1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to Stuff you Should Know? 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:16,239 Speaker 1: From House Stuff Works dot Com? Hey, and welcome to 4 00:00:16,320 --> 00:00:19,400 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. With me is Charles W. 5 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:23,000 Speaker 1: Chub Bryant, and this is stuff you should know? Do 6 00:00:23,000 --> 00:00:26,320 Speaker 1: do do? Do? I just did my little test anchor 7 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:30,640 Speaker 1: man move, getting the papers all in order, reading the prompter. 8 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:36,200 Speaker 1: Wouldn't that be great? I don't feel so funny these days. Man, Well, 9 00:00:36,320 --> 00:00:38,479 Speaker 1: we need to get the teleprompter writer to douce let 10 00:00:38,520 --> 00:00:41,960 Speaker 1: your your jokes. I agree, everyone knows that, right. We 11 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:43,560 Speaker 1: don't actually make any of this stuff up. We have 12 00:00:43,680 --> 00:00:47,200 Speaker 1: somebody right the show and we read it very very 13 00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:54,960 Speaker 1: um well rehearsed, practiced, labored podcast. That's right. What's it going, 14 00:00:54,960 --> 00:00:57,240 Speaker 1: Buddy good Man? It's good. I think this is the 15 00:00:57,320 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: second of two good topics today. Yeah. Part one a sexuality, 16 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 1: Part two banning books. Yeah, what do they have to 17 00:01:05,959 --> 00:01:10,800 Speaker 1: do with each other? Nothing? I thought I saw a 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: common thread. No that I've looked, I've forgotten it. But 19 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:18,800 Speaker 1: there was something discrimination maybe, I guess. So maybe we'll 20 00:01:18,840 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: find out. It'll pop up. Possibly it'll be like the 21 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:25,120 Speaker 1: Peewee secret word of the day. Oh yeah, isn't that 22 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,520 Speaker 1: what it was called? I think so? Man, it was cool. 23 00:01:27,720 --> 00:01:31,200 Speaker 1: So you got an intro proper for this or chuck? Yes, 24 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: are you familiar with the last week of September? Yeah 25 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:39,080 Speaker 1: you are, yeah, through it before. Yeah, it's after the 26 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: third week and before the first week of October. That's 27 00:01:42,040 --> 00:01:45,839 Speaker 1: exactly right. It just so happens that that very week 28 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:50,240 Speaker 1: is Banned Book Week. Did not know that existed? Well? 29 00:01:50,640 --> 00:01:54,000 Speaker 1: It it does. Yeah. Yeah, you haven't heard a band 30 00:01:54,040 --> 00:01:57,600 Speaker 1: book week before? Uh no, I have. I've seen like 31 00:01:57,880 --> 00:02:02,520 Speaker 1: the subversive um display lays outside of b Dalton booksellers, 32 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:05,120 Speaker 1: and you know, and basically the whole point of it is, 33 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 1: it's like, hey, people have tried to ban these books, 34 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:10,280 Speaker 1: so make sure you read these because it means that 35 00:02:10,320 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: there's somebody out there he doesn't want you to. It's right, Hey, 36 00:02:12,880 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 1: look what I've got. I've got to kill a mocking 37 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: bird over here. Yeah that's attempted. Yeah. Yeah. So the 38 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: whole point of Banned Books Week is to celebrate intellectual freedom. 39 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:27,320 Speaker 1: That's because there are people out there who would take 40 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: that away from you if they could. We know it. 41 00:02:30,360 --> 00:02:32,359 Speaker 1: You go back and listen to some of our podcast. 42 00:02:32,440 --> 00:02:34,960 Speaker 1: There's certain words that were beat out because the man 43 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 1: has us under his thumb. Thanks. Um So, I would 44 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: strongly recommend it's coming up. By the time this thing 45 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,800 Speaker 1: gets released will be in September. That's right. We should 46 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: probably post something about Banned Book Week when it comes Okay, Yeah, 47 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: September thirty through October six. Actually, um, so, it's really 48 00:02:54,480 --> 00:02:57,519 Speaker 1: the first week in October this year. It's weird that 49 00:02:57,600 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: they would put it in the last week of October, 50 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:03,680 Speaker 1: first week of Octobria or last week of September. Yeah. Yeah, 51 00:03:03,680 --> 00:03:06,600 Speaker 1: that was confusing for a second. Let's let's talk bam books. Man. 52 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:10,080 Speaker 1: More than eleven thousand books have been challenged since Josh, 53 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,600 Speaker 1: that's just since eighty two they've been I was reading 54 00:03:12,639 --> 00:03:15,680 Speaker 1: about The Catcher in the rye. Um. It came out 55 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:18,799 Speaker 1: in Wow, man, I wish I knew it came out 56 00:03:18,800 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 1: in either the late fifties or the early sixties. At 57 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: the late fifties or nineteen sixty because in nineteen sixty 58 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:28,680 Speaker 1: a teacher who assigned it to his class for reading 59 00:03:28,760 --> 00:03:33,280 Speaker 1: got fired. Really yeah, um, it's one of my favorite books, 60 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:36,680 Speaker 1: is it? Yeah? And it's one that I've reread several 61 00:03:36,720 --> 00:03:38,360 Speaker 1: times over the years, and it always takes on a 62 00:03:38,400 --> 00:03:40,880 Speaker 1: little different meaning depending on my age, which is interesting. 