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Before they created Corn Flakes and Froot Loops, the Kelloggs ran a deadly sanitarium and subscribed to a dangerous religion. The last name synonymous with breakfast foods is also linked to strange deaths, suspicious tragedies, and even murder. In this eight-part series, host Jenn Carpenter breaks down the complicated Kellogg legacy, from cereal to killers.
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This Is Critical

Stitcher & Virginia Heffernan

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Fearless, sophisticated culture criticism for all generations. Nothing is off-limits, nothing dumbed down. With American culture on the rocks, we're split into fake "wars" about everything from avocados to bicycles to medical masks. It's time we took a critical lens to every facet of our shared experience. And that's what Virginia Heffernan is prepared to do.
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show series
 
Over the last year, right-wing agitators have turned the academic discipline of Critical Race Theory into the hottest-button issue facing schools. Their anti-intellectual arguments can be maddening. But, paradoxically, the outsized blowback to CRT makes a strong case for it, and for critical theory of all kinds. Victor Ray, sociologist and author o…
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Homeownership has been synonymous with the American Dream since the New Deal. But after the 2008 financial crisis, millions of low-cost "starter houses" were bought for a song by private equity giants who use them as financial instruments rather than places to live. So what's a homebuyer to do? Journalist Aaron Glantz, author of Homewreckers, joins…
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As heat waves rip across the globe, many climate pessimists are calling this "the coolest summer of the rest of our lives." Umair Irfan, climate reporter at Vox, joins Virginia to talk about the real impacts of extreme heat on humans, and the moral obligation we have to solve this problem — with resources that already exist.…
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The $4.4 Trillion (with a T!) wellness industry has captured the minds, bodies, and wallets of many women. But what are we actually paying for? Longtime scholar of the fitness landscape Rina Rapheal, author of the new book The Gospel of Wellness, joins Virginia to try to understand our winding and often demoralizing quest to feel "better."…
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In the wake of Dobbs, the conversation about digital privacy — and how abortion seekers can protect their data from law enforcement — has exploded. But what's actually important to online security, and what is a red herring? Cindy Cohn, Executive Director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joins Virginia to get to the bottom of what individuals…
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In a time when people are more dug in than ever on partisan beliefs about the world, is it ever possible to change anybody's mind? Science journalist David McRaney, author of the new book How Minds Change, says yes. He and Virginia investigate the psychology of how we come by our beliefs — and the tried-and-true methods social scientists recommend …
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Until the 1920s, public pools were all over this country, racially integrated and a popular summer activity for all. So what changed? Historian Jeff Wiltse, author of Contested Waters: A Social History of Swimming Pools in America, joins Virginia to recount the history of public pools in the 20th century — and share the pleasures of swimming togeth…
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Nearly a year and a half after the Capitol was breached, the January 6th Committee is making its case to Congress and the nation on TV. But how effective is their storytelling? Story scientist Angus Fletcher joins Virginia to dig into the science of narrative and why this committee has its work cut out for it.…
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For women, abusive messages from strangers are simply the cost of using social media platforms. But according to Imran Ahmed, Founder & CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, there is both hope and recourse. Imran joins Virginia for a rousing and empathetic conversation about how to navigate – and eventually, end – this online “tax on women…
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It seems like you can't swing a spatula without hitting a claim that eating this way will make you happier, stronger, and more productive. As it turns out, diet trends are neither new nor politically innocuous. Lisa Haushofer, author of the upcoming Wonder Foods: The Science and Commerce of Nutrition, joins Virginia to dig into the outsized promise…
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In Julia May Jonas’s shocking debut novel Vladimir, the unnamed narrator — a 58-year-old female English professor — takes her lust for a younger colleague to unimaginably dark lengths. How do the ripple effects of patriarchy impact how we understand, even empathize with her monstrous actions? Jonas joins Virginia to mine the depths.…
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Eric Eddings and Brittany Luse, hosts of the For Colored Nerds podcast, take Virginia on a wild ride through the wildly popular Internet subcultures of the Black Manosphere and its almost-counterpart, Femininity Coaching. They get into why Black men and women might feel drawn to these reactionary gender roles, and why it seems like each group is ta…
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With his bozo ode to testosterone, Tucker Carlson joins the ranks of Mussolini, Berlusconi, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump in a pose of cartoon virility. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author ofStrongmen: Mussolini to the Present joins Virginia to break down the authoritarian’s obsession with this weird flex—and what happens when he can’t pull it off anymore.…
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The news that Twitter has a new emperor got people riled up. But what will Elon Musk's takeover really mean for the platform? Game designer Brianna Wu describes how she worked with Twitter to prevent the kind of violent harassment she got during #GamerGate. But with Musk in charge, she says, the most rabid trolls seem to be on their way back.…
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Congressman Hakeem Jeffries describes being on the floor of the House of Representatives during the Capitol attack. Fellow Congressman Jamie Raskin tells us about handling that trauma just a day after burying his son. And writer Jamelle Bouie helps us understand how history will remember January 6.By Hakeem Jeffries, Jamie Raskin, Jamelle Bouie, Virginia Heffernan
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We unearth the origin story of our nation's most beloved — and reviled — beauty pageant and try to predict its future. Is it time to sunset the whole thing? Our chaperones: Amy Argetsinger (author of There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America) and Kate Shindle (Miss America 1998).By Virginia Heffernan, Kate Shindle, Amy Argetsinger
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In his newest novel, Dave Eggers conjures every techno-oligarch's dream: a Google/Amazon chimera that optimizes and commodifies all aspects of life. He explains why that should terrify us, how he came to step back from tech (except for jetpacks), and why everyone can — and should — unplug. Plus, a new social media venture from comedian Kate James.…
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Katie Hill was one of the Democratic women who flipped the House of Representatives in 2018. But she resigned less than a year into her first term after a sex scandal based on what she calls cyber exploitation. We go behind the salacious headlines to find out why she stepped down when so many male politicians have weathered much rougher storms.…
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For a few hours on Monday, the relentless stream of conspiracy memes, thirst traps, and LuLaRoe pitches went silent. Facebook went unconscious. Meanwhile, a whistleblower prepared to testify in front of the Senate about what exactly Facebook knows about the problems it causes. Virginia Heffernan talks to journalist Steven Levy about what's going on…
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We all know that theater loves social justice — or is that just a show? As curtains rise again, we just might have our answer. Virginia Heffernan talks to award-winning playwright Paul Rudnick about Broadway’s political evolution, and how hard it is to adapt comedies like The Devil Wears Prada for a new decade, plus a pitch from comedian Kate James…
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The NFL is cracking down on it. Donald Trump can’t stop doing it. And it’s the whole reason for the first rule of social media: “Never read the comments.” Trash talk is uncivil, unsportsmanlike, and not for the faint of heart. But what if you could learn to use it to your benefit? Virginia Heffernan talks to former pro basketball player Dre Baldwin…
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