstory podcast interview with Beverly Gage who discussed the history of the FBI as a political institution. Natalia commented on the how the FBI had positioned its own history on the agency’s website.

• CNN has placed Donna Brazile on leave after it was revealed the political commentator had slipped the Clinton campaign team questions during the primary season town halls. Niki mentioned the Slate writer Ben Mathis-Lilley had argued all paid pundits should be removed from cable news, and she recommended David Greenberg’s book Republic of Spin.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Jonathan Zimmerman’s op-ed, “The Other School Bathroom Issue That Nobody is Talking About.”

• Neil commented on Patient Zero.

• Niki talked about the book A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression.

Episode 57: The World Series, Texting and Driving, and Vegas, Baby!

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the history of the world series, texting while driving, and the history of Vegas. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The presence of the Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians in the 2016 World Series is making history! Niki discussed Sterling HolyWhiteMountain’s essay for ESPN.com on what it meant to grow up on the Blackfeet Reservation as a fan of the Cleveland Indians. Natalia recommended Philip Deloria’s book Playing Indian for a history of how white Americans have appropriated Native American customs, dress, and habits.

• Distracted driving, especially while texting, has become the drunk driving of the 21st century. Natalia compared the movement to stop texting with driving to the efforts of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in the 1980s, while Neil pointed to the history of seat belt legislation as a model. Niki remembered the crash test dummies public service announcements of the 1980s that frightened Americans into using their seatbelts.

• Vegas, baby! It’s more than just gambling these days as the city’s economy has expanded and even the Strip has become family friendly. Natalia discussed how Michael Green’s history of Las Vegas shows organized crime’s connections to the founding of the city.  She also commented on how the Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh has poured millions into revitalizing downtown Las Vegas to attract new entrepreneurs to the city.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Megan Daum’s Los Angeles Times op-ed, “All Trump gropes are bad, but they aren’t all equal or equally horrible.”

• Neil commented on the death of the fundamentalist cartoonist Jack Chick.

• Niki talked about the history of Election Cake.

Episode 56: Rigged Elections, Wikileaks, and Self-Care

In this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the history of rigged elections, Wikileaks, and the importance of self-care.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Donald Trump has already declared the 2016 presidential race a rigged election. We discussed the history of claiming rigged elections.

• Wikileaks continues to dump Democratic Party emails as Election Day nears. In our discussion of the history of Wikileaks, Natalia cited Fred Turner’s history of hacking, From Counterculture to Cyberculture, for showing how hacking went from something perceived as bad to something praised for its ideological commitment to the freedom of information. Niki recommended Sam Lebovic’s book, Free Speech and Unfree News, which argues that increasing free speech protections exist alongside the expanding treatment of government information as classified. Natalia also read from the Hacker Manifesto (1986).

• “Self-care” has become the buzzword of 2016, but not everyone approves. Niki quoted from a Commentary article that criticized self-care for really being about selfishness. Natalia situated self-care in a longer history of self-help and wellness, noting Dan Rather’s 1979 report that described wellness as “a word you don’t hear every day.” Natalia also recommended William Davies’ The Happiness Industry for thinking about how businesses had brought self-care into corporate life. Niki noted a recent study of therapists found that the 2016 election had increased patients’ anxiety levels, prompting the increased attention to self-care this year.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Oxygen.com’s profile of the deaf and blind activist Haben Girma.

• Neil commented on Covergirl’s selection of its first male spokesperson.

• Niki talked about the renewed popularity of Janet Jackson’s 1986 hit “Nasty” in light of Donald Trump’s comments about Hillary Clinton in the third debate. 

Episode 55: Sexual Harassment, Scary Clowns, and Pit Bull Bans

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Donald Trump and sexual harassment and assault, the great clown scare of 2016, and pit bull bans.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• A growing list of women have accused Donald Trump of sexual harassment. Natalia commented on the story from the People Magazine reporter who has accused Trump of physically attacking her in 2005. Niki pointed to how Amber Tamblyn’s recent Instagram post about sexual assault showed that women struggle with the shame in coming out about their abuse. Neil noted Eric Trump’s recent comments that his sister, Ivanka, “wouldn’t allow herself” to be sexually harassed in the workplace. Natalia recommended the Susan Faludi classic, Stiffed, for its examination of the backlash to feminism by young men. Natalia also commented on the work of Jennifer Baumgardner, including her book Manifesta and her documentary “It Was Rape.” Niki closed by commenting on Michelle Obama’s speech about the allegations against Trump.

