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Sarah is a journalist obsessed with the past. Every week she reconsiders a person or event that's been miscast in the public imagination.
245 Episodes
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1Who really ended the Cold War, Ronald Reagan or a ten-year-old girl? Eighties correspondent Maris Kreizman joins us for a heartfelt conversation about America’s Youngest Ambassador, Samantha Smith, a child who wrote a letter to Soviet General Secretary Yuri Andropov in hopes of cooling nuclear tensions. Then, Andropov wrote back. Maris and Sarah discuss the burden we place on the youth to “change the world” while simultaneously scolding them for their naivety. Digressions include the millenni...
What do John Hinckley Jr. and a jazz age tuberculosis patient have in common? Legal correspondent Mackenzie Joy Brennan takes Sarah through some of the strange cases that helped make—and break—the insanity defense in America. Our story includes a woman who carried her (alleged) victims’ bodies around in a suitcase, and the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan—carried out with the intention of impressing a young Jodie Foster. More Mackenzie Joy Brennan: http://www.mkzjoybrennan.com More ...
Can you find your way out of the maize? The corn maze has become an enduring attraction of the American autumnal experience, seen at touristy family farms next to pumpkin patches and haunted houses. But what are the historical roots of this iconic living puzzle? Sarah guides the eternally-lost Chelsey Weber-Smith through the twists and turns of the corn’s corridors and reveals the hidden architects that walk behind the rows. More Chelsey Weber-Smith: www.americanhysteriapodcast.com Mr. Jeff's...
In the second part of our series, pop culture historian Jamie Loftus takes us through the meteoric rise of Pee-wee Herman and the withering of Paul Reubens' world as dubious allegations surface that threaten to turn a beloved children’s character into a real life villain. Jamie tells us about his struggle to reconcile the character of Pee-wee with the real Paul Reubens, and how his longtime friendships became his sanctuary until the very end. Content Warning: This episode contains discu...
What’s today’s secret word? Paul Reubens spent years bringing to life one of America’s most beloved characters, Pee-wee Herman, an icon of joy for weirdos of all ages. In the first of this two part series, Pee-wee superfan-turned-historian Jamie Loftus lets us into the playhouse for a journey through Paul’s early life and art school days, his collaborations and relationships, and the beginnings of a kind of fame that would blur the line between character and creator. More about Jamie Loftus: ...
What happens when you’re just a little too good at forging the diaries of Adolf Hitler? And why did so many people want to read them? In 1983, the West German news magazine Stern bought sixty volumes of forged journals and held a press conference to announce their publication. This week, Adrian Daub of podcasts In Bed With the Right and The Feminist Present is here to tell us all about what would be the publishing hoax to end all hoaxes…if only the book in question wasn’t so boring. Mor...
Who is out there behind the howling midnight parties in the distance? For generations we have coexisted in varying degrees of rivalry, conflict, and admiration with the North American canine known as the coyote. From pre-colonization to our modern backyards, through the wild west and the streets of San Francisco, award-winning NPR science reporter and YWA Maligned Animal correspondent Lulu Miller takes our pack on a journey toward a better understanding of these resilient creatures. *EDITOR'...
Where did all these teens come from? Harmony Colangelo, co-host of This Ends at Prom, is here to explain how, before Americans got to worry about what teenagers were up to, we first had to decide what they were—and how a boom in postwar educational films taught a generation of adolescents what not to do. Skipper Learns a Lesson: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8kJzBJrOkU 1950 Family Date: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8kJzBJrOkU More about Harmony Colangelo: https://www.instagram.com/v...
Have you scrubbed down the top of your fridge lately? Home & garden correspondent Sarah Archer is here to tell us how and when we got so obsessed with the antiseptically clean house as a status symbol, and whether we really need to worry about every bit of dust on that baseboard. Find out more about Sarah Archer: https://www.sarah-archer.com/ Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, You Are Good Links: http://p...
This week, flim flam correspondent and certified April Fool Chelsey Weber-Smith is here to talk about a fistful of fake memoirs, featuring girls raised by wolves; the chicken pox of James Frey; what poetry can give us that memoir can't; and Eugene, Oregon (twice!). Read more about it here: The Smoking Gun's "A Million Little Lies" https://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/celebrity/million-little-lies Blake Eskin's "The Girl Who Cried Wolf" https://www.bostonmagazine.com/2008/08/18/the-gi...
At the end of our last episode, we asked you to call in and tell us what has been bringing you joy, connecting you to your community, and where you’ve been finding hope in these last few months. These are some of the responses we wanted to share in hopes that we can all find new ways to survive this world together. Thank you to all who sent us messages; though we couldn’t play them all, we felt inspired listening to each and every one. Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Bu...
What do Lily Tomlin, Snow White, and Kenny Ortega have in common? They were all part of the 61st Academy Awards, a broadcast now remembered as the worst of all time, and masterminded by Allan Carr (lover of spectacle and producer of Grease). But awards season correspondent and New Yorker staff writer Michael Schulman is here to argue that the tackiest, most disastrous Oscars of all time might just be... unfairly maligned. And to tell us what's bringing you joy and excitement right now, send...
