In this episode, Natalia, Neil, and Niki debate Kevin Spacey’s coming out amid charges of pedophilia, the 21st century company town, and the 500th anniversary of the Reformation.
Here are some links and references mentioned during this week’s show:
- When a Buzzfeed article reported that actor Anthony Rapp, at age fourteen, had been assaulted by Kevin Spacey, Spacey responded by coming out as gay. Niki referred to longstanding rumors about Spacey’s sexuality, including a 1997 Esquire cover story that hinted about his “secret.” We all referred to the longstanding stereotype of homosexual-as-pedophile promoted by the 1961 public service announcement film Boys Beware, which we have referenced on other segments.
- Google is developing a stretch of the Toronto riverfront, the New York Times reported. Natalia referenced a Smithsonian magazine article that explains that company towns have historically had both utopian and dystopian qualities. Natalia also referred to the informal use of the term “company town” to describe a town dominated by a single company, such as the role of Maytag in Newton, Iowa, described in an NPR segment.
- The Protestant Reformation just turned 500. Neil referenced Martin Luther’s 95 Theses and the Five Solas that undergirded the Reformation.
In our regular closing feature, What’s Making History:
- Neil discussed the end of the New York City cabaret law.
- Natalia discussed the #MeToo movement in the pornography industry.
- Niki discussed Errol Morris’ New York Times book review of Peter Manseau’s The Apparitionists.