Category Archives: Podcast

“There’s no precedent for women in this family being treated like they matter.” Sarah tells Mike about the Bronco chase as Paula Barbieri experienced it. Then, she recounts  how a poor kid from Panama City, Florida, made it all the way to the high-fashion world of Paris, France—and discovered that she had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire. Sarah continues to compare everyone to Erin Brockovich.

This episode begins with a lengthy discussion of O.J. Simpson’s suicide attempt on the day of the Bronco chase. We go on to describe scenes of domestic violence and attempted sexual assault; Paula deserved better.

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Mike tells Sarah how NGOs, activists and George W. Bush resurrected the ‘stranger danger’ panic for the modern era. Digressions include Reply All, muffins and Yelp for massage parlors. Mike’s vocal fry is worse than usual.

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Corrections: Mike gets the first name of Catharine MacKinnon wrong and says first-wave feminism when he means second wave. He’s extremely embarrassed.

Links!

• The Vanity Fair article debunking the Robert Kraft case
• The infamous Washington Post fact-check of the claim that 1 in 7 runaways are victims of sex trafficking
• Janie Chuang’s excellent article on “Exploitation Creep”
• Another Chuang article: “Rescuing Trafficking From Ideological Capture: Prostitution Reform and Anti-Trafficking Law and Policy”
• Excellent debunking of the “Seattle Review Board” case
• A terrific blog written by sex workers that includes a number of posts on trafficking
• The salty task force report
• A deep dive into trafficking statistics by Ron Weitzer
• “The NGO-ification of the Anti-Trafficking Movement In the United States”
• GAO study with lots of stats about T-visas
• “Human Trafficking: Sketchy Data And Policy Responses”
• “Sex, Trafficking, and the Politics of Freedom”
• “The Making of ‘The Trafficking Problem’”

Sarah tells Mike how Marcia Clark got the slam-dunk case that ended her career as a trial lawyer. Digressions include string cheese, “Inception” and what calling women “difficult” means in 2019. We go on the record in favor of a wide range of frivolous hobbies.

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“Centering conversations around blame is not the most useful thing for us to be doing.” Sarah tells Mike about the woman who broke up with O.J. Simpson on the morning of the murders — then stayed by his side through the trial. Michael Bolton makes an extended cameo appearance.

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Links!

Few topics have been suggested to us in the last year as often as the razor blade in the apple. Luckily we’ve got you covered with last year’s Urban Legend Spectacular! Come for the poisoned candy, stay for the high beams and rainbow parties.

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Links!

• “The Razor Blade in the Apple: The Social Construction of Urban Legends”
• Miriam Forman-Brunell’s awesome book on babysitters
• Snopes’ debunking of the “killer in the backseat” myth
• The terrible 2005 New York Times article asking whether “rainbow parties” are real
• Caitlin Flanagan’s 2006 “streetwalker” opus in the Atlantic

Corrections!

The first two times Sarah mentions Miriam Forman-Brunell’s book, she calls her “Miriam Forman-Brunelli.” Sorry!

Sarah takes Mike on a grisly journey from Wisconsin bachelor Ed Gein’s house to the horror movies he inspired. This is a re-broadcast of our 2018 Halloween episode, whose themes are evergreen.

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“You can’t expect people to know the exact kind of help they need.” We continue our deep dive into the O.J. Simpson case with the history of Nicole Brown Simpson’s marriage to O.J., their 1992 divorce and the last weeks of Nicole’s life. Digressions include Julia Roberts, Malibu real estate and Madonna’s “Erotica.” Mike is fighting a cold and apologizes for his raspiness. This episode contains even greater detail on the violence and domestic abuse Nicole suffered.

Plus, a correction! Sarah forgot to mention that O.J. Simpson received two years of probation for the 1989 incident.

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Mike and Sarah begin their epic journey into O.J. Simpson’s trial for the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, beginning with the story of Nicole’s life with O.J. until their marriage in 1985. This episode contains descriptions of violence and domestic abuse. Like so many of the women we talk about, Nicole deserved better.

