Episode 206: War Crimes, Controversial Food Takes, and Indigenous Land Acknowledgments

In this episode, Niki, Natalia, and Neil discuss President Trump’s pardons of war criminals, controversial opinions about food, and the practice of indigenous land acknowledgments.

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

• President Trump recently pardoned three American servicemen convicted of war crimes. Natalia referred to Adam Serwer’s Atlantic piece “The Cruelty is the Point” and this New Yorker article about the 19th-century origins of the military court system. Niki recommended reading up on the case of Eddie Gallagher to understand the implications of these pardons.
• When conservative academic Tom Nichols recently insulted Indian food on Twitter, the internet struck back. Natalia and Neil commented on Ruth Graham’s Slate piece on the intensity of social media food takes. Natalia recommended Krishnendu Ray’s book The Ethnic Restaurateur. Neil referred to Jane Desmond’s Newsweek article about Thanksgiving turkey.
• Long a practice in Canada and Australia, indigenous land acknowledgements are becoming more common in the United States.

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

• Natalia discussed Tom Farrey’s book Game On: How the Pressure to Win at All Costs Endangers Youth Sports and What Parents Can Do About It.
• Neil commented on Rick Perry telling Trump he was “chosen by God” which he wrote about in his column for The Week, “God’s Gift to America.”
• Niki recommended Samira Kawash’s Atlantic article, “Sugar Plums: They’re Not What You Think They Are.”