John Birch vs. the PTA

Revisionist History

Pushkin Industries

Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 61.5K Ratings

🗓️ 31 October 2024

⏱️ 33 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the 1960s, a right-wing organization led by a former candy tycoon rose to fame in America for their anti-communist campaigns. They called themselves the John Birch Society. Then, they tried to take over the Parent-Teacher Association. This week, what the battle between the two organizations tells us about the fate of American politics, and the history of your Halloween candy.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Bushkin.
0:10.0	I want to read to you from a very important historical document, the April
0:16.5	1962 edition of the Wellby Way Elementary School Parent Teacher Association
0:22.3	newsletter,
0:23.9	The Wellby Buzzings.
0:26.3	Written of course by the PTA of the elementary school
0:29.7	in the West Hills area of Los Angeles. First item, President's Message. I would like to say
0:37.1	thank you to the ladies that work so hard on the, and this is all in caps,
0:40.8	double parking safety campaign. Second item. and this is all in caps. Double Parking Safety Campaign.
0:44.2	Second item, sing along with Progress PTA meeting for April.
0:48.0	Our hostesses will be the sixth grade mutters.
0:51.3	Third item, a meeting on safety and fire prevention. Fourth item, an
0:55.6	interesting and informative trip to the fire station. Fifth item, the local
0:59.8	council meeting, key detail, it's going to be a luncheon. Are you still there?
1:06.8	Still awake? Four announcements on school safety a fifth unparticipatory democracy.
1:14.1	A luncheon, I'm guessing, you're bored to tears.
1:17.6	It's all so very PTA.
1:19.9	The only things missing are the Potluck supper, the newspaper drive, the book fair.
1:27.3	But that's where you're wrong.
1:30.4	This newsletter is in fact a skeleton key to understanding our political moment right now, like this exact moment.
1:37.0	If you're listening to this episode soon after its release, there are two things going on in your world, the US presidential election
1:44.7	between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, and more Halloween candy than you know what to do with.
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -152 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Pushkin Industries, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Pushkin Industries and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.