• There’s a clown panic taking over the nation! But why are we so scared of clowns? Natalia sketched the history of clowning from ancient times, and Niki noted how Charles Dickens’ writings about the clown Grimaldi popularized the idea of the clown as a sad and troubled person.

• Montreal has passed a bylaw that bans pit bulls from the city. Neil discussed the changing reputation of pit bulls in the twentieth century, and Natalia commented on the frequent racist undertones of anti-pit bull sentiment.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the U.N.’s naming of Wonder Woman as its ambassador for gender equality.

• Neil commented on the new reality TV show “Finding Prince Charming.”

• Niki talked about Bill Clinton’s 2015 remarks on the history of the presidency.

Episode 54: Transparent, Wells Fargo, and Cable News

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the place of Transparent in the history of LGBTQ representation on television, fraud at Wells Fargo, and the 20th anniversary of Fox News. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The third season of the hit show Transparent recently launched on Amazon. Natalia recommended the roundtable on Transparent held by Public Books. Neil sketched a history of LGBT television, starting with the controversial CBS documentary “The Homosexuals” from 1967. Niki remarked on the depiction of AIDS in the 1980s, including the movie “Philadelphia.” Neil remembered the controversy over Melrose Place’s same-sex kiss in 1994.

• Wells Fargo is under investigation for opening more than 2 million fraudulent accounts. Natalia outlined the history of Wells Fargo as a retail bank that had recently expanded to investment banking, and noted the bank’s promotion of their history as an institution that has served the American West. Niki sketched a history of banking scandal and the rise of twentieth-century banking regulations. Neil commented on Elizabeth Warren’s grilling of Wells Fargo’s CEO John Stumpf when he testified before the Senate Banking Committee.

• Both Fox News and MSNBC are celebrating their twentieth anniversaries this year. Niki has written about the history of Fox News for U.S. News & World Report.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the Chapo Trap House podcast.

• Neil commented on the unmasking of the pseudonymous Italian novelist Elena Ferrante by the investigative journalist Claudio Gatti. 

• Niki talked about NPR’s Code Switch podcast.

Episode 53: Presidential Debates, Stop and Frisk, and Fat Shaming

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the presidential debates, the constitutionality of stop and frisk, and obesity and medical care.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Do presidential debates change election results? Natalia pointed to research that showed debates had only small electoral effects. Neil discussed how the Lincoln-Douglas Senate debates of 1858 set the model for political debates in the country. Niki commented on how moderators fact-checked candidates in the 1976 and 2012 debates. Natalia and Niki live tweeted the first presidential debate this year at #PSLive.

• Donald Trump defended the controversial stop-and-frisk police program in the presidential debate, and Rudy Giuliani followed with his own endorsement in the Wall Street Journal. Neil noted the controversy owed to how the policy was disproportionately directed at African-American males. Niki commented on the policy’s 1950s origins, noting that cities implemented it before crime rates rose in the late 1960s. Niki also commented on the 1968 Supreme Court case Terry v. Ohio that ruled stop and frisk constitutional.

• The New York Times recently reported that obese patients receive less medical care from their doctors. Neil remarked this resembled the inferior medical treatment African Americans receive, as demonstrated in the anthropologist Carolyn Rouse’s research. Natalia recommended the books the Fat Studies Reader, Fat Shame, and Fat Blame for recent works in the discipline of fat studies. Natalia also commented on the “Fat Liberation Manifesto” that declared fatness a category of oppression.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the organization Athlete Ally.

• Neil commented on the life of Arnold Palmer.

• Niki talked about Nazi drug abuse in World War II.

