Past Present

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the rise of Democratic Socialists, plans for packing the Supreme Court, and the increasing popularity of audiobooks.

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

• Thanks to the recent upset victory of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez in a New York Democratic primary, socialism appears to be having a new moment in American politics.
• Justice Anthony Kennedy has stepped down, prompting a conversation about whether "packing" the Supreme Court is an advisable strategy for progressives. Natalia cited historian William Leuchtenberg's Smithsonian Magazine article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt's attempt to pack the Supreme Court.
• The popularity of the audiobook is challenging publishers to think differently about how people consume literature.

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

• Natalia recommended Judith Newman's New York Times essay, "He's Going Back to His Former Wife. Sort Of."
• Neil discussed the cultural significance of the "Trumpy Bear" toy.
• Niki recommended Jessica Gingrich's Gastro Obscura article, "The Ornate Ice Cream Saloons That Served Unchaperoned Women."

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate recent claims that the Left is destroying civility in politics, the LGBTQ+ history of American gym culture, and a half-century of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.

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

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

• When White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked to leave the Red Hen restaurant by its owner, many decried the incident as evidence of a decline in civility. Natalia cited historian William Chafe's book Civilities and Civil Rights. At Vox, Niki wrote about Martin Luther King, Jr.'s own history of being called "uncivil."
• An Indianapolis CrossFit location recently canceled a workout intended to celebrate Pride Month, and backlash was swift. Natalia wrote about the history of LGBTQ+ culture and American gyms for Slate and also cited historian David K. Johnson's Journal of Social History article on male physique magazines. She talked more about the issue recently on the All About Fitness with Pete McCall Neil noted recent Past Present episodes on the "gayborhood" and the "twink" were relevant to this segment's discussion.
• A new documentary takes a retrospective look at Mister Rogers' Neighborhood fifty years after its release. Natalia cited Aisha Harris' review in Slate.

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

• Natalia talked about Brooke Hauser's biography of Helen Gurley Brown, Enter Helen: The Invention of Helen Gurley Brown and the Rise of the Modern Single Woman.
• Neil discussed the life and legacy of Koko the Gorilla, who recently died at 46.
• Niki recommended Anne Ewbank's Atlas Obscura article, "The Tragic Roots of America's Favorite Cherry."

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate the legacy of Anthony Bourdain, the end of "family values" conservatism, and ageism as a form of discrimination.

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

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

• The late Anthony Bourdain helped define the now familiar figure of the "celebrity chef." Niki referred to Bourdain's books Kitchen Confidential and Medium Raw as reshaping the genre of food writing. Natalia cited Eric Schlosser's Fast Food Nation and Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food as other works that helped Americans conceive of food as a lens on politics and society.
• "Family values," long a familiar trope of conservative American politics, appears under threat in the Trump era. Neil wrote in Slate about how and why this era has come to an end. Neil recommended historian Seth Dowland's book, Family Values and the Rise of the Christian Right. Natalia cited her own book, Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture, on how family values politics have always been racialized.
• Ageism is an often under-acknowledged cause of discrimination. Natalia commented on how the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (1967) barred workplace age discrimination and cited a recent Atlantic interview with a man who was laid off in his fifties. Natalia also recommended Ashton Applewhite's writing on age and ageism at the This Chair Rocks Blog.

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

• Natalia talked about Jesse Singal's controversial Atlantic article, "When Children Say They're Trans."
• Neil recommended Pose, a new show on the FX Network.
• Niki discussed Nathan Truesdell's Atlantic video, "The Balloonfest That Went Horribly Wrong."

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the historical relationship between Canada and the United States, the legacy of the late designer Kate Spade, and the controversy over proposed changes to an Advanced Placement history course.

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

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

• Relations between longtime allies the United States and Canada appear to be souring after the G7 summit. Natalia cited this article describing the last such tension during Richard Nixon's presidency.
• Designer Kate Spade's suicide prompted an outpouring of grief among those who remember the black bags that made her famous as a totem of life in the 1990s. Natalia cited this Racked article about the success of the brand as well as this Columbia Journalism Review article about the class myopia of the New York Times' coverage of Spade's life and influence.
• Many history teachers are angry about changes to an Advanced Placement world history course.

