Episode 171: "Cancel Culture," Hobbies, and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302

In this episode, Neil, Niki, and Natalia discuss “cancel culture,” the lost art of hobbies, and the tragic Ethiopian Airlines crash.

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On this week’s Past Present episode, Nicole Hemmer, Natalia Mehlman Petrzela