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Our first live show! Mike tells Sarah about Janet Jackson, the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime show and the 9/16ths of a second that destroyed her career. Digressions include Puff Daddy, Jessica Simpson and Edward James Olmos. Like all positive developments regarding this show, performing live is something we feel weird about and so we spent the first few minutes talking about it!

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Links!

• Broadcast Indecency Regulation in the Era of the Wardrobe Malfunction
• Everything you forgot about Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake’s 2004 Super Bowl controversy
• ‘Nipplegate’ revisited 
• Nipple Ripples: 10 Years of Fallout From Janet Jackson’s Halftime Show
• The Les Moonves story

Mike tells Sarah how the myth of meddling wives serves to exonerate terrible husbands. Digressions include “50 Shades of Grey,” Marie Antoinette and the end of the 1960s. This episode, we’re sorry to say, contains descriptions of domestic abuse.

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Links!

• Tim Riley’s “Lennon”
• Philip Norman’s “John Lennon: The Life”
• Jonathan Gould’s “Can’t Buy Me Love” (good on The Beatles, terrible on Yoko)
• Cynthia Lennon’s “John”
• “Feminism and 1960-1970s Popular Music”
• “Why The Beatles Broke Up”

“Isn’t it amazing how we can only imagine our monsters capitalistically?” Mike tells Sarah how police, prosecutors and journalists accidentally conspired to invent the perfect suburban menace. Digressions include IKEA, the “Godfather” trilogy and Fleetwood Mac. Mike takes big gulping breaths when he reads out loud.

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Links!

• Fabulous summary of all the studies that have debunked gang myths
• “Systemic Racial Bias and RICO’s Application to Criminal Street and Prison Gangs”
• “Myths and Realities of Youth Gangs”
• “Menacing or Mimicking? Realities of Youth Gangs”
• Terrific study of the gangs moral panic in Nevada
• Hilarious gang statistics from 1994
• Abysmal 1993 Newsweek article entrenching gang myths for suburban readers
• Nice Slate article on how the city’s gang crackdown in the 1990s led to the elevated murder rate today
• Law review article on California’s 2001 gang prohibitions
• “The Jets and Sharks Are Dead: State Statutory Responses to Criminal Street Gangs”

“When you allow emotion into the courtroom, bias rushes in alongside it.” Special guest Rachel Monroe tells Mike and Sarah how a good-faith critique of the justice system led to a decades-long crackdown. Digressions include Charles Manson, Ronald Reagan and a billionaire mugshot. As usual, Mike’s similes are worse than Sarah’s.

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“Things are not going to get better if we make the people who scare us seem more powerful.” Mike tells Sarah about the myths of sex crimes, the reality of child abuse and the importance of unsympathetic protagonists. Digressions include frozen pizza, millennials (obvs) and vaccination rates. Mike can only name one state that borders Nevada.

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Links!

• Mike’s article on sex offenders
• Terrific overview of why sex offender laws don’t work (skip to p. 230)
• Michael Seto’s overview of the research on pedophilia
• Fascinating case study of clergy sex abuse
• “The Impact of Sex Offender Residence Restrictions: 1,000 Feet From Danger or One Step From Absurd?”
• “The Adam Walsh Act: An Examination of Sex Offender Risk Classification Systems”

“The story that did the most damage to the people in it was the one that made the most money.” Sarah tells Mike about the low-rent conspiracy that sparked a ratings bonanza. Digressions include “Out of Sight,” Robert De Niro and ancient sexting technology. Mike continues to laugh confusedly at references he does not know.

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Sarah tells Mike the story of a world-class figure skater who worked at a mall potato restaurant. Digressions include “Sleepless in Seattle,” mall walkers, synchronized diving and the difficulty of skating a perfect pentagram. This episode unfortunately contains descriptions of physical, emotional and sexual abuse. Tonya deserved better.

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Links!