What is "emotional labor," and why is it probably not what your boyfriend accuses you of making him do when you want him to go to Ikea with you? Psychotherapist Ash Compton and journalist Rachel Monroe are here to tell the tale of how the term sociologist Arlie Russell Hochschild coined—in her 1983 book The Managed Heart—has come to mean, well, almost everything. How is the term still useful? How can we use therapy language as a tool for growth or an excuse for avoiding it? And whose job is i...
In County Kilkenny, Ireland, in an early year of a century not too long before our own, Alice Kyteler was accused of witchcraft. But the story doesn't end there. This week, Molly Aitken—author of BRIGHT I BURN—is here to tell us a tale where the more things* change, the more they stay the same. (*Men) Read Molly's books: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/2204198/molly-aitken/ This month's bonus episode on Peg Bracken's I Hate to Cook Book: https://www.patreon.com/posts/121131515?pr=t...
What would you do if you were pinned down by an 800-pound boulder, and no one knew where you were? In 2003, Aron Ralston had to answer that question. Today, our survival correspondent Blair Braverman is here to tell us the tale of the man, the myth, and the multitool. Blair Braverman tells us how the legendary story of one good dog is actually a story of two good dogs. Read Blair’s book, Small Game: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780063066175 Read Blair’s Patreon (and learn more ab...
There's one last present at the toe of our stocking, and it's a new album by producer Carolyn Kendrick. We'll be back with a regular episode next week, but for now, come listen to some music, and join us for a conversation about making art and community in uncertain times, and the new year's dreams that will sustain us in 2025. Find Carolyn's songs, record, website, zine, and more here: https://linktr.ee/carolynkendrick Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Buy cute merch...
'Twas (the night before) the night before Christmas/ And all through the show/ We await Sarah Archer with eyes all aglow/ To blow the dust off some old books from the shelf/ And tell us the tale of a jolly old elf. Where did he come from?/ Where is he going?/ We know you have questions/ So bundle up, if it's snowing/ And sing out your favorite holiday song/ (As ever, it was capitalism all along.) Sarah Archer's Website: https://www.sarah-archer.com/ The Santa files (containing ima...
Miles Klee can’t take it anymore. This week, a tale of corporate intrigue, world domination, and soda. Read Miles Klee at Rolling Stone. Support You're Wrong About: Bonus Episodes on Patreon Buy cute merch Where else to find us: Sarah's other show, You Are Good Links: https://www.rollingstone.com/author/miles-klee/ http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout https://www.teepublic.com/stores/youre-wrong-about https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/yourewrongaboutpod https://www.podpage.com/you-are-good S...
"Our alleged serial killers deserve better than this." Was Elizabeth Báthory the most prolific serial killer of all time, or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time? Do we even have the tools to know? And what about that bathing in the blood of virgins thing? Lizzie correspondent Princess Weekes is here with your election night distract-a-thon. Princess' YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@Princess_Weekes "Tall, Dark and Racially Ambiguous" https://www.youtube.com/watch...
Black cats and goblins and broomsticks and ghosts/ Covens of witches with all of their hosts/ You may think they scare me, you're probably right/ But American Hysteria's Chelsey Weber-Smith is on the show tonight. It's a tale of mischief, mayhem, and adults trying to keep their kids safe by nailing meat to the walls. What is Halloween? Can there be treats without tricks? And does it really count if no one's house gets egged? If you liked this episode, consider attending A Massive Seance....
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"We got an actual podcast host" then who the hell are you??? 😏
was not the first insanity defense in Pittsburgh pa? love your show!
There's one marriage with a thousand doors
You should have named This podcast " Gay dude critics the world on how it is not and or will never be as gay as he wishes it to be" wtf.
I usually love this show, but the sound is really oddly mixed in this episode and it's very difficult to hear anything, even at higher volume. Hopefully the next one will have better audio balance again.
I can't listen to this style of audio, where they sound as if they're softly groaning in a closet with microphones practically in their mouths.
I wish the podcast were a little more structured and that the host would speak rather than groan.
conservatives and projection, name a more iconic duo
Whoa--my dad had a Ford Pinto in the seventies. It was pea green.
I wish hippies were as much the norm as I thought when I moved to Eugene. That's why I chose it. #falseadvertising
Reading all the whiny comments from fragile men who can't handle anything that isn't specifically created for them is what got me to start listening to this show. it's great!
Sounds like it was quite a spectacle!
20 min into "Baby Jessica" and all that's established is that this was a media circus and the "Well" is smaller than a basketball. The guest brings absolutely nothing to the table; in fact sets the conversation completely backwards. She is on an episode / podcast about media portrayals and doesn't know what "24 hr news cycle" means? Get out of town. This Podcast is for people who have absolutely NO media awareness.
Moira is a shitlib but anarchists are just the most highly evolved shitlib, at the end of the day.
Love the comment about all the holidays being squished on the calendar and then... 3 more months of winter in the Northern hemisphere. 😂 Totally agree it would be great to space them out!
I think he wrote his legal name simply because it would come up as who he is when they are trying to identify a body potentially in the future and it was a move of logic and closure for his family.
how do we broadcast this to all of the trad wives trending at the moment?
what a fantastic episode
There's a lot of good discussion in this podcast, but I agree that it sidesteps the main causes for anti-phone concern: mental illness statistics over time and the attention economy. I don't think social media use can be evaluated without discussing those things.