In this week’s episode of Past Present, Neil, Natalia, and Niki debate the politics of pride marches, the history of climate change, and Kathy Griffin and the politics of offense.
Pride Month
June marks Pride Month, although Donald Trump’s White House has not officially recognized it. We discussed the history of pride parades, and Neil talked about their connection to the Stonewall Riot of 1969. Natalia commented on the commercialization of LGBTQ pride, including Burger King’s Proud Whopper.
The Paris Accords
Donald Trump has withdrawn the U.S. from the Paris climate accords. We discussed the history and politics of climate change from the nineteenth century to today.
Kathy Griffin
Kathy Griffin and Bill Maher both have had to apologize for recent offensive expressions they’ve made. In discussing the history of political comedy and the politics of offense, Niki noted Lenny Bruce’s arrest in 1961 for obscenity and George Carlin’s famous riff on the “Seven Words You Can’t Say on TV.” Natalia argued that as a female comedienne Kathy Griffin faced additional scrutiny. We discussed female comediennes in Episode 22.
What’s Making History
- Natalia commented on the website Click! The Ongoing Feminist Revolution.
- Neil discussed Rob Lammle’s article for Mental Floss on the history of the shopping cart.
- Niki talked about Joseph Earl Thomas’s essay, “House Hunting While Black.”
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