Bitchy History

This lecture explores Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG) as Gene Roddenberry’s vision of a utopian future shaped by the optimism of the late Cold War and its conclusion. Drawing from Francis Fukuyama’s concept of “The End of History,” we examine how TNG portrays a society that has achieved ideological harmony, where greed, poverty, and hunger are relics of the past. Through key episodes, we’ll analyze how the series critiques contemporary issues like terrorism, environmentalism, and identity while promoting the ideals of cooperation, diplomacy, and self-betterment. Additionally, we’ll address TNG’s limitations in addressing deeper societal stagnation and its reflection of a world grappling with the promise and challenges of post-Cold War liberal democracy. This lecture considers how TNG’s optimistic outlook redefined Star Trek’s role as both a mirror of and a guide for society’s evolution.

We’ll be covering Star Trek: Deep Space Nine next week during lecture 3! So check in January 26th at 11am PST.

Welcome back, listeners! This week, we’re tackling a tough but crucial topic: the history of domestic violence in America. This episode explores how domestic violence has been ignored, normalized, and fought against throughout history.

We start in colonial America, where men had the legal right to “chastise” their wives—aka, beat them—as long as they followed the “rule of thumb.” Women had no legal standing to fight back because they were considered their husband’s property. Fast forward to the 19th century, when the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) linked domestic abuse to alcohol and started pushing for change. They weren’t perfect, but they got people talking.

In the 1970s, feminists declared that domestic violence wasn’t just a private issue—it was about power and systemic inequality. Grassroots activists created the first shelters, support systems, and laws like the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). But even with progress, many survivors still fall through the cracks of an underfunded, inconsistent system.

This episode covers the fight for justice, the wins we’ve had, and the work we still need to do. It’s a call to action: let’s learn from history, push for change, and support survivors.

Because history proves that when women come together, they get sh*t done. Don’t miss it!

Welcome to the first lecture in the series Warp Speed Woke: How Star Trek Took on Society! 🚀 In this episode, we’re diving into the groundbreaking origins of Star Trek and its fearless exploration of social issues. From its debut in the 1960s, Gene Roddenberry’s iconic series was more than just science fiction—it was a mirror held up to society, reflecting its struggles, triumphs, and aspirations.

Join us as we explore:

✨ How Star Trek broke barriers with its diverse cast and progressive storytelling.

✨ The show’s subtle (and not-so-subtle) critiques of racism, sexism, and war during the turbulent 1960s.

✨ The ways Star Trek envisioned a future where humanity thrives through unity, exploration, and understanding.

This lecture sets the stage for our journey into Star Trek’s sociopolitical legacy, analyzing how it became a cultural touchstone for hope and resistance.

💡 Whether you’re a lifelong Trekker or new to the franchise, this series is your warp-speed guide to understanding why Star Trek is still boldly going strong.

In this episode of Bitchy History, we dive into a topic that’s as frustrating as it is timely. While countries around the globe are electing women to lead and thrive, the United States still struggles to cross that critical threshold. Why? Because of systemic barriers, cultural biases, and a political system that loves to gatekeep.

We’ll explore the trailblazers who dared to put their names on the ballot—from Victoria Woodhull in 1872 to Kamala Harris in 2024. Along the way, we’ll shine a light on global successes like Angela Merkel, Jacinda Ardern, and Rwanda’s groundbreaking gender equity, showing what’s possible when women lead.

From pioneering candidates and glass ceiling shatterers to modern obstacles like media bias and the myth of “electability,” this episode unpacks the dumpster fire of American politics and asks: why is it so damn hard for the U.S. to embrace women in leadership?

Join us for a snarky, informative, and deeply inspiring look at the women who’ve paved the way—and the work that still needs to be done. Because the future is female…but so is the past.

In this week’s episode of Bitchy History, I’m diving into the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for reshaping the federal government, gutting Title X, and rolling back civil liberties. Title X has been a lifeline for millions, providing access to contraception, STI testing, and cancer screenings for low-income families, rural residents, women of color, and LGBTQ+ individuals. But if Project 2025 gets its way, those essential services could disappear.

Here’s what you can expect from the episode:

• A breakdown of Project 2025: What it is, who’s behind it, and why it’s so dangerous.

• The history of Title X: How this federal program has quietly been saving lives since 1970.

• Who gets hurt: The devastating impact these policies will have on marginalized communities.

• What’s at stake: The economic, social, and public health fallout if Title X is dismantled.

• What you can do: Practical steps to fight back and protect reproductive healthcare.

This episode isn’t just a history lesson—it’s a call to action. Policies like Project 2025 rely on silence and complacency to succeed. We’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen.