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

• Natalia talked about a homophobia scandal at Crossfit.
• Neil discussed the new film RBG.
• Niki recommended the new database Women Also Know History.

In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate the Supreme Court's ruling on the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, Donald Trump's use of the presidential pardon, and the American tradition of separating families.

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

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

• The Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a gay couple in the Masterpiece Cakeshop case. Neil referred to Tisa Wenger's book Religious Freedom: The Contested History of An American Ideal and Sarah Posner's Nation article about the conservative Christian advocacy group Alliance Defending Freedom.
• President Trump has legal scholars thinking about whether a president is legally permitted to pardon himself. Natalia cited this Washington Post article by Lawrence Tribe, Richard Painter, and Norman Eisen arguing a president cannot pardon himself. Niki cited Bob Bauer's Lawfare article about the larger demagogic nature of Trump's presidency.
• The Trump administration has intensified a policy separating families at the U.S.-Mexico border. Niki cited historian Martha Jones' Medium slideshow about the history of separating enslaved families. Natalia cited historian Walter Johnson's book Soul by Soul: Life Inside the Antebellum Slave Market and Niki recommended historian Heather A. Williams' Help Me to Find My People: The African American Search for Family Lost in Slavery.

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

• Natalia talked about Hilary Levey Friedman's USA Today article, "Good Riddance to the Miss America Pageant, But Did We Have to Lose Fitness Too?"
• Neil discussed the German TV show Deutschland 83, now available on Hulu.
• Niki recommended Yoni Appelbaum's Atlantic article, "Which America Is Trump Celebrating?"

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the rise of the "twink" aesthetic, Manhattan con artist Anna Sorokin/Delvey, and the cultural endurance of the Ford Mustang.

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

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

• The New York Times has declared "the age of the twink." Neil referred to this 2003 New York Times article on the "metrosexual." Natalia recommended this Slate article on the continued relevance of the notion of a gay aesthetic.
• The long con of Anna Delvey, who duped the downtown Manhattan set, has readers rapt. Natalia referred to this Vanity Fair article by one of her dupes. Niki cited Maria Konnikova's book The Confidence Game: Why We Fall For It Every Time and Natalia cited Barbara Ehrenreich's book Nickel and Dimed.
• Ford Motors is phasing out passenger cars, save for its iconic Mustang. Natalia recommended this WIRED article on the history of America's favorite sports car.

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

• Neil discussed Matt Lebovic's Times of Israel article, "Who Was Anne Frank's Gay Uncle Walter?"
• Natalia talked about the Netflix documentary One of Us.
• Niki shared the site African American Historic Sites Database.

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil debate the "incel" community, the role of race in Mormon history, and the thrift-shaming of millennials.

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

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

• In the wake of a Toronto terrorist attack, "incels," or involuntary celibates, are gaining attention. Niki referred to this New York Times article about Jordan Peterson. Natalia cited Jia Tolentino's New Yorker article on the origins of incel rage, Ross Douthat's New York Times op-ed raising the possibility of the redistribution of sex, and this Washington Post column by historian Melissa J. Gismondi. Niki referred to this paper by Betsey Stevenson and Justin Wolfers.
• A hoax letter claiming the LDS Church was apologizing for its history of racism upset many. Natalia cited historian Sarah Barringer Gordon's book The Mormon Question: Polygamy and Constitutional Conflict in Nineteenth Century America as well as historian Max Perry Mueller's book Race and the Making of the Mormon People, which he discussed in an interview in The Atlantic. Neil referred to Linda Sillitoe's book Salamander: The Story of the Mormon Forgery Murders.
• Financial planning recommendations to millennials are increasingly met with internet outrage. Natalia cited Rebecca Onion's Slate article on the history of the thrift education movement, and Niki referred to historian Louis Hyman's book Debtor Nation.

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

• Neil discussed the Guardian article, "Anne Frank's 'Dirty' Jokes Found on Diary Pages She Covered Over."
• Natalia talked about Historians on Hamilton: How a Blockbuster Musical is Restaging America's Past, a new book edited by Claire Potter and Renée Romano.
• Niki shared this history of commercial flight in the 1930s and this WBUR segment on "What Happens When Someone on Your Flight Has a Medical Emergency."