Episode 52: Brangelina, EpiPens, and Dr. Oz

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the dissolution of the Jolie-Pitt marriage, the price of EpiPens, and Dr. Oz and medical entertainment.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, famously known as Brangelina, have announced they are divorcing. Neil argued Angelina Jolie’s public remaking as mother and humanitarian repeated a common pattern for actresses in the history of Hollywood, like Loretta Young. Natalia remembered W Magazine’s 2005 issue that officially introduced the couple to the world with a photospread of them as members of an unhappy 1960s suburban family, and recommended the celebrity gossip historian Anne Helen Peterson’s writings on Brangelina. Niki responded to those who have argued Brangelina were the last great Hollywood couple.

• EpiPens now cost $600, an increase of more than 500% since 2009. Natalia noted some had argued during Congressional hearings on EpiPens that pharmaceuticals ought to be under price controls like utilities. Niki discussed a 1905-06 Collier’s Magazine article series, “The Great American Fraud,” that examined the patent medicine business and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administration. Neil shared how EpiPen’s technology had military origins.

• Dr. Mehmet Oz has been called “America’s Doctor,” but his many critics call him a huckster and a quack. Natalia recommended the New Yorker’s 2013 profile of Dr. Oz. Niki connected Dr. Oz to the history of medical quackery.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed Out Magazine’s profile of Milo Yiannopoulous.

• Neil commented on the history and politics of pockets.

• Niki shared the new website historycommunication.com. 

Episode 51: Presidential Health, Free Pre-K, and Star Trek

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate secrecy and presidential health, New York City's universal pre-kindergarten, and the legacy of Star Trek.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Hillary Clinton’s team announced she has pneumonia after she fell ill at the 9/11 commemoration. Neil argued anxiety over Clinton’s health was really partisan politics, fueled by internet conspiracies like the “Hillary Clinton Parkinson’s” videos. Natalia responded the Hillary health stories didn’t operate only on the fringe, noting Sean Hannity has been pushing the rumors for weeks on his Fox News program. Niki contended that the long history of cover-ups regarding presidential health issues and illnesses meant that stories about Clinton’s health were really about the issue of trust, something she’s written about for U.S. News & World Report. Natalia pointed out the importance of the visual in shaping American ideas about the presidency, including photos of FDR in his wheelchair and JFK posing in Sports Illustrated to mask his own ailments. Neil raised the issue of mental health, citing a Politico article about the prevalence of mental illness among the presidents.

• for the city’s children. Natalia outlined the significant features of the program and distinguished it from the federal Head Start program launched in the 1960s. Niki remembered how a proposal for other universal childcare programs in the 1970s had been stopped by the Nixon administration.

• 2016 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek! Niki contended Star Trek reflected a certain progressivism in domestic politics – including one of the first televised interracial kisses – but also was notable for how it promoted a “universalism” on the foreign policy front during its Cold War era. Neil observed that Star Trek’s creator Gene Roddenberry had pitched the show to producers as a “space western,” a concept that spoke its Space Race-era setting but also the popularity of television westerns. Niki recommended the documentary Trekkies for understanding the show’s particular fandom.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the new app Sit With Us.

• Neil discussed Christine Woodside’s new book, Libertarians on the Prairie. He also recommended Woodside’s Politico article, “How ‘Little House on the Prairie’ Built Modern Conservatism.”

• Niki shared Adam Davidson’s article, “The Unemployment-Rate Hoax,” from the New Yorker’s new series, “Trump and the Truth.”

Episode 50: Mother Teresa, the Alt-Right, and Taco Trucks

In this week's episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the canonization of Mother Teresa, the rise of the alt-right, and the menace of taco trucks.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Mother Teresa has been declared St. Teresa by Pope Francis. Natalia noted the controversy that has swirled around Mother Teresa, including Christopher Hitchens calling her a “fanatic, fundamentalist, and a fraud.” Niki detailed how Pope John Paul II changed the canonization process to benefit Mother Teresa. Neil discussed Mother Teresa’s political significance to the pro-life movement, including her anti-abortion speeches at her 1979 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance and at the 1994 National Prayer Breakfast.