P.S. Want to take action today? Check out organizations like Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and the National Network of Abortion Funds—they’re on the frontlines of this fight.

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When Alice Paul penned the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) back in 1923, she probably didn’t imagine we’d still be debating it 100 years later. And yet, here we are. The ERA—a simple 24-word promise of gender equality—has sparked decades of fierce activism, cultural backlash, and political gridlock.

In the latest episode of Bitchy History, we dive into the epic saga of the ERA: its beginnings in the suffragist movement, its near-victory in the 1970s, and the relentless campaign by Phyllis Schlafly to stop it in its tracks. You’ll hear how Schlafly weaponized fear and “family values” to derail the ERA and why her influence still looms large in today’s debates over gender equality.

But the story doesn’t end there. We explore how the ERA found new life in the 2010s, with Nevada, Illinois, and Virginia ratifying it decades after the original deadline. And we’ll unpack the legal and cultural challenges that continue to keep the ERA in limbo, even as public support for gender equality grows.

Why does the ERA still matter?

Because without it, gender discrimination remains a legal gray area in the Constitution. Pay gaps, LGBTQ+ protections, reproductive rights, and even gender-based violence—all of these issues are at stake.

This isn’t just a history lesson; it’s a call to action. The ERA is more than a forgotten amendment—it’s unfinished business.

Check out the new merch designed for this episode!

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Let’s talk about something that should be a settled issue by now but, spoiler alert, isn’t: birth control. From Anthony Comstock’s 19th-century moral crusades to the fallout from Dobbs, America’s relationship with contraception is a case study in how rights, once won, are never truly secure.

This week’s podcast episode dives deep into the messy, frustrating, and often infuriating history of birth control in the United States. We trace the fight for reproductive autonomy back to Comstock’s “decency” laws, through the groundbreaking Griswold v. Connecticut decision, to the current political landscape where access to contraception hangs in a precarious balance. Oh, and let’s not forget the looming specter of Project 2025—an ideological Trojan horse aiming to dismantle Title X funding and redirect resources to crisis pregnancy centers that lack real medical care but are brimming with judgmental pamphlets.

Here’s the bottom line: the war on birth control is part of a larger battle over who gets to control whose body. The stakes couldn’t be higher. Millions of marginalized people—women of color, LGBTQ+ individuals, low-income families, and rural communities—are disproportionately impacted by these restrictive policies. And let’s be real, this isn’t about “morality” or “freedom”; it’s about power. Always has been.

If this episode left you feeling fired up, good. It’s time to channel that rage into action. Share this podcast, educate yourself and others, and remember: history shows us that progress is possible, but only if we fight for it.

Stay informed, stay resilient, and most importantly, stay bitchy.

Until next time,

ProfessorMeredith

Bitchy History is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this episode of “Bitchy History,” we’re diving into the grim and often overlooked history of child labor in America. From the colonial era’s indentured servitude to today’s shocking headlines about minors working in hazardous conditions, we’ll trace the evolution of child exploitation in the workforce. We’ll uncover the chilling statistics, heartbreaking stories, and the tireless efforts of reformers who fought to protect children from grueling labor. We’ll also shine a light on the modern resurgence of this issue, examining how recent legislative changes threaten to undo decades of progress.

Join us for a sobering look at how far we’ve come—and how far we still have to go—to protect the most vulnerable members of our society.

Resources:

The Lives of 18th Century Apprenticed and Indentured Children

Children bound to labor: the pauper apprentice system in early America 

Jane Addam’s Hull House - Child Labor

The Child Labor Amendment

Photographs of Lewis Hine: Documentation of Child Labor

The Republican push to weaken child labor laws, explained

Child labor still with us after all these years

Unaccompanied Migrant Child Workers Exploited

Florida legislature proposes dangerous rollback of child labor protections

Project 2025

Tune in for the Bitchy History Father’s Day Special! My dad joins the show to talk about getting drafted, waking Richard Nixon up at 3 am (more than once), the time he nearly got sent to an early grave by a case of Coca-Cola, and many other things from his life.

My dad has never met a random historical factoid he didn’t want to know or share with someone else, which is how you know we’re related.

Tune in this week for Bitchy History’s Mother’s Day special. My mom joins the show to share her experiences with sexism in optometry school, pregnancy employment discrimination, marrying a man she lightly stalked, and how she felt about Watergate after she voted for Nixon in her first election as an 18-year-old, among many other things.

By the end of the episode, you’ll know that I came by the “bitchy” in Bitchy History, honestly.

Bitchy History is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.