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil debate the movement of the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, the life and legacy of the late author Tom Wolfe, and the legalization of sports gambling.

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

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

• President Trump officially moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, and violence in Gaza ensued. Neil wrote about Trump's stance in his Huffington Post column this week. Natalia recommended this Tablet article breaking down the context for the violence in Gaza.
• "New Journalism" pioneer Tom Wolfe died this week. Natalia cited two of her favorite Wolfe works, Radical Chic and Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers and Bonfire of the Vanities and recommended this Atlantic piece chronicling the neologisms Wolfe has coined.
• A Supreme Court ruling has lifted a ban on sports betting. Neil cited this NPR piece on the potential implications of the decision for college and amateur athletes.

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

• Neil discussed the news that the Salt Lake Tribune has laid off a third of its newsroom.
• Natalia talked about the show "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" and Laura Ansley's analytical essay at Nursing Clio, "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: Feminism, Mental Health, and Musicals Meet on the Boob Tube."
• Niki shared Diane Peters' JSTOR Daily article, "Treadmills Were Meant to be Atonement Machines."

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia debate Childish Gambino's viral video "This is America," the launching of NRATV, and how Instagram is changing museums.

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

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

• Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, generated major buzz with the release of the song and video "This is America." Natalia referred to the various articles including this Washington Post piece that attempt to decode the richly allusive video. Contextualizing this work in the recent comments by Kanye West that "slavery was a choice," Niki recommended this Washington Post piece by historian Leah Wright Rigueur and Natalia referenced this New York Times article by activist dream hampton as well as this GQ article.
• The National Rifle Association now has a television presence, NRATV, which promotes a pro-Trump politics and worldview.
• The popularity of sites like the Museum of Ice Cream shows how Instagram is changing how we consume culture. Natalia referred to historian Lawrence Levine's classic book Highbrow, Lowbrow, Amanda Mull's Eater article on Instagram's effect on food consumption, and Will Storr's book Selfie on the narcissistic currents that inspire our moment.

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

• Neil commented on the brewing controversy in the Southern Baptist Convention about Paige Patterson's statements about women.
• Natalia shared Britni de la Cretaz' Racked article, "'Honoring' Female Baseball Players with the Lipstick They Were Required to Wear."
• Niki recommended Alan Taylor's photographic essay in the Atlantic, "A Look Back at Kilauea's Spectacular 1969 to 1974 Mauna Ulu Eruption."

In this episode, Niki, Neil, and Natalia debate the White House Correspondents' Dinner, the Golden State Killer, and the news that Americans are forgetting the Holocaust.

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

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

• At this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner, comedian Michelle Wolf caused controversy. You can watch Wolf's full performance here. Niki referenced Megan Garber's Atlantic article, "The Slow, Awkward Death of the White House Correspondents' Dinner." Natalia cited this Columbia Journalism Review article noting that some members of the WHCA are opting to bring journalism students rather than celebrities to the event.
• The Golden State Killer, who claimed fifty victims in the 1970s and 80s, has been apprehended thanks to DNA evidence. Neil recommended Sarah Zhang's Atlantic article explaining how police investigators used genealogy websites to find the killer. (We discussed genetic testing websites on Episode 90.) Niki referred to Michelle McNamara's posthumously published I'll Be Gone in the Dark that helped solve the crime, and Neil referenced McNamara's Los Angeles magazine article about how the serial killer terrorized California. Natalia recommended the Atlanta Monster podcast that chronicles a serial killer who victimized that city.
• A troubling report suggests Americans are decreasingly aware of the scale of the Holocaust. Natalia discussed Rebecca Onion's Slate article historicizing this apparent illiteracy. Niki cited this Atlantic article considering Poland's relationship to its role in the Holocaust along with Timothy Snyder's Bloodlands and Jan Gross' Neighbors.

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

• Neil shared Dana Goldstein's New York Times article, "Teacher Pay is So Low in Some U.S. School Districts That They Are Recruiting Overseas."
• Natalia discussed Kyle Swenson's Washington Post article, "Harold Bornstein: Exiled from Trumpland, Doctor Now 'Frightened and Sad'."
• Niki discussed Pamela Burger's JSTOR Daily article, "The Bloody History of the True Crime Genre."