Past Present

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia discuss the celebrity of Cardi B, Jeff Bezos' "below-the-belt selfie," and the death of Lyndon LaRouche.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Cardi B became the first woman to win the Grammy Award for Best Hip-Hop Album, and she's been a vocal critic of President Trump. Natalia referred to comments by her history teacher that Cardi B had been an excellent history student, while Niki referred to a GQ interview in which she discussed her passion for political science and history. Niki also recommended historian Katie Cramer Brownell's book Showbiz Politics.
• Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has gone on the attack against the National Enquirer, which, he says, has been attempting to extort him. Niki recommended David Greenberg's Politico piece on political taboos.
• Lyndon LaRouche, founder of a bizarre political movement that spanned four decades, has died. Natalia recommended this Washington Monthly piece that compared the LaRouche movement to a vanity press.

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

• Natalia recommended Carmen Maria Machado's Vogue article, "A New Generation is Taking on Latinx L.A.'s Beauty Rituals."
• Neil discussed Avery Anapol's The Hill article, "Longtime Sportscaster Charged with Felony After Removing the Word 'Plantation' from Sign at His Gate."
• Niki shared Jeremy Barr's Hollywood Reporter article, "Fox News Rejects National Ad for Oscar-Nominated Anti-Nazi Documentary."

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the history of blackface, political upheaval in Venezuela, and the demise of Valentine's Day conversation hearts.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Two top Virginia Democrats have admitted to wearing blackface. Natalia pointed to a recent Gucci turtleneck that many have called sartorial blackface. Niki referred to Jamelle Bouie's New York Times op-ed about the bar for unacceptable racism in the United States and historian Rhae Lynn Barnes' Washington Post piece on the history of blackface among American politicians.
• Venezuela is in extreme turmoil. Niki cited this Washington Post piece on Trump's dangerous tactics vis-à-vis Venezuela by historians Federico Finchelstein and Pablo Piccato. Natalia recommended this primer on the "petrostate" from the Council on Foreign Relations.
• The conversation hearts that have for so long been a Valentine's Day staple will not be widely available this February 14. Natalia recommended this Smithsonian Magazine article on the history of chocolate as a more sensual Valentine's Day gift.

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

• Natalia discussed the Netflix documentary, "Abducted in Plain Sight."
• Neil shared the Atlantic article, "Sears Once Sold Heroin."
• Niki commented on Victoria Saker Woeste's Washington Post article, "Why Ford Needs to Grapple With Its Founder's Anti-Semitism."

In this podcast, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss Howard Schultz' presidential bid, gay men in the priesthood, and the enduring fascination with serial killer Ted Bundy.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

On this week's Past Present episode, Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, and Neil J. Young discuss Howard Schultz' presidential bid, gay men in the priesthood, and the enduring fascination with serial killer Ted Bundy.

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

• Starbucks founder Howard Schultz has announced he is running for the presidency in 2020. Natalia referred to Michelle Goldberg's New York Times piece pleading Schultz not to run.
• Gay men, by even the most conservative metrics, are represented in the priesthood in greater proportion than in the general population. Neil referred to Andrew Sullivan's New York article on why this might be.
• Serial killer Ted Bundy was executed thirty years ago, and ongoing fascination with his story has inspired two new accounts of his violent career. Conversations with a Killer is a Netflix docuseries, and a feature film starring Zac Efron debuted at the Sundance Film Festival. Natalia recommended historian Paul M. Renfro's forthcoming book, Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State.

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

• Natalia commented on Thomas Simonetti's Washington Post article, "A Photographer Documents the Heart-Wrenching Final Moments of Pet Owners with Their Dying Pets" and Bethan Bell's BBC News article, "Taken From Life: The Unsettling Art of Death Photography."
• Neil discussed Amy Chozick's New York Times article, "You Know the Lorena Bobbitt Story. But Not All of It."
• Niki shared Kimberly Ross and Andrea Ruth's Bulwark article, "Why We Are Quitting RedState."