63 00:03:41,160 --> 00:03:44,840 Speaker 1: Have you read The Catcher's Companion? No, that's we got 64 00:03:44,880 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 1: that as a gift right now. I haven't read yet. 65 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: It's just like footnotes and extrapolations and explanations, like this 66 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,080 Speaker 1: guy went into Catcher in the World of Catcher in 67 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:56,840 Speaker 1: the Rye and like made footnotes of the whole thing. Definitely, 68 00:03:56,880 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: it's actually thicker than The Catcher in the Rye nineteen 69 00:03:59,440 --> 00:04:01,760 Speaker 1: fifty one the way, okay, so fifty one. Within nine 70 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:04,520 Speaker 1: years somebody lost their job because they assigned that book 71 00:04:04,560 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: to read. That's pretty common. Usually with UM book banning, 72 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,440 Speaker 1: it comes out of UM, the public school system, UM 73 00:04:14,440 --> 00:04:20,880 Speaker 1: and library. So right, well that's it's usually school libraries. 74 00:04:21,320 --> 00:04:24,080 Speaker 1: So if you go on the internet and you look 75 00:04:24,120 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: for banned books, you're gonna find a lot of um 76 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:33,920 Speaker 1: uh confusion. There's this body called the American Library Association, 77 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:36,880 Speaker 1: and a lot of people think that they're in charge 78 00:04:36,920 --> 00:04:41,480 Speaker 1: of banning books. It's absolutely the opposite of the truth. 79 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: The American Library Association is a it's it's basically the 80 00:04:47,360 --> 00:04:53,320 Speaker 1: librarians lobby and they're committed to no censorship whatsoever. Yeah, 81 00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:56,400 Speaker 1: ask any librarian and they're they're gonna probably be in 82 00:04:56,440 --> 00:04:59,279 Speaker 1: favor of not banning books right. Um. As a matter 83 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:02,159 Speaker 1: of fact, the l A maintains a library Bill of Rights, 84 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:04,960 Speaker 1: and in this library Bill of Rights is a provision 85 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: for the free access to libraries for minors, which basically 86 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:12,120 Speaker 1: says this, we have a bunch of books that we're 87 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:14,520 Speaker 1: not going to make any judgments on. If we have 88 00:05:14,600 --> 00:05:16,520 Speaker 1: a book that you don't want your kid to read, 89 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:20,600 Speaker 1: it's your job as their parents to monitor what they read, 90 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:23,120 Speaker 1: and you can decide what they read or not. But 91 00:05:23,320 --> 00:05:29,599 Speaker 1: you that's it. Your opinion doesn't extend to anyone else's kids. 92 00:05:29,640 --> 00:05:31,560 Speaker 1: So that means that if you want to ban a book, 93 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: we're going to tell you no because you're responsible for 94 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,679 Speaker 1: your child, but not everybody else's child too, Which means 95 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:41,239 Speaker 1: in short, that the a l A doesn't censor books. 96 00:05:42,600 --> 00:05:44,640 Speaker 1: This is a big deal because this happens a lot. 97 00:05:44,680 --> 00:05:49,360 Speaker 1: There's eleven thousand challenges you said since since nineteen eighty two, 98 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: and I think there were in two thousand eleven. There 99 00:05:54,839 --> 00:05:59,280 Speaker 1: were three hundred and twenty six challenges last year UM. 100 00:05:59,360 --> 00:06:03,120 Speaker 1: A few of these are the Color of Earth series 101 00:06:04,720 --> 00:06:09,600 Speaker 1: by Kim Dong Hua and The Reasons Why, Nudity, sex education, 102 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:14,000 Speaker 1: the Hunger Games trilogy, My Mom's Having a Baby, a 103 00:06:14,080 --> 00:06:17,559 Speaker 1: kid's month by month guide to pregnancy. But we certainly 104 00:06:17,560 --> 00:06:19,240 Speaker 1: don't want o kids to learn anything about that. No, 105 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:29,560 Speaker 1: especially not with um mom uh, Brave New World by Huxley, insensitivity, nudity, racism, UM, 106 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:32,480 Speaker 1: To Kill a Mockingbird, like we mentioned Harper Lee's classic 107 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:35,640 Speaker 1: because of offensive language and racism. And those are just 108 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,320 Speaker 1: the few of the nine I'm sorry, ten most challenge 109 00:06:39,360 --> 00:06:42,159 Speaker 1: books of last year, right. UM. You'll also find in 110 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: just about every list the most challenged series since two 111 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:50,479 Speaker 1: thousand is the Harry Potter books. Um. They received sat 112 00:06:50,800 --> 00:06:54,760 Speaker 1: three thousand challenges. UM. And that was from up to 113 00:06:54,880 --> 00:06:57,840 Speaker 1: I believe like two thousand eight or nine, maybe two 114 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,520 Speaker 1: of two thousand ten they were for two thousand to 115 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 1: two thousand and ten, they received three thousand challenges. And 116 00:07:04,560 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: and it was because it had satanic overtones or undertones 117 00:07:08,440 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 1: one of the two, that's how or midtones. People challenging 118 00:07:11,560 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 1: it felt at least so for the most part, when 119 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 1: you see a book being challenged, your band it's because 120 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 1: people are concerned about its influence on children. But as 121 00:07:19,880 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 1: we've seen, the American Library Association says, hey, man, kids, kids, 122 00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,800 Speaker 1: there's free There should be free access to information for kids. Yeah, 123 00:07:27,960 --> 00:07:30,720 Speaker 1: Julie Blooms Forever is one that's always on the list 124 00:07:30,720 --> 00:07:34,000 Speaker 1: too for that reason because it deals with a uh, 125 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:38,720 Speaker 1: young girls burgeoning sexuality and the confusion and the awkwardness 126 00:07:38,800 --> 00:07:41,680 Speaker 1: and the thrill that comes along with that. And that 127 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:45,320 Speaker 1: one isn't that was a great description. Yeah