Popaganda: Labor of Love
Why do romance novels get such a bad rap? The genre is often maligned as being inferior to more “literary” writing, but there’s so much more to it than shirtless cowboys and inaccurate portrayals of BDSM etiquette. Romance writers like today’s two guests live in a complicated world. They navigate... Read more »
Popaganda: How Do We Talk About Abortion?
In recent years, though, there’s been a big shift in the way we talk about abortion. People who’ve had abortions have been able to share their stories widely on social media. Though, of course, they’ve faced a lot of pushback and hatred, real people sharing their stories about abortion is... Read more »
Popaganda: Watching What You Eat
What does it take to get “well”? When we think about wellness, especially right now, we tend to think of it as everything we do to make our lives and bodies healthy. Rather than defining health through the negation of sickness, wellness advocates press that being “well” is an ongoing process of... Read more »
Popaganda: The Pumpkin Spice Must Flow
Like death and taxes, the pumpkin spice latte seems inevitable.
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Popaganda: The Fight for the Middle Ages
We think of the Middle Ages as racially homogenous, rigidly gendered, and brutish, but scholars like the ones I talk to in today’s show have more nuanced interpretations.
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Popaganda: The Devil You Know
This episode is all about how cool the Devil is, especially for people of marginalized genders and sexualities.
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Popaganda: Will Veganism Save the World?
Is it possible to reduce veganism to a diet or wellness thing, or is it inherently political?
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Popaganda: When People Become Internet Memes
The Internet, which connects us to each other in ways that were pretty unimaginable to most people a century ago, has become a totally casual part of daily life. It’s changed so much: from the way we do business to the way we unlock our front doors. But it’s also changed the way we see ourselves... Read more »
Popaganda: Speaking to Specters
Ghosts reveal what is hidden away, under the layers of social etiquette, historical revisionism, and taboo.
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Popaganda: Queering Virginity
On her Netflix one-woman show, Nanette, Hannah Gadsby opines, “There’s only ever been two options for a little girl to grow up into: virgin or whore…. And I don’t fit neatly into either of those categories. Virgin or whore? I mean, on a technicality, I’d get virgin.” Virginity is a weird, nebulous... Read more »