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss marching on Washington as a form of political protest, the Los Angeles teachers' strike, and how American cities reflect economic inequality.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Native American and pro-life activists both marched in Washington, D.C., last weekend, participating in a longstanding American protest tradition.
• The Los Angeles teachers' union has reached a deal with the city. Natalia recommended Dana Goldstein's coverage of the strikes in the New York Times and Goldstein's book, The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession. Natalia also recommended historian Diana D'Amico's Washington Post op-ed on the role of suburbanization in the economic struggles of big-city school systems. Natalia also referred to the pro-charter school documentary The Lottery.
• A new study suggests that cities are not the sites of economic mobility they have long been thought to be. Niki recommended Sarah Maslin Nir's New York Times coverage of the plight of nail salon workers. Natalia recommended urbanist Richard Florida's continued work on this topic.

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

• Natalia discussed two new documentaries about the ill-fated Fyre Fest, one on Hulu and one on Netflix.
• Neil discussed David Leffler's Washington Post article, "Suicides Among Veterinarians Become a Growing Problem."
• Niki shared Jill Lepore's New Yorker article, "Does Journalism Has a Future?"

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki discuss the new Gillette commercial "We Believe," Rep. Steve King's controversial comments, and the decline of cursive in American schools.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Gillette released a new ad taking aim at "toxic masculinity." Natalia recommended historian Gail Bederman's book Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Race and Gender in the United States, 1880-1917 and a Twitter thread she compiled of relevant historical images. Neil referred to his HuffPost piece on the campaign's conservatism.
• Representative Steve King recently waxed nostalgic for the days when "white supremacy" was acceptable. Natalia recommended Niki's CNN article on journalists' role in establishing the bounds of political discourse and Marama Whyte's forthcoming dissertation on how women journalists covered feminism. Niki shared historian David Greenberg's scholarly article on the origin of the assumption of media's "liberal bias."
• Cursive instruction at school is becoming a relic. Niki cited this Atlantic article on the role of the ballpoint pen in its demise. Natalia recalled that literacy instruction pioneer Irene Fountas was also excellent at teaching cursive.

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

• Natalia recommended historian Emily Dufton's book Grass Roots: The Rise and Fall and Rise of Marijuana in America.
• Neil discussed the Orlando Sentinel's coverage of the pardon of the "Groveland Four."
• Niki shared Yoni Appelbaum's Atlantic article, "Impeach Donald Trump."

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the Green New Deal, the KonMari craze, and the history of national emergencies.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Twitter has been abuzz with talk of a "Green New Deal." Neil referred to Thomas Friedman's first use of the term. Niki and Natalia recommended two books by environmental historians: Sarah Phillips' This Land, This Nation: Conservation, Rural America, and the New Deal and Benjamin Alexander's The New Deal's Forest Army: How the Civilian Conservation Corps Worked.
• Japanese organizer Marie Kondo became an American sensation with her 2014 bestseller The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. A new Netflix series based on the book has catapulted the KonMari craze to new heights. Natalia recommended Taffy Brodesser-Akner's New York Times profile of Kondo.
• Donald Trump threatened to declare a national emergency in order to build the wall with Mexico he promised voters. Niki recommended this Pacific Standard article on the context for this threat.

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

• Natalia recommended The Dream podcast about multi-level marketing schemes.
• Neil discussed Jana Reiss' Religion News article, "Major Changes to Mormon Temple Ceremony, Especially for Women."
• Niki shared Ibram X. Kendi's Atlantic article, "What I Learned From Cancer."

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia welcome Princeton historians Kevin M. Kruse and Julian Zelizer to discuss their new book, Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974, followed by a discussion of "Dry January," and new findings that young people are having less sex.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Princeton historians Kevin M. Kruse and Julian Zelizer's new book, Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 is now available from W.W. Norton.
• Back in 2012, four thousand people abstained from drinking in January; in 2018, four million adopted "Dry January." Natalia recommended historian Lisa McGirr's The War on Alcohol: Prohibition and the Rise of the American State.
• Millennials, The Atlantic reports, are in a "sex recession." Natalia referred to historian Gail Bederman's book Manliness and Civilization: A Cultural History of Gender and Race in the United States, 1880-1917. Niki referred to this Huffington Post piece regarding polling on sexual behaviors.