from a 128 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:47,640 Speaker 1: forty one year old man with a beard. Well, dude, 129 00:07:47,640 --> 00:07:50,000 Speaker 1: that was fourteen once. The girls and boys are all like, 130 00:07:50,080 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: you know, we're all scared and awkward and thrilled. So 131 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: how do you how do you do this? Man? How 132 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,000 Speaker 1: do you How do you issue a formal challenge to 133 00:07:58,080 --> 00:08:00,240 Speaker 1: a book? And what is that consist of? What does 134 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:03,520 Speaker 1: it mean? It means that you have gone to a library, 135 00:08:03,840 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: a single library, and said I want to challenge this book, 136 00:08:08,640 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: and the librarian decides whether or not to ban it. 137 00:08:11,720 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: So it's as simple as that. That's how book banning works. Um. 138 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:19,000 Speaker 1: And you don't even have to use such lofty language 139 00:08:19,040 --> 00:08:20,800 Speaker 1: like I want to issue a challenge. You can just 140 00:08:20,840 --> 00:08:22,520 Speaker 1: say like, this book needs to be taken out of 141 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:26,560 Speaker 1: this library. This book is filth um, this book is 142 00:08:26,760 --> 00:08:32,560 Speaker 1: pervasively vulgar. That's a big one um. And the librarian 143 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:36,560 Speaker 1: at that moment decides whether a book gets banned or not, 144 00:08:36,720 --> 00:08:39,240 Speaker 1: and for the most party, they air on the side 145 00:08:39,240 --> 00:08:42,439 Speaker 1: of not banning them. But when they say okay, let's 146 00:08:42,440 --> 00:08:44,960 Speaker 1: take that book out, that book has just been banned. 147 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:47,679 Speaker 1: So it doesn't mean that a banned. That a book 148 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:50,640 Speaker 1: has been banned, it doesn't mean it's been banned across 149 00:08:50,679 --> 00:08:54,080 Speaker 1: the country, although some some countries have like banned books 150 00:08:54,080 --> 00:08:57,200 Speaker 1: in its entirety, like the country's entirety. But in the 151 00:08:57,320 --> 00:08:59,800 Speaker 1: US and in the modern world, it usually means that 152 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:03,400 Speaker 1: somewhere in the United States, there's a group of people, 153 00:09:03,440 --> 00:09:06,120 Speaker 1: whether it's kids in a school district or kids people 154 00:09:06,120 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 1: who are served by a public library who don't have 155 00:09:08,320 --> 00:09:11,720 Speaker 1: access to a certain book because one person found it 156 00:09:11,800 --> 00:09:17,240 Speaker 1: offensive and convinced the librarian to to make the decision 157 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:20,120 Speaker 1: for everybody else based on that person's objections. That's a 158 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,560 Speaker 1: banned book. Yeah, person or persons. A lot of times 159 00:09:22,559 --> 00:09:25,880 Speaker 1: it's a group pointed together with like a list, even 160 00:09:26,480 --> 00:09:29,160 Speaker 1: and they'll rally the troops and say, you know, come 161 00:09:29,160 --> 00:09:32,520 Speaker 1: on out from your your homes and let's get together 162 00:09:32,600 --> 00:09:36,240 Speaker 1: and submit a list. And the librarians, like you said, 163 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:39,240 Speaker 1: most times will say no because they generally have the 164 00:09:39,280 --> 00:09:41,720 Speaker 1: courts on their side if it gets to that point. 165 00:09:42,280 --> 00:09:46,520 Speaker 1: For the most part, the courts like to defend the right, 166 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 1: you know, the First Amendment. But I mean, think about 167 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:52,680 Speaker 1: that pressure, especially if like you are a school librarian 168 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,840 Speaker 1: and the school board is telling you, like, hey, don't 169 00:09:55,880 --> 00:09:59,319 Speaker 1: forget what you employ you and we're telling you remove 170 00:09:59,440 --> 00:10:04,240 Speaker 1: this book, and the librarians like, no, Ts, that's that's 171 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:09,440 Speaker 1: against the First Amendment. Um, so I should talk about 172 00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:11,400 Speaker 1: some of the laws. I think we should. Let's talk 173 00:10:11,440 --> 00:10:14,600 Speaker 1: about Do you want to talk about the history of it? Yeah? Um, 174 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:16,760 Speaker 1: who wrote this one? I think this was Conger too, 175 00:10:16,920 --> 00:10:21,319 Speaker 1: and I don't think so. Yeah, it was a freelancer, okay. Um. 176 00:10:21,360 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: You know, basically since the days of Socrates, they've been 177 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 1: trying to ban teachings of some sort at the other. Um, 178 00:10:27,559 --> 00:10:30,800 Speaker 1: he was heavily scrutinized, and back then, if you wanted 179 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:33,800 Speaker 1: to ban something, he just burned the few copies of 180 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:36,240 Speaker 1: it that existed, and there was no problem. He was 181 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:39,080 Speaker 1: made to drink hemlock for what? He for what? Yeah? 182 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:41,960 Speaker 1: But yeah, like if there's two copies of a book 183 00:10:41,960 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 1: in existence, and you get both copies and you set 184 00:10:44,280 --> 00:10:48,440 Speaker 1: them on fire, and then what happened? What came along 185 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:50,400 Speaker 1: well the printing press and all of a sudden you 186 00:10:50,440 --> 00:10:53,160 Speaker 1: had to officially try and ban a book because there 187 00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:55,040 Speaker 1: were too many to gather up and burn. And you 188 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,280 Speaker 1: remember the Star Chamber Starry Michael Douglas. Did you ever 189 00:10:58,320 --> 00:11:02,000 Speaker 1: watch that? They were the real Star Chamber? Did you did? 190 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: There was a real okay, so the real Star Chamber 191 00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:09,559 Speaker 1: Um that was I think created in Stuart England Um 192 00:11:09,720 --> 00:11:13,599 Speaker 