logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2018
1h 13m

Stranger Danger

Sarah Marshall
About this episode

How inflated statistics, cultural anxieties and moral crusaders turned a tiny number of missing children into a decade-long political project. Digressions include 1870s parenting, “E.T.” and the lack of parks in Los Angeles. Both co-hosts secretly believe that the popularity of TV movies in the 1980s explains all of America’s social problems. 

Continue reading →

Support us:
Subscribe on Patreon
Donate on Paypal
Buy cute merch

Where to find us:
Sarah's other show, Why Are Dads
Mike's other show, Maintenance Phase

Support the show (http://patreon.com/yourewrongabout)
Up next
Aug 19
The Insanity Defense with Mackenzie Joy Brennan
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) ... Show More
1h 20m
Jul 31
Corn Mazes with Chelsey Weber-Smith
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 ... Show More
1h 4m
Jul 16
Pee-wee Herman Part 2 with Jamie Loftus
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 t ... Show More
1h 3m
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2024
Pressure Cooker Introduces: Split Screen: Kid Nation
The controversial reality TV show known as ‘Kid Nation’, which borrowed its premise from Lord of the Flies, was cancelled shortly after its 2007 debut. Producers took 40 kids into a makeshift desert town to fend for themselves and create their own society. Was the series an oppor ... Show More
36m 49s
Apr 2024
Gay Girl Gone Introduces: Split Screen: Kid Nation
The controversial reality TV show known as ‘Kid Nation’, which borrowed its premise from Lord of the Flies, was cancelled shortly after its 2007 debut. Producers took 40 kids into a makeshift desert town to fend for themselves and create their own society. Was the series an oppor ... Show More
36m 49s
Jun 2022
Barney | 70
Sheryl Leach, a working mom in Texas was stuck in traffic when she dreamt up the idea of a plush-toy dinosaur that comes to life and entertains a backyard full of kids with songs and games. Within a few years the big purple dinosaur was loved by millions of children around the wo ... Show More
37m 11s
Nov 2021
271 - The Menendez Brothers: Parent Killing Sociopaths? Victims? Both?
I had a lot of fun on this one taking a nostalgic look at US culture in 1989 and 1993. Also found the story of Lyle and Erik Menendez incredibly interesting. Why did two brothers viciously murder their parents with shotguns in the summer of 1989? Erik was about to enroll in UCLA. ... Show More
2h 47m
Dec 2021
JonBenét Ramsey | 59
In the early morning hours of December 26, 1996, a 39 year old stay-at-home mom in an upscale neighbourhood of Boulder, Colorado made a shocking discovery. Her 6-year-old daughter had been kidnapped while the family slept and a mysterious ransom note had been left in her place. T ... Show More
41m 50s
Sep 2020
Comedy from Stand-up to Sitcom - Part 2 I 31
On this episode we continue our look back at the stand-up sitcom boom of the 1990s. Following the success of shows such as Roseanne and Seinfeld, networks scrambled to find more comics who could become television stars. Some up and coming comics were discovered on Star Search or ... Show More
46m 8s
Aug 2019
The One About "Friends" | 4
We take a deep dive into Friends, one of the most Iconic TV shows of the decade. Host Kathy Kenzora will try to understand how the show about six 20-somethings in New York became a global phenomenon and why it continues to capture the hearts of fans around the world 25 years late ... Show More
44m 58s
Oct 2021
The Rise of Trashy Daytime TV | 56
In the 1990s the most violent thing on television wasn’t wrestling, or NHL hockey it was The Jerry Springer Show. The daytime talk show regularly devolved into wild physical fights between guests that were excitedly cheered on by riled up audience members During the 90s more than ... Show More
45m 29s
May 2024
Stranger Danger: Moral Panic, White Childhood Innocence, & the American Carceral State With Paul Renfro
In this episode we speak with Paul Renfro about his book Stranger Danger: Family Values, Childhood, and the American Carceral State Paul Renfro is an associate professor of history and an affiliate faculty in the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Florida State Uni ... Show More
1h 55m
Feb 2021
Reality TV | 1. An American Family
In the first episode of season 1 of Spectacle, we'll go back to the show that started it all -- An American Family. Most probably haven't heard of the 1973 PBS docuseries but many argue it inspired reality TV. The series that followed the Loud family of Santa Barbara became part ... Show More
43m 5s