• The alt-right has made its presence known in the 2016 presidential race. Niki outlined the rise of the alt-right, something she has written about for U.S. News & World Report. Natalia discussed how the alt-right fit in the larger world of conservatism, citing the influence of George Nash in her thinking. Niki discussed the alt-right’s intellectual self-identity as smarter than the “old-school racist skinheads,” as Milo Yiannopolous wrote in Breitbart News in 2016.

• The founder of Latinos for Trump warned there would soon be “taco trucks on every corner” if Donald Trump didn’t win the presidency. Natalia and Neil discussed whether this served as an effective political threat. Natalia shared how scholars of immigration have identified the lowest tolerance for immigrants as something called “contributionism,” where immigrants are appreciated only for what they contribute to American society. Niki placed the taco truck in a long history of food trucks, including chuck wagons and pushcarts. Natalia remembered the alarm when salsa recently outsold ketchup as America’s favorite condiment.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the value of taking Phyllis Schlafly seriously.

• Neil talked about Jimmy Carter and grits.

• Niki recommended Matt Dallek’s book, Defenseless Under the Night.

Episode 49: Colin Kaepernick, Burkinis, and Crime at Walmart

In this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Colin Kaepernick's protest against the national anthem, France's burkini ban, and Walmart's high crime rate.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• San Francisco 49er quarterback Colin Kaepernick remained seated during a recent pre-game national anthem in protest against racial discrimination in the country. Neil argued Kaepernick likely chose that moment to lodge his protest in reference to other black athletes who have done the same, such as at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Natalia observed that non-political events like athletic competitions often provided useful moments to make a protest, like Beyonce’s 2016 Super Bowl performance that referenced the Black Panthers. Niki detailed the history of the Star-Spangled Banner and why some have called it a racist song. Natalia shared a Christianity Today article that detailed how the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” almost became the national anthem. Neil recommended listeners read John Stauffer and Benjamin Soskis’s book, The Battle Hymn of the Republic, for those interested in learning more about the song.  

• Towns along the French Riviera have attempted to ban the burkini from their beaches this summer. Natalia situated the controversy in France’s tradition of laïcité, a word that roughly translates to “secular ideal,” as the French philosopher Alain Finkielkraut has described it. Niki explained an Australian-Lebanese woman had created the burkini in 2006 as a form of modest beachwear. Natalia recommended the Public Books essay, “Saving Muslim Women,” for thinking more about the complicated responses of American feminists towards Muslim women.

• A recent Bloomberg article found that Walmart stores have become high crime locations. Niki recommended William Leach’s history of consumption, Land of Desire, for understanding how the rise of department stores encouraged shoplifting. Natalia added Elaine Abelson’s When the Ladies Go A-Thieving, as another history of shoplifting. Niki noted Jane Jacobs had argued that the physical design of cities increased crime rates in areas where there less eyes on the street. Natalia recommended a City Lab article on the history of the 24-hour convenience store.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the documentary, “The Uncommon Yogi.”

• Neil shared the story of the Great Dismal Swamp.

• Niki commented on Donald Trump’s proposal for an ideological test as part of his immigration program and recommended Mae Ngai’s book, Impossible Subjects, as her favorite book on the history of immigration to the United States. 

Episode 48: Baton Rouge, Christian Intellectuals, and Teaching Trump

In this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate flood relief in Louisiana, the disappearance of Christian intellectuals, and teaching Trump in the classroom.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• More than two feet of rain brought death and destruction to southern Louisiana recently. Natalia addressed the political dimensions of the Louisiana flood, including Donald Trump’s visit to the state and blaming President Obama for not going there. Niki argued the memory of George W. Bush’s bungling of Hurricane Katrina provided important context for the political meaning of the Louisiana flood. Neil situated the flood in a long history of flooding in Louisiana, including the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 as chronicled in John M. Barry’s classic book Rising Tide. Neil also commented on the history of federal relief for natural disaster, including the Federal Disaster Relief Act of 1950. Niki observed that suburban sprawl in Louisiana had worsened the destruction there as neighborhoods had expanded into the area’s 100-year floodplain.