1: Stewart era England. Oh man, I probably shouldn't even say that, 193 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,920 Speaker 1: because I'm not sure. In England in the seventeenth century, 194 00:11:17,960 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 1: there was a group of judges that were in charge 195 00:11:20,760 --> 00:11:24,560 Speaker 1: of like they were like the elite judges. They were 196 00:11:24,760 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 1: the censor board basically was one of their roles. And 197 00:11:29,840 --> 00:11:32,720 Speaker 1: then Henry the Eighth came along and got rid of them, 198 00:11:32,760 --> 00:11:35,920 Speaker 1: but he started his own kind of censorship with licensing laws. 199 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:39,960 Speaker 1: They basically said that the state had the opportunity to 200 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,320 Speaker 1: censor things before they were even published. So that was 201 00:11:43,360 --> 00:11:46,280 Speaker 1: one of the earliest forms of straight up book banning 202 00:11:46,360 --> 00:11:51,840 Speaker 1: or book censorship. Good point, it happened a long time ago. Yeah, 203 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:55,200 Speaker 1: so should we get to some landmark cases over the years. 204 00:11:56,679 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 1: Two Board of Education Island Trees School District the Echo. Yeah, 205 00:12:01,679 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: that's a mouthful. Um. They said basically that you couldn't 206 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:09,960 Speaker 1: remove library material just because like a school official doesn't 207 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: agree with the ideas. They said that the books on 208 00:12:12,920 --> 00:12:17,920 Speaker 1: the on their list were quote just plain filthy. Some 209 00:12:17,960 --> 00:12:20,680 Speaker 1: people said, now you were going to sue you for that? Well, 210 00:12:20,720 --> 00:12:23,600 Speaker 1: the Supreme Court said, so basically it has to be 211 00:12:24,440 --> 00:12:26,960 Speaker 1: pervasively vulgar. I guess that's why they use those words, 212 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: because that's what they can actually ban a book if 213 00:12:31,679 --> 00:12:37,679 Speaker 1: who finds it that? Um there, I think society basically well, 214 00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:42,000 Speaker 1: for for the most part, um as far as books go, 215 00:12:42,760 --> 00:12:47,840 Speaker 1: for banning a book really tough to do, as once 216 00:12:47,840 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 1: it reaches the Supreme Court, they're gonna be like, no, 217 00:12:49,800 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 1: it's a book, put it back, it's obscenity. That's not 218 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:58,400 Speaker 1: protected at all. Right, Well, because the kicker there is 219 00:12:58,840 --> 00:13:04,040 Speaker 1: the number three rule that they decided, you know, should 220 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,720 Speaker 1: be used to determine if something is I guess filthy 221 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:11,760 Speaker 1: was it could contain no literary, artistic, political, or scientific value. 222 00:13:11,840 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: And that's the one where you know, you can pretty 223 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,080 Speaker 1: much say claim any book has value like that. That's 224 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,040 Speaker 1: how we have hardcore pornography. Still, I'm sorry, so you 225 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: can say this is art that's true. Um So that 226 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:28,319 Speaker 1: that case, um Island Trees case or Pico case, I 227 00:13:28,320 --> 00:13:30,600 Speaker 1: don't know what they call it. That was a really 228 00:13:30,640 --> 00:13:33,440 Speaker 1: big deal because it's a place in a school library, 229 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: and um it basically the Supreme Court said school libraries 230 00:13:39,920 --> 00:13:43,440 Speaker 1: are special places. Schools are places of inquiry, and so 231 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:48,400 Speaker 1: their repository of knowledge, meaning their library, has special protection. 232 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:51,520 Speaker 1: Like we understand that you're worried about the children's minds 233 00:13:51,559 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 1: being corrupted, but you don't get to decide that, Like, 234 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,360 Speaker 1: this is information that's out there, and as long as 235 00:13:58,400 --> 00:14:03,920 Speaker 1: it's basically not like hardcore pornography, child pornography, obscenity like 236 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:05,959 Speaker 1: it should, it has every right to be in there 237 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: under the first first Amendment. Amen, it was a big deal. 238 00:14:09,160 --> 00:14:12,199 Speaker 1: It was a big deal. Uh so was I remember 239 00:14:12,280 --> 00:14:15,320 Speaker 1: this one because I was on a newspaper staff at 240 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 1: the time and I got interviewed for the news. Oh yeah, yeah, 241 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,920 Speaker 1: like the local news came out Hazelwood School District v 242 00:14:22,640 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 1: uh kur maya. UM. That was very famously when newspaper 243 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: high school newspapers basically were said to not have the 244 00:14:31,760 --> 00:14:34,960 Speaker 1: same rights as like if you were an adult running 245 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:38,440 Speaker 1: a newspaper, and it was not a form of public expression, 246 00:14:38,480 --> 00:14:41,160 Speaker 1: so schools could, uh, in the end, kind of censor 247 00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:43,720 Speaker 1: what was going in these things, at least in like 248 00:14:44,000 --> 00:14:48,040 Speaker 1: school curriculum. I thought it was in the paper. In 249 00:14:48,080 --> 00:14:50,360 Speaker 1: the paper too, I'm sorry, I thought you meant in 250 00:14:50,400 --> 00:14:54,560 Speaker 1: these things meaning libraries. Yeah, no, no, in but it 251 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 1: was extended into classroom curriculum too like that, which was 252 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,160 Speaker 1: a big deal. Yeah, as you read that article all 253 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:04,760 Speaker 1: about Texas, Yeah, let's get to that. Yeah, okay, So, um, 254 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:10,920 Speaker 1: Texas has this um very controversial textbook review committee