• Sarah’s 2014 article about Tonya
• The Oregonian’s retrospective slideshow
• Clips from Sandra Luckow’s “Sharp Edges”
• Nancy Kerrigan’s first international competition, the 1987 NHK Trophy
• Tonya Harding at the 1987 NHK Trophy
• Network profile of Tonya Harding at the 1990 Nationals
• Tonya Harding becomes the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition in her free skate at the 1991 Nationals
• Tonya Harding becomes the first woman to land a triple axel jump combination in competition in her short program at 1991 Skate America
• “Not Your Average Ice Queen,” Sports Illustrated, January 1992
• Network Profile of Kristi Yamaguchi, Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan at the 1992 Nationals
• Tonya Harding falls on her triple axel attempt at the 1992 Olympics
• Nancy Kerrigan at the 1992 Olympics
• Nancy Kerrigan’s Campbell’s Soup ad
• Nancy Kerrigan’s Northwest Airlines commercial
• Tonya Harding’s Texaco commercial
• Local news profile of Tonya Harding, 1993
• Nancy Kerrigan’s free skate,1993 World Championships
• Farewell to Compulsory Figures (“It’s the sort of thing one tells one’s grandchildren about”)
• Brian Orser’s tribute to compulsory figures

“Humans aren’t good at remembering what got us where we are.” Mike tells Sarah how a turning point in the gay rights movement became an immediate controversy, a lasting inspiration and a never-ending debate. Digressions include “Newsies” (of course), “True Romance” and “Norma Rae.” Mike’s creaking chair and Sarah’s rustling blanket-fort are heard throughout.

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Links!

• Historian Eric Gonzaba’s wonderful LGBTQ T-Shirt Archive
• Historian Hugh Ryan’s delightful book and fascinating article on the misconceptions surrounding Stonewall
• Mark Segal’s dayjob and important book
• The Making of the Stonewall Myth
• Funny NYT video about the ongoing disagreement about who threw the first brick
• “The Night They Raided Stonewall,” a terrific 1993 article about the raids by Martin Duberman
• “Pay It No Mind: The Life and Times of Marsha P. Johnson”

“Once you tell a story incorrectly once, you can’t control where it goes.” Sarah tells Mike how The New York Times turned a suburban murder into an urban legend. Digressions include Billy Joel, the World’s Fair and “Ferngully.” This episode marks a triumphant return to Long Island and an unexpected celebration of Pride Month.

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Links!

• The original New York Times article, “37 Who Saw Murder Didn’t Call the Police; Apathy at Stabbing of Queens Woman Shocks Inspector”
• “4 Kew Gardens Residents Testify To Seeing Woman Slain on Street”
• “A Call for Help,” Nicholas Lehman, The New Yorker
• “Don’t Look Now,” Angus Johnston, The New Inquiry
• Anna Lvovsky’s “Queer Expertise: Urban Policing and the Construction of Public Knowledge about Homosexuality, 1920–1970”

“We’re uncomfortable with the evidence that teen girls have sexual agency.” Special guest Amy Hasinoff tells Mike and Sarah how a moral panic became a legal nightmare. Digressions include Cosmo advice columns, Grindr etiquette and the revolutionary hugging of the “Avengers” movies. Due to the ongoing hex placed on this podcast, the sound quality is worse than usual.

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Links!

• Amy’s website and book and Twitter
• 2015 article on Amy’s book and the “well intentioned mess” of sexting laws
• PC Mag: It’s Time We All Grew Up About Sexting
• The Atlantic: Why Kids Sext

“He’s been punished even more than the American prison system can aspire to punish anyone”: Mike tells Sarah how John Walker Lindh became a terrorist in the media, a freedom fighter in his own mind and something between the two in reality. Digressions include “Newsies,” Bruce Willis and “Candide.” Sarah sneakily reveals her lifelong affection for Howard Stern.

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Links! 

• Moving Guardian article by Lindh’s father
• New Yorker article describing how the evidence against Lindh fell apart
• Lindh’s TV interview from the hospital
• Lindh’s indictment
• Time’s 2003 article “The Making Of John Walker Lindh”
• 2006 profile of Lindh in prison

“It just seems like capitalism masquerading as religion”: Sarah tells Mike how a horror movie resurrected a ritual and established an industry. Digressions include “Avatar,” the NFL and the ethics of book publishing. The final five minutes are an unintentionally concise description of the core moral principle of this show.

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