Have you ever known someone who came back from the dead? (Aside from JC and Manti Te’o’s girlfriend.) Well, you do now: Susan Meachan was a prolific writer of self-published romance novels when, following reports of online bullying, her suicide was reported in 2020. Alas, Meachen apparently found being dead a bit boring, and announced her resurrection this month. We dig into this story, leading to a discussion about the scorned but popular genre of romance, the endurance of boy bands, endless social media frauds, and how far people will go for love and attention. Susan, if you’re reading this: Sarah has questions.
We then look at the latest university scandal, which PEN America calls “one of the most egregious violations of academic freedom in recent memory”: An adjunct art history professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, MN, showed the class a painting of the Prophet Mohammed. While she’d alerted the class in a syllabus as well as prior to the discussion, a Sudanese student nevertheless described herself as “blindsided”; a forum was held, accusations of Islamophobia and misconduct flew, and the whole thing wound up in the New York Times.
Also discussed: What is nonbinary workwear? Is Sarah a nicer person than Nancy? Is it morally acceptable to have sex with a chicken if said chicken is dead? And what is a robot kitten (or as Nancy puts it, “kit-ten”)?
Bonus content: The Menu is the dark foodie satire we need. We rediscover our love for Ralph Fiennes and praise Anya Taylor-Joy (recently of The Queen’s Gambit) and disagree on whether foodie culture has gone too far. Also: How much did Nancy pay to eat at the fabled Chicago restaurant Alinea, and who doesn’t have a crush on Harry Styles?
Episode Notes:
“The Queens of Montague Street,” by Nancy Rommelmann, a short memoir of being a teenager in 1970s NYC, which Commentary Magazine podcast host John Podhoretz mentions when he and Nancy discussed her article, “A Murder in Portland.”
”Dazed and Confused,” by Nancy Rommelmann (New York Times Lives column)
Wikipedia gives an assist: “A potboiler or pot-boiler is a novel, play, opera, film, or other creative work of dubious literary or artistic merit, whose main purpose was to pay for the creator's daily expenses.”
“Romance Novelist Susan Meachen Un-Unalives Herself,” by Rebecca Alter (Vulture)
“TFW Your Family Makes You Fake Your Own Death,” “Blocked & Reported” podcast
Example of “girl only you” boy-band song:
“Manti Te'o's Dead Girlfriend, The Most Heartbreaking And Inspirational Story Of The College Football Season, Is A Hoax,” by Tim Burke and Jack Dickey (Deadspin)
Nancy and Sarah discussed Manti Te’o’s story on, “The Hoax Heard Round the World.”
Correction: We called Manti Teo’s dead girlfriend Lennaya, but her name was Lennay.
The Case Against the Sexual Revolution by Louise Perry
“The Significance of Blind Spots in Moral Reasoning,” a discussion of Haidt’s “sex with a chicken” conundrum, by Sherry F. Colb (Justia)
The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt
“Defining Nonbinary Work Wear,” by Shane O’Neill (NYT)
Example of a “I'm wrapped ‘round your finger like this ring I’m wearing” country song
“A Lecturer Showed a Painting of the Prophet Muhammad. She Lost Her Job,” by Vimal Patel (NYT)
Robo-kittens can help!
“What's the Name of This Podcast? Songs from Smoke 'Em if You Got 'Em.” A playlist of every song we’ve used for outro music. Thank you Dorothy!
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