that 255 00:15:10,960 --> 00:15:14,800 Speaker 1: wields a lot of power because textbook or Texas is 256 00:15:14,840 --> 00:15:19,640 Speaker 1: the biggest textbook buyer in the country, and so if 257 00:15:19,680 --> 00:15:23,800 Speaker 1: you're a textbook manufacturer and one state is ordering most 258 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,600 Speaker 1: of your textbooks, you're just gonna print one and send 259 00:15:26,640 --> 00:15:30,000 Speaker 1: it to everybody. Yeah, it's basically Texas and California are 260 00:15:30,040 --> 00:15:32,920 Speaker 1: the two states that wield the most power because they 261 00:15:32,920 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: spend the most dough because they have the most school 262 00:15:35,120 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 1: aged kids basically exactly, so they basically say what Texas 263 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,680 Speaker 1: decides goes in their textbooks goes in the textbooks for 264 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:45,480 Speaker 1: a lot of other states as well, not just Texas. Right. Yeah. 265 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,600 Speaker 1: I looked at the expense of the textbook, and I 266 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:51,480 Speaker 1: think one of the manufacturers said something like several million 267 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:55,200 Speaker 1: dollars can go into a like a major biology textbook 268 00:15:55,480 --> 00:15:58,560 Speaker 1: because of like the illustrations and everything that goes into it. 269 00:15:58,600 --> 00:16:01,400 Speaker 1: And they're like, we can't make one of these for 270 00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:04,400 Speaker 1: Texas and one for other states. It's just everyone's gonna 271 00:16:04,400 --> 00:16:07,600 Speaker 1: get Texas version of the truth exactly. So Texas has 272 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,640 Speaker 1: this committee that is largely conservative that um starting and 273 00:16:11,680 --> 00:16:17,240 Speaker 1: I think two thousand nine, uh, basically held hearings on 274 00:16:17,840 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: revisions that they wanted to see done to social studies curriculum. 275 00:16:21,080 --> 00:16:22,880 Speaker 1: These are elected people too, by the way, which is 276 00:16:22,920 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: important because apparently a lot of them can buy their 277 00:16:26,560 --> 00:16:29,920 Speaker 1: way right on that list. Okay, so social studies, you've 278 00:16:29,960 --> 00:16:33,840 Speaker 1: got history, sociology, economics, and UM. A lot of the 279 00:16:33,920 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 1: stuff that they were adding in there were like, um, 280 00:16:38,400 --> 00:16:41,080 Speaker 1: I guess kind of slanted everything toward a little more 281 00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,840 Speaker 1: towards the idea that the founders of the United States 282 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:49,200 Speaker 1: were Christian. UM, that the the they one of the 283 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:50,840 Speaker 1: things they wanted to get in there was not just 284 00:16:51,080 --> 00:16:54,920 Speaker 1: Martin Luther King's non violent civil rights protests, but the 285 00:16:54,960 --> 00:16:58,800 Speaker 1: Black Panthers violent civil rights protests were another one. Um. 286 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:02,480 Speaker 1: And if you're a conservative, you're you're like, well, okay, 287 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,160 Speaker 1: I agree with a lot of what these people are saying. 288 00:17:06,160 --> 00:17:09,800 Speaker 1: The problem is is what they were saying was that 289 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:14,040 Speaker 1: there's a liberal slant too academia, and that they were 290 00:17:14,080 --> 00:17:17,600 Speaker 1: taking it upon themselves to correct that by putting a 291 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:21,840 Speaker 1: conservative slant. Yeah. One of the other amendments was to 292 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: cut Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures who inspired 293 00:17:25,800 --> 00:17:28,960 Speaker 1: revolutions of the late eighteenth century in nineteenth century, and 294 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:31,920 Speaker 1: they said, let's replace him with Thomas Akenis and John 295 00:17:31,960 --> 00:17:37,000 Speaker 1: Calvin instead. Another one in economics, UM, they wanted to 296 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:41,919 Speaker 1: add Milton Friedman and Friedrich von Hayek, champions of the 297 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,520 Speaker 1: free market economic theory, to the list of economist study 298 00:17:45,800 --> 00:17:49,160 Speaker 1: we talked about, well, Milton Friedman in one where basically 299 00:17:49,200 --> 00:17:53,320 Speaker 1: he's Chile as a laboratory for UM reagan Omics. Before 300 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:58,120 Speaker 1: Reagan was president to trickle down economics. Yeah, yeah, yeah, 301 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:00,439 Speaker 1: I remember that. Um and then and one of the 302 00:18:00,440 --> 00:18:03,040 Speaker 1: ones that was shot down by a Democrat Mayvice Knight 303 00:18:03,080 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 1: wanted to introduce an amendment requiring students study the reasons 304 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: for the Founding Fathers protecting religious freedom by not saying 305 00:18:12,760 --> 00:18:15,560 Speaker 1: one religion is good above all else, and that was 306 00:18:15,600 --> 00:18:17,679 Speaker 1: actually struck down. They said you can't put that in 307 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,640 Speaker 1: this book. Right. She was a Democrat who introduced it. Yeah, 308 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:24,639 Speaker 1: there was public The Conservatives said no, well they you know, 309 00:18:24,920 --> 00:18:28,000 Speaker 1: basically vote along party lines. So the vote was tended 310 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:30,040 Speaker 1: four or whatever it is. So it was a big deal, 311 00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,040 Speaker 1: like it had. It was one of those things that 312 00:18:33,160 --> 00:18:38,360 Speaker 1: kind of went under reported and underestimated. But there's a 313 00:18:38,400 --> 00:18:40,359 Speaker 1: really good documentary out there that came out and I 314 00:18:40,400 --> 00:18:45,640 Speaker 1: think two thousand nine, The Revisionaries, UM and I think 315 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:48,159 Speaker 1: it's up on Netflix streaming right now. It is Scott 316 00:18:48,160 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: Thurman and uh Al I saw. I was a trailer 317 00:18:51,040 --> 00:18:52,680 Speaker 1: but it looked pretty good. And I mean it was 318 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:55,000 Speaker 1: a big deal. It's not just like some people in 319 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:59,200 Speaker 1: Texas want to change some textbooks. It's like has natural implications. 