Description

In this episode, Neil, Natalia, and Niki discuss the right’s obsession with George Soros conspiracy theories, the recent “grievance studies” hoax, and the rise of Bavarian folk dress as a form of hipsterism.

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Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show: 

• Financier and philanthropist George Soros is increasingly at the center of conspiracy theories on the political right. Niki referred to this New York Times article on anti-Semitism in the Trump era.
• The Wall Street Journal broke the news of the most recent academic hoax, perpetuated to expose the outsize influence of “social justice ideology” on certain subfields of the humanities. Natalia wrote about this in a roundtable at the Chronicle of Higher Education, and she referred to Yascha Mounk’s article in the Atlantic in defense of the hoaxsters.
• Lederhosen and dirndls are all the rage among Bavarian hipsters, reported the New York Times. Natalia referred to this 2001 article about Germans’ ongoing struggle with nationalism in the decades after the fall of the Third Reich.

In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:

• Natalia shared recommended Karen Rain’s Medium article, “Yoga Guru Pattabhi Jois Assaulted Me for Years.”
• Neil reflected on the twentieth anniversary of Matthew Shepard’s death.
• Niki discussed Leah Groth’s Prevention article, “American Cheese is Melting Away, Thanks to Millennials.”