• What became of the Christian intellectuals? This is the question of a provocative new essay in Harper’s from Alan Jacobs, a professor at Baylor University. Neil commented that Jacobs’ essay focused on the lack of prominent Christian public intellectuals, but wondered if any public intellectuals remained in our current moment. Niki observed that Jacobs’ references to Reinhold Niebuhr as a model Christian intellectual of an earlier age made sense as Niebuhr’s works, such as The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness, had highlighted the moral struggle of global events, like the Cold War. Natalia compared Jacobs’ thesis of Christian intellectuals’ retreat from public life with the argument of Christian marginalization made by other evangelical scholars such as Owen Strachan.

• On college campuses and in the nation’s primary and secondary schools, many educators are wondering how to teach Donald Trump. Niki worried this was a partisan question in itself. Natalia cited Jonathan Zimmerman’s essay in the Atlantic that argued classrooms needed to engage controversial and diverse opinions brought out by the Trump campaign, but she also shared Michael Gerson’s Washington Post editorial that noted the word Trump has come to be seen as a racial slur. Neil discussed the controversy over the Chronicle of Higher Education’s Trump Syllabus and the response by the African American Intellectual History Society to create the Trump 2.0 Syllabus published by Public Books.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia talked about American Life episode 594 and a New York Times article about a veteran lifeguard who has refused to wear a Speedo.

• Neil discussed the history of the front crawl and butterfly swimming strokes.

• Niki shared the Miller Center of Public Affairs’ First Year Project.

Gone Fishing

We're away on vacation -- see you next week! 

Episode 47: Voting Rights, Olympics Commentary, and Think Tanks

On this week's episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate recent court decisions on voting rights, sexism in Olympics commentary, and corporate influence in think tanks.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• This summer, courts struck down restrictive voting laws in North Carolina, Kansas, and Wisconsin. Niki pointed out that there have been only 31 cases of voter fraud since 2000. We recommended Ari Berman’s history of voting rights, Give Us the Ballot.

• The Olympics sportscasters can’t seem to stop describing women athletes as “girls” and crediting their accomplishments to men. Neil suggested this was because sports broadcasting remained a mostly male profession. Natalia remarked that a lot of the coverage of Michael Phelps has been on his new role as a father, but this was an exception that proved the rule of focusing on women athletes’ personal lives. Neil added the attention to Ryan Lochte’s bleached hair also provided another exception that highlighted the focus on women athletes’ physical appearance, including even a news article on Katie Ledecky’s manicure that Niki shared. Niki also compared responses to Michael Phelps’ “game face” versus the scrutiny given to McKayla Maroney’s “smirk” from the 2012 Games. Natalia recommended Lindsay Pieper’s essay on the onset of “cuteness” in women’s gymnastics as a response to American Cold War fears about masculinized Russian women athletes. Neil added Reeves Wiedeman’s New Yorker essay about women’s gymnastics noted the sport required an expression of effortlessness from its athletes that undermined the sport’s athleticism.

• The New York Times’ investigation of leading think tanks found that many of them, like the left-leaning Brookings Institution, were beholden to their corporate donors’ agendas. We recommended Jason Stahl’s history of think tanks, Right Moves, along with several essays he has written about think tanks.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared L.D. Burnett’s article, “Holding On to What Makes Us Human.”

• Neil commented on the death of the VCR.

• Niki discussed the #firstsevenjobs.

Episode 46: Khizr & Ghazala Khan, Roger Ailes, and Juicing

On this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the Khans and the politics of grief, Roger Ailes and sexual harassment at Fox News, and the history of juicing.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Khizr and Ghazala Khan’s appearance at the Democratic National Convention was only one among many speeches at both political conventions by parents who had lost their children. Neil argued that these speeches were effective because people felt sympathetic towards grieving parents no matter one’s politics. Niki pointed to the example of Emmett Till’s mother as a good use of the personal becoming political, and Neil cited the organization Mothers Against Drunk Drivers who had translated their grief into policy changes. Natalia observed Donald Trump’s implication that Ghazala Khan couldn’t speak because she was a Muslim woman depended on a common view that Muslim women need saving by the West, as Leti Volpp has demonstrated. Neil noted that Ghazala Khan has not remained silent, in fact, as she spoke at length on Lawrence O’Donnell’s show and also penned an op-ed for the Washington Post.