320 00:18:59,800 --> 00:19:02,840 Speaker 1: It an info war basically, and that's what book banning 321 00:19:03,320 --> 00:19:05,160 Speaker 1: is based on in a lot of ways as well. 322 00:19:05,200 --> 00:19:09,560 Speaker 1: It's like, if you can remove a different viewpoint, especially 323 00:19:09,680 --> 00:19:13,400 Speaker 1: when when it's being presented to kids, then you can 324 00:19:13,480 --> 00:19:17,200 Speaker 1: keep that viewpoint from taking from German aating in there 325 00:19:17,280 --> 00:19:23,840 Speaker 1: and they're emerging mind or worldview, and so books like UM, 326 00:19:24,040 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: Daddy's New Roommate gets banned. Yeah, about a boy whose 327 00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 1: dad has a new boyfriend. Now he's a divorced dad 328 00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:35,120 Speaker 1: and his new roommate moves in his gay and UM 329 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,160 Speaker 1: Sarah Palin herself asked for that to be removed from 330 00:19:38,200 --> 00:19:42,800 Speaker 1: the library when she was UM the mayor of Wasilla, Alaska. 331 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:44,719 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, I remember that. And that guy came out 332 00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:49,840 Speaker 1: and said that woman is my mortal enemy and thanks 333 00:19:49,880 --> 00:19:52,600 Speaker 1: for the press. That's what he should have said to UH. 334 00:19:52,680 --> 00:19:58,200 Speaker 1: In the meantime, in Texas, UM Mary Helen Burlonga UM 335 00:19:58,240 --> 00:20:02,680 Speaker 1: has tried repeatedly get Latino figures UM included in textbooks 336 00:20:02,720 --> 00:20:06,639 Speaker 1: as role models for the large Hispanic population in Texas, 337 00:20:07,119 --> 00:20:10,000 Speaker 1: and she's been repeatedly denied, to the point where in 338 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,800 Speaker 1: two thousand ten she stopped out of a meeting saying, 339 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:15,439 Speaker 1: they can't just pretend this is white America and that 340 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:19,320 Speaker 1: we don't exist. These aren't experts, these aren't historians. They're 341 00:20:19,359 --> 00:20:25,200 Speaker 1: just rewriting history. So pretty hard words. Do you want 342 00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:28,960 Speaker 1: to hear some other challenged authors, Let's man, because there's 343 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:32,359 Speaker 1: there's challenges all over the place, apparently Judy Bloom of course, 344 00:20:33,080 --> 00:20:36,720 Speaker 1: Robert Cormier or Cormier. Uh did you ever read I 345 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:39,600 Speaker 1: Am the Cheese when You're growing up? Or The Chocolate War? 346 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:45,159 Speaker 1: I think I read that one great books band many times. J. K. Rowling, 347 00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:48,720 Speaker 1: she is, uh, like I said, she is, I guess 348 00:20:48,720 --> 00:20:50,919 Speaker 1: of the devil because a lot of people have a 349 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:54,760 Speaker 1: problem with the Harry Potter books. Um, Katherine Patterson Bridge 350 00:20:54,760 --> 00:20:59,240 Speaker 1: to Tera Bethia, I'm Stephen King, maya Angelou can't have 351 00:20:59,280 --> 00:21:03,560 Speaker 1: any of that. Yeah. The Alabama State Textbook Committee said that, um, 352 00:21:04,080 --> 00:21:07,639 Speaker 1: I know why the Cage Bird Sings encourages bitterness towards 353 00:21:07,680 --> 00:21:12,080 Speaker 1: white people. R. L. Stein who was sort of like 354 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,640 Speaker 1: a Stephen King for kids, Yeah, goose bumps. Yeah, and uh, 355 00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,440 Speaker 1: I think I actually worked on one of his little 356 00:21:17,440 --> 00:21:21,280 Speaker 1: TV shows. The Nightmare Room was a nightmare room, I 357 00:21:21,320 --> 00:21:24,520 Speaker 1: think so. Uh yeah, back in the day. And John 358 00:21:24,520 --> 00:21:29,320 Speaker 1: Steinbeck of course, Yeah, in Nine of Mice and Men, 359 00:21:29,440 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 1: was banned in Chattanooga because Steinbeck was well known for 360 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:37,320 Speaker 1: his anti business attitude. UM. And then Alvin Schwartz was 361 00:21:37,400 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: number one, and he wrote one of my favorite sets 362 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,800 Speaker 1: of books, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I 363 00:21:42,880 --> 00:21:45,320 Speaker 1: never heard of this, oh man. They were scary with 364 00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 1: the most ghastly illustrations you've ever seen. They're awesome and 365 00:21:49,800 --> 00:21:52,119 Speaker 1: in those bands just because they're scary and ghoulish. I 366 00:21:52,160 --> 00:21:57,480 Speaker 1: guess so I was probably satanic too. Um. So we 367 00:21:57,480 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 1: were talking about how if if a book is challenged, UM, 368 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,679 Speaker 1: it's probably if it gets to the Supreme Court, Supreme 369 00:22:05,720 --> 00:22:08,280 Speaker 1: Court is probably gonna rule in favor of the librarian 370 00:22:08,320 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: who said no. Um. But that's that's not the case 371 00:22:13,320 --> 00:22:17,960 Speaker 1: with obscenity, like obscene literature, like it is specifically excluded 372 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:22,680 Speaker 1: in US case law from First Amendment protection. And that's 373 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:26,760 Speaker 1: kind of emerged over the years, um, starting in eighteen 374 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:31,400 Speaker 1: seventy three with the con Stock laws. It basically said 375 00:22:31,440 --> 00:22:36,879 Speaker 1: like you can't sell obscene literature in interstate commerce, right, 376 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,199 Speaker 1: and then people are like, okay, well then we we 377 00:22:40,280 --> 00:22:43,080 Speaker 1: won't or don't enforce it or whatever, and it just 378 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:47,320 Speaker 1: kind of went went enforced or unchallenged for like three 379 00:22:47,400 --> 00:22:50,359 Speaker 1: quarters of a century, and then in the fifties you 380 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:55,639 Speaker 1: had um Roth versus the United States, where all of 381 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:58,520 Speaker 1: a sudden, we're like, wait, we need to start explaining 382 00:22:58,600 --> 00:23:03,120 Speaker 1: what obscenity is because you can't just say that's just whatever. 