Posts Tagged ‘Professor Buzzkill’
Family Values Feminism: History and Myth
Dr. Natalia Mehlman Petrzela gives us an excellent overview of the debates about how feminism has been discussed in terms of varieties of “family values” in modern American history. From the early suffragists, through the Progressives, through the Second Wave, and up to the 21st Century, Professor Petrzela shows the emphasis that feminists have put…
Read MoreAmerican Exceptionalism as Part of Myth America
Dr. David Bell relates the long and strange history of the concept of “American Exceptionalism,” analyzing various interpretations of the phrase from the Puritan John Winthrop to President (and non-Puritan) Donald Trump. We wrestle with: the true meaning of the phrase; to what extent it has meant American “difference” and/or American “superiority;” and everything in…
Read MoreThe Real Voter Fraud in the United States
Dr. Carol Anderson talks about her “Voter Fraud” chapter in “Myth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past.” Her work is based on the most solid possible research imaginable. And she gives us shocking new information about the extent of voter suppression in many American states. You won’t be to…
Read MoreConfederate Monuments as Part of Myth America
Dr. Karen Cox shows us the complex history of Confederate Monuments in the US, and what has actually happened during this recent period of removal. Professor Buzzkill himself was floored to hear how many monuments still exist, and about the complicated ways in which some monuments have been removed. Her work as part of the…
Read MoreMyth America: Historians Take On the Biggest Legends and Lies About Our Past
Drs. Kevin Kruse and Julian Zelizer introduce “Myth America,” one of the most consequential books to address myths and misunderstandings of American history. They talk about the genesis of the book and its purpose, and the problems historians now face in a time of frenetic social media. Finally, they address their own specific chapters (Kruse…
Read MoreFit Nation: The History of America’s Exercise Obsession
Dr. Natalia Mehlmen Petrzela explains why Americans are more obsessed with exercise than ever, and yet also unhealthier. Her great new book, Fit Nation, explains how we got here and imagines how we might create a more inclusive, stronger future. Listen to her explain the broad contexts of American fitness history and the implications for…
Read MoreWatergate and the History of Investigative Journalism
We use the Watergate crisis to examine some of the myths surrounding the history of investigative journalism. By looking both at the 1970s and at the 19th century, we learn that investigative journalism has a long history in the United States. We also learn the crucial role that an “ecosystem” of investigation plays in bringing…
Read MoreUnderstanding Warren G. Harding
Crikey. Most people don’t know much about President Warren G. Harding and his corrupt administration, but they should! A fascinating life and, um, a fascinating look at how corruption and graft can so easily slip into the corridors of power, especially the White House in the 1920s! Professor Philip Nash explains all! Episode 489. John…
Read MoreThanksgiving: History and Myth
By 1849, Sarah Josepha Buell Hale was an enormously successful teacher, writer, and editor in Boston. She wrote dramatic novels and magazine articles, and edited various important journals, especially The Ladies Magazine for almost all of her adult life. A pioneer in education for women, she also firmly believed in an ordered version of 19th…
Read MoreLydia Maria Child: Woman Crush Wednesday
Join us on this Woman Crush Wednesday discussion of Lydia Maria Child, one of nineteenth-century America’s most courageous abolitionists. She started her career as a beloved and self-sufficient female author of children’s literature. But in 1833, Child shocked her readers by publishing the first book-length argument against slavery in the United States. Dr. Lydia Moland…
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