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

• Natalia recommended The Atlantic's advertorial spread, "Five Ways to Make the Outdoors More Inclusive."
• Neil commented on the Los Angeles Times article, "TSA to Deploy More Floppy-Ear Dogs because They're Less Scary than Pointy-Ear Dogs."
• Niki discussed Livia Gershon's JSTOR Daily article, "Why Champagne?"

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the closing of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard, changing public perceptions of Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, and the controversy over the 1944 Christmas classic "Baby, It's Cold Outside."

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• After twenty-three years, the conservative Weekly Standard is shuttering. Natalia recommended Ed Kilgore's Intelligencer article about the Weekly Standard's history of partisanship. All three hosts referenced Niki's book, Messengers of the Right: Conservative Media and the Transformation of American Politics. Niki referred to Jeane Kirkpatrick's 1979 Commentary essay "Dictatorship and Double Standards."
• Silicon Valley executive and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg has gone from superwoman to supervillain, a new Buzzfeed article
• The classic winter song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside," is raising controversy this season, and it's not the first time. Neil wrote about the controversial history of Christmas songs for The Atlantic. Niki discussed another conflict over the 1984 song "Do They Know It's Christmas?"

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

• Natalia recommended Gustavo Turner's LOGIC Magazine article, "My Stepdad's Huge Data Set."
• Neil discussed Michael S. Rosenwald's Washington Post article, "The Police Officer Who Arrested a President."
• Niki shared Charles Dunst and Krishnadev Kalamur's Atlantic article, "Trump Moves to Deport Vietnam War Refugees.

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss the disputed whiteness of classical statues, the Emmy Award-winning show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Native American claims to land rights in Oklahoma.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• A small cadre of archaeologists and art historians are challenging the assumption that classical statuary were always white, the New Yorker reported. Niki recommended this article from the Nation on the connection between white supremacy and mythologies of a white past.
• The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is back with a second season. Niki referred to this Refinery29 article that contrasted lead character Midge Maisel with Joan Rivers. Natalia suggested Emily Nussbaum's critique at the New Yorker and Hey Alma's historical critique of the show.
• A murder trial in Oklahoma is raising questions about Native American land rights. Natalia recommended this Daily Beast article about how the white, libertarian land rights movement is cynically invoking the Native American example.

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

• Natalia discussed Shayla Love's VICE article, "The Young and the Uncared For."
• Neil commented on James Gorman's New York Times article, "It Could Be the Age of the Chicken, Geologically."
• Niki shared Ruth Graham's Slate article, "How 'Woke Ammon Bundy' Became the World's Most Surprising Resistance Figure."

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss the death of President George Herbert Walker Bush, the resurgence of exorcisms, and the viral popularity of the Squatty Potty.

Support Past Present on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/pastpresentpodcast

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

• Forty-first president George H.W. Bush died recently at age 94. Niki mentioned diverging analyses of Bush's legacy from historians Tim Naftali at Slate and David Greenberg at POLITICO. Natalia recommended historian Josh Clark Davis' viral thread about Bush's War on Drugs. Neil wrote about Bush's experience with the religious right at the Washington Post.
• Catholic exorcisms are on the rise. Niki referred to this article at The Conversation about the role of Pope Francis in this rise.
• A product called the Squatty Potty is a consumer hit. Natalia referred to this Guardian article about changes in how we relate to toilets and our bodies, as well as to another product, Tushy, that illustrates a new openness to discussing once-taboo bodily functions.

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

• Natalia recommended Jaime Lauren Keiles' Vox article, "Reconsidering the Jewish American Princess."
• Neil commented on the controversy over every president reciting the Apostles' Creed at George H.W. Bush's funeral except President Trump.
• Niki discussed Sarah Zhang's Atlantic article, "300 Million Letters Are Missing From the Human Genome."