383 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,360 Speaker 1: That's what they started as though, Like in the fifties 384 00:23:06,359 --> 00:23:10,399 Speaker 1: they basically said obscenity pornography basically is what that means 385 00:23:10,960 --> 00:23:16,639 Speaker 1: um has utterly or is utterly without um social value. 386 00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:20,679 Speaker 1: That was a big quote, So that basically was a 387 00:23:20,760 --> 00:23:24,560 Speaker 1: mark against anybody who's pro obscenity, right, And then in 388 00:23:24,600 --> 00:23:28,639 Speaker 1: the seventies there was one called Miller versus California, and 389 00:23:28,680 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: this guy basically sent out a mass mailer chuck of 390 00:23:31,480 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: an advertisement for his adult magazines. So everybody got him 391 00:23:37,040 --> 00:23:42,199 Speaker 1: old people, kids, housewives, business meant everybody who went to 392 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:44,320 Speaker 1: their mail that they opened it up and like there's 393 00:23:44,480 --> 00:23:50,640 Speaker 1: like basically obscene advertising. And so California arrested the guy 394 00:23:50,840 --> 00:23:55,480 Speaker 1: and it went to trial, and the Supreme Court said, okay, um, yes, 395 00:23:55,560 --> 00:23:59,119 Speaker 1: obscenities not protected, but we need to say what obscenity is, 396 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:01,640 Speaker 1: and they came up with this three point test called 397 00:24:01,640 --> 00:24:05,240 Speaker 1: the Miller tests, which is has that one problem you 398 00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:07,080 Speaker 1: were talking about it. Yeah. The third one is no 399 00:24:07,280 --> 00:24:11,960 Speaker 1: no artistic merit basically literary, political, or scientific value. Which 400 00:24:13,040 --> 00:24:16,919 Speaker 1: it's probably the terms that they nailed this guy for. Yeah, 401 00:24:17,040 --> 00:24:19,080 Speaker 1: you know, if it was just a flyer of like 402 00:24:19,119 --> 00:24:22,120 Speaker 1: pornographic ads, he couldn't really say no, this is literature, 403 00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 1: Like check these out. The other two were involved patently 404 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:32,000 Speaker 1: offensive sexual conducts or appeal to prurient interest when taken 405 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:37,400 Speaker 1: as a whole. There it is, that's what connected a sexuality. Yeah. Um, 406 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:40,640 Speaker 1: but the big point with those, Chuck, is that, um, 407 00:24:41,040 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 1: the the prurient interest is local, So basically like if 408 00:24:45,359 --> 00:24:49,280 Speaker 1: everybody in your town would be offended by this, then 409 00:24:49,520 --> 00:24:52,720 Speaker 1: that's the local judgment that's for that standard. But then 410 00:24:52,760 --> 00:24:57,840 Speaker 1: the scientific, artistic, literary standard is national. So like if 411 00:24:57,880 --> 00:25:00,439 Speaker 1: your town thinks it's science, but your town is notice 412 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:05,840 Speaker 1: talking about, that's not a standard. So that's obscenity that substantially. 413 00:25:06,040 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: But the good thing is it's like if you are 414 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,200 Speaker 1: trying to um ban something as obscene, the burden of 415 00:25:12,280 --> 00:25:14,400 Speaker 1: proof is on you to prove these three This thing 416 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:16,440 Speaker 1: passes all three points of the Miller type. That is 417 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:18,760 Speaker 1: true and that's a tough, tough burden to get passed 418 00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: into court to I'm surprised that more book banning fans 419 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 1: aren't trying to infiltrate the library community, you know what 420 00:25:30,080 --> 00:25:34,840 Speaker 1: I'm saying. I think they do constantly. Librarians. Yeah, I 421 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:36,640 Speaker 1: don't know. I mean if that's where the power is. 422 00:25:37,119 --> 00:25:41,440 Speaker 1: I think the librarians like really um like the library industry. 423 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,040 Speaker 1: It's it's very powerful and like if they find out 424 00:25:44,080 --> 00:25:47,400 Speaker 1: that you're you're a wolf and Cheep's clothing, they'll kill you. Boy, 425 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,080 Speaker 1: have you ever talked to librarians. Chris Pullette here is 426 00:25:50,080 --> 00:25:54,200 Speaker 1: a librarian. They're really passionate, passionate people. It's it's it's 427 00:25:54,240 --> 00:25:57,920 Speaker 1: almost like a public service in a way. Yeah, because 428 00:25:57,960 --> 00:25:59,280 Speaker 1: I'm sure they don't make a lot of dough and 429 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:05,160 Speaker 1: they just all really believe in knowledge and protecting, protecting freedoms. Yeah, 430 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:08,440 Speaker 1: it's pretty cool. Yeah, librarians. Yeah. I could give your 431 00:26:08,480 --> 00:26:10,959 Speaker 1: local librarian a pat on the back today. Yeah, give 432 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:12,879 Speaker 1: him a hug. Ask him first and then give him 433 00:26:12,920 --> 00:26:14,639 Speaker 1: a hug. And if they say no, don't give him 434 00:26:14,640 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 1: a hug, right, just shake their hand and politely not Yeah, 435 00:26:17,840 --> 00:26:22,240 Speaker 1: maybe a Curtesy and um, that's great chun, I like 436 00:26:22,320 --> 00:26:24,480 Speaker 1: the curtesy. Al Right, well, if you want to learn 437 00:26:24,480 --> 00:26:26,879 Speaker 1: more about banned books, we suggest you go to the 438 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:30,479 Speaker 1: A l A site. Uh that's I believe a la 439 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:33,440 Speaker 1: dot com. And then you can also write in banned 440 00:26:33,480 --> 00:26:36,200 Speaker 1: books in the search bar at how stuff works dot com. 441 00:26:36,280 --> 00:26:39,240 Speaker 1: And it's gonna bring up this, uh, really great article. 