• Roger Ailes has been ousted from his position as Fox News chairman after several women accused him of sexual harassment. Niki detailed Ailes’ professional biography beginning with his involvement in Richard Nixon’s 1968 campaign. Natalia wondered how Ailes’ alleged actions, particularly those raised by Laurie Luhn’s sordid accusations, fit within Fox News’ attention to “family values” politics, something that Bill O’Reilly’s sexual harassment case had also challenged. Neil commented that most Americans had come to understand sexual harassment through Anita Hill and Paula Jones’s accusations against Clarence Thomas and Bill Clinton, respectively. Natalia shared that Susan Brownmiller’s In Our Time talks about how feminists came up with the term “sexual harassment” in the 1970s to describe the experiences many women were facing in the workplace.

• Niki’s on a juice cleanse! But is this just a modern phenomenon? Natalia sketched the long history of juicing from its mention on the Dead Sea Scrolls to the 1936 classic by Dr. Norman Walker, Raw Vegetable Juices. Neil placed juicing in a religious history of fasting, and recommended Judith Shulevitz’s essay “Jesus and Moses Went on Cleanses.” Natalia shared the writer Marisa Meltzer’s observation that juicing allowed women to speak about wellness without ever talking about weight loss. And Niki recommended Katy Waldman’s Slate essay, “There Once Was a Girl,” that remarked on the religious practice of “holy anorexia.”

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the new movie Equity.

• Neil recommended the book People Who Eat Darkness.

• Niki shared “An Exciting History of Drywall” from the Atlantic.

Episode 45: Veeps, Beach-Going, and the Olympic Doping Scandal

On this week's episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the changing role of the vice presidency, the history of beach-going, and the Russian doping scandal overshadowing the Rio Olympics.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have picked Tim Kaine and Mike Pence as their respective running mates, but does the Vice Presidency even matter? Niki recently argued in the Atlantic that the twentieth century saw the rise of the “executive vice presidency” beginning with Richard Nixon’s VP Spiro Agnew. Neil recalled Jimmy Carter in 1976 became the first to seriously vet potential VPs after the mishaps of Agnew’s vice presidency and Thomas Eagleton withdrew from George McGovern’s ticket when it was revealed he had previously been hospitalized for depression. Natalia pointed to Walter Mondale’s selection of Geraldine Ferraro as an important turning point in making the VP about an identity-based choice rather than a geographically-based on.

• It’s the summer and everyone is headed to the beach. But for most of history, people stayed away from the seashore. Neil explained European elites began going to the beach in the eighteenth century during the industrial revolution in order to get “fresh air” and an invigorating plunge in the waters. Natalia recommended Andrew Kahrl’s history of African-American beaches, The Land Was Ours, for understanding the history of racial segregation at the beach, and Jeff Wiltse’s book, Contested Waters, that examines the politics of the swimming pool. Natalia also pointed to Stephen Carter’s novel, The Emperor of Ocean Park, for a depiction of how elite African-Americans found escape in the resort community on Martha’s Vineyard, Oaks Bluff. Neil noted gay and lesbian Americans had also escaped to their own beach communities like Provincetown and Fire Island.

• The International Olympic Committee failed to issue a blanket ban on Russia’s participation in the Rio Games despite evidence of widespread doping among its athletes. While countries have been banned or boycotted the games before, Natalia argued this possible ban was different because it was about rules of the game rather than political reasons that had kept countries away before. Natalia also commented that athletes since the first Olympics have used some form of performance enhancing substances.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia discussed the threats Jessica Valenti has received online after tweeting about her excitement watching Hillary Clinton’s nomination with her young daughter.

• Neil commented on the religious history of Las Vegas and shared an article about street preachers on the Strip.

• Niki talked about the history of optimism and politics. 

Episode 44: Pokemon Go, Turkey's Coup, and the Irony of Reform

On this week's episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the history of Pokemon Go, the near-coup in Turkey, and the unintended consequences of political reform.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The whole world seems to be playing Pokemon Go. Natalia situated the app game in a history of bug collecting but also the long tradition of fears about technology. Neil noted fears about technology went back to the printing press, but Niki commented Pokemon Go reversed the usual fears about children being stuck inside playing video games to the new worry that Pokemon Go was sending children out into a dangerous world. Natalia added that there were plenty of fears about so many adults wasting time playing the game too, and recommended Gary Cross’s book, Men to Boys, as a history of cultural fears about male immaturity. Natalia pointed out the game’s designers envisioned Pokemon Go as an exercise app that would get people out into nature. Neil connected that to the nineteenth century pastime of collecting, including butterfly collecting.
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• The staged military coup in Turkey failed, but why are Americans confused about which side to support? Neil argued Americans didn’t know what to make of Erdogan, a democratically-elected leader who had increasingly become autocratic. Natalia situated American responses to the coup in the history of the U.S. viewing Turkey as its most important ally in the region. Niki argued that since the Truman Doctrine of 1947, the U.S. has held Turkey up as an example of democracy and secularism in the Middle East, but had often prized stability over democracy in Turkey and other allied countries. Niki cited Jeane Kirkpatrick’s classic essay “Dictatorships and Democracy” that advocated an American foreign policy that could ignore human rights abuses and align with autocratic right-wing leaders as long as they were useful to American interests.
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• In the third segment, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debated Jonathan Rauch’s recent essay in the Atlantic, “How American Politics Went Insane.”

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the Project MOST organization in East Hampton, New York.

• Neil shared a brief history of children sent through the mail.

• Niki discussed the history of floor votes at political conventions. 

Episode 43: Dallas, Conventions, and Vaccines

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the police shooting in Dallas, the role of conventions in presidential politics, and the rise of anti-vaccine activism. 

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The nation is grieving the death of five Dallas police officers, one of the deadliest events for police in the nation’s history. Natalia observed the shootings immediately conjured memories of JFK’s assassination in Dallas in 1963. Niki commented that the immediate aftermath of both events had parallels as well, as Dallas the “City of Hate” was blamed for killing JFK rather than Lee Harvey Oswald acting alone much as some have charged Black Lives Matter is responsible for the police officers’ deaths rather than the individual gunman. Neil rooted the history of police and African-American relations in the Reconstruction period where Southern towns established police forces to use the Thirteenth Amendment’s loophole to re-enslave African Americans who committed even the smallest infractions. For present context, Natalia cited a piece by a Dallas native that pointed out the city was losing police officers to surrounding suburbs that could pay more. Neil described how the Blank Panther movement’s militarization in the 1960s led to wide public support from white Americans, including Governor Ronald Reagan who passed a gun control bill in California in response to Black Power demonstrations in his state. Niki recommended David Graham’s Atlantic article, “The Second Amendment’s Second-Class Citizens,” for more reading on this.

• It’s time for the Republican and Democratic conventions! Niki situated this summer’s conventions in a long history that showed their changing role in the political process. Neil remarked on the Republican politicians who have said they won’t attend this year, and the many humorous explanations they’ve come up with for why they have to miss rather than saying it is because of Donald Trump. Natalia and Niki both outlined the long history of violence at political conventions; Niki pinpointed the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago as a turning point when the violence moved from the convention floor to the outside. That was about intraparty skirmishes, so Neil offered the 2004 Republican Convention in New York City as another turning point because now non-Republican protestors assembled outside the convention hall to protest the proceedings going on inside. Niki also spoke about her upcoming attendance at the Republican National Convention where she’ll be providing historical analysis for the assembled media.