442 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:43,280 Speaker 1: And I said search bar, which means finally it's time 443 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: for a listener. Maw josh, you're gonna call this disco 444 00:26:48,040 --> 00:26:53,479 Speaker 1: fever from Diane in Kentucky. Hey, guys, your disco episode 445 00:26:53,480 --> 00:26:55,720 Speaker 1: brought back fond memories for me. In the summer of 446 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: was in my early twenties, and I've just made it 447 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,800 Speaker 1: from the Sticks to the Pig City, New York City. 448 00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:04,399 Speaker 1: It's a big sin. I had very little money. The 449 00:27:04,400 --> 00:27:07,119 Speaker 1: city's infrastructure was crumbling, and this kind of what we 450 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:09,560 Speaker 1: pointed out, you know, the bad economy, and I was 451 00:27:09,560 --> 00:27:13,960 Speaker 1: separated from my boyfriend by a continent, a bigger obstacle 452 00:27:14,000 --> 00:27:16,119 Speaker 1: in those days before cell phones and the internet and 453 00:27:16,200 --> 00:27:18,600 Speaker 1: reasonable air affairs like that was back when a long 454 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,680 Speaker 1: distance relationship was like serious. Yeah, um remember those days, 455 00:27:22,760 --> 00:27:25,959 Speaker 1: Like is it long distance? I don't talk too long. 456 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:29,080 Speaker 1: It's long distance. Yeah, now it's like what, Yeah, I 457 00:27:29,160 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 1: forgot about that UM ten, ten to twenty or whatever, 458 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,280 Speaker 1: like certain times a day were cheaper or something. No, 459 00:27:35,359 --> 00:27:38,480 Speaker 1: there's like a number you could dial out, like real 460 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:43,439 Speaker 1: cheap long distance to remember that. I was questioning the 461 00:27:43,480 --> 00:27:45,000 Speaker 1: decisions I had made in my life, and it was 462 00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 1: pretty much a struggle for me. But I had disco. 463 00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:51,720 Speaker 1: I would go with a guy friend to a place 464 00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:53,760 Speaker 1: on Third Avenue that was more or less the equivalent 465 00:27:53,880 --> 00:27:56,679 Speaker 1: of an Applebee's with disco music and a dance floor 466 00:27:56,800 --> 00:27:59,320 Speaker 1: complete with disco ball. It certainly wasn't what you would 467 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:01,560 Speaker 1: call a disco to or a cool place by any 468 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,960 Speaker 1: stretch of the imagination. But she was broke and we 469 00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:06,760 Speaker 1: could order the cheapest thing on the menu and spend 470 00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:09,920 Speaker 1: the whole night dancing. It was completely oblivious to any 471 00:28:09,960 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 1: social or cultural implications of the music, but just knew 472 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 1: that it was cheap entertainment and so much fun. Yes, 473 00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: the lyrics were silly and the beat was rather unimaginative, 474 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:24,399 Speaker 1: but coming off the era of Vietnam, Watergate and a 475 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:27,359 Speaker 1: plethora of social upheavals, that was the great part of 476 00:28:27,359 --> 00:28:30,320 Speaker 1: the appeal. Dancing to disco and laughing at the lyrics 477 00:28:30,359 --> 00:28:33,840 Speaker 1: was play. It was easy to learn the moves and 478 00:28:33,960 --> 00:28:37,440 Speaker 1: much for her, not for me. Uh, and much more 479 00:28:37,480 --> 00:28:41,280 Speaker 1: fun than the mindless dancing um which attended rock music, 480 00:28:41,560 --> 00:28:43,240 Speaker 1: which I like to listen to. But let's face it, 481 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,480 Speaker 1: dancing to rock music it's pretty boring, pretty fast. I 482 00:28:47,480 --> 00:28:49,520 Speaker 1: don't know if I thought it was the best disco song, 483 00:28:49,560 --> 00:28:52,640 Speaker 1: but one of the most fun and exhilarating and inanely 484 00:28:52,720 --> 00:28:57,160 Speaker 1: silly for me was Donna Summers MacArthur Park still brings 485 00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:58,760 Speaker 1: a smile to my face just thinking about it. I 486 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,400 Speaker 1: didn't know Donnati was Dick MacArthur Park there. Then that 487 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:06,600 Speaker 1: was Diane Rally in Louisville, Kentucky. So glad we could 488 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,720 Speaker 1: bring back some good memories there for you. Yeah, thanks 489 00:29:08,720 --> 00:29:11,040 Speaker 1: a lot, Diane. Awesome. And we've heard from a lot 490 00:29:11,040 --> 00:29:13,880 Speaker 1: of people who are like, guys, you're saying that, Um, 491 00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,360 Speaker 1: if I hate discodes because I'm homophobic, don't be stupid. No, 492 00:29:17,680 --> 00:29:20,800 Speaker 1: we didn't say that specifically. We said if you hate 493 00:29:20,960 --> 00:29:25,320 Speaker 1: disco outright with a burning passion, but for no real reason, 494 00:29:25,560 --> 00:29:27,800 Speaker 1: you can't really tell why it's getting to you like this, 495 00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 1: Maybe it's time step back in examine it. Sure, we 496 00:29:30,520 --> 00:29:32,560 Speaker 1: also said that there's plenty room for people who just 497 00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:34,920 Speaker 1: don't like disco, just don't like the music, and it 498 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:37,520 Speaker 1: doesn't mean your hope of phobics, So lighten up and 499 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:40,600 Speaker 1: listen more clearly, UM, If you want to get in 500 00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:44,680 Speaker 1: touch with me and Chuck, you can tweet, tweet to us, 501 00:29:44,800 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: um to s Y s K podcast. You can also 502 00:29:48,160 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: join us on Facebook dot com slash you should Know. 503 00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,000 Speaker 1: You can also read us The Riot Act via via 504 00:29:54,080 --> 00:30:05,000 Speaker 1: email at stuff podcast at Discovery dot com. For more 505 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:07,640 Speaker 1: on this and thousands of other topics, visit how Stuff 506 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:17,200 Speaker 1: works dot com. MHM brought to you by the reinvented 507 00:30:17,240 --> 00:30:19,880 Speaker 1: two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you