• A California law requiring parents immunize their children in order to register for school has now gone into effect. Natalia explained the anti-vaccination movement has defended their cause on the basis of “parental rights” and also with the language of “wellness” and “natural living.” Niki cited the political scientist Brendan Nyhan’s work that showed ridicule has not been an effective tool in changing the minds of anti-vaxxers. Neil observed that African-American mistrust of the medical establishment and public health efforts owed to a history that has included forced sterilizations and the Tuskegee syphilis experiment. Niki recommended Rebecca Skloot’s book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, as a good source on that history. But Niki also pointed to the larger suspicion of science among white Americans following World War II because of the rise of the nuclear bomb and the complicity of Dow Chemicals in the production of napalm for the Vietnam War, something Robert Neer documents in his recent book Napalm: An American Biography. Natalia recommended Alondra Nelson’s book, Body and Soul, and Jason Johnson’s article “Where are the Black Anti-Vaxxers in the Measles Debate?” for further reading on African-American responses to the medical establishment and vaccination. Neil discussed the politics of the vaccination debate, including conservative support for vaccination mandates as “good government” and attacking anti-vaxxers as “anti-science liberals,” but noted conservatives didn’t seem concerned about parental rights in this case. Niki noted that conservatives did use parental arguments, however, to oppose HPV vaccination mandates.  

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on the photograph of Ieshia Evans and the Baton Rouge police that has gone viral. 
• Neil shared the blog post Just. One. Book. If you are interested in donating to the Greenville Junior/Senior High School library, you can find their Amazon wish list here.
• Niki discussed the 1927 book The President’s Daughter by Nan Britton.

Episode 42: Elie Wiesel, Clinton's Emails, and Guns N Roses

In this week's episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate Elie Wiesel's impact on Americans' memory of the Holocaust, the place of Clinton's email controversy in presidential scandals, and the legacy of Guns N Roses.

Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:

• The Holocaust memoirist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel died at the age of 87. Natalia explained how Wiesel’s memoir of his time in Auschwitz, Night, had gone largely unnoticed in the U.S. until the trial of Adolf Eichmann trial in 1960 raised American curiosity about the Holocaust. Niki contrasted Wiesel’s treatment of the Holocaust as a singular horror that transcended history with those of Victor Frankl who saw the Holocaust as a human act rooted in history and of Raphael Lemkin who in trying to come up with a language to make sense of the Holocaust coined the term “genocide.” Natalia recalled Wiesel’s visit to Auschwitz with Oprah Winfrey where he rejected Winfrey’s interpretation of his story as a triumph over adversity. Natalia also pointed to critics of Wiesel, such as Corey Robin, who have accused him of sacralizing the Holocaust while unquestioningly defending Israel. Niki recommended Peter Novick’s The Holocaust in American Life for understanding how the Holocaust banished anti-Semitism from American public life, and Natalia cited Matthew Frye Jacobson’s Whiteness of a Different Color for an explanation of how Jews were “whitened” in American society following the Holocaust.  

• The FBI has announced it will not recommend to the Justice Department that Hillary Clinton be indicted over her use of a private server for her emails while Secretary of State. Neil set Clinton’s email scandal in a longer history of Clinton controversies and a pattern of insignificant scandals leading to bigger problems, such as how the Whitewater investigation uncovered the Monica Lewinsky scandal. Niki noted that pattern was relevant here too, as the Benghazi investigation ultimately led to the email scandal. Natalia shared Claire Potter’s Public Seminar essay that lamented Clinton’s deleted emails as a loss for historians. Niki argued Clinton’s email scandal fit in a long history of worries about the State Department that go back to the Cold War years, including Joseph McCarthy’s allegation of Communist infiltration of the State Department, the “Lavender Scare,” and the Alger Hiss spy case.

• Guns N’ Roses have launched a reunion tour. Natalia contended the reunion was noteworthy for bringing Axl Rose and Slash back together after their messy breakup, but added the group’s original fame came as much from their scandalous personalities as it did their music. Neil remembered the music had provoked controversy as well, especially the racist and homophobic lyrics of their 1989 song “One In A Million,” that drew strong rebukes, including from Tipper Gore. Niki wondered how subversive Guns N’ Roses should be seen today, especially considering they had launched their reunion tour at the highly-commercialized Coachella Festival.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia commented on Autumn Whitefield-Madrano’s new book Face Value: The Hidden Ways Beauty Shapes Women’s Lives.

• Neil discussed how the six-pointed star became associated with Judaism.

• Niki shared Sam Lebovic’s essay, “The Surprisingly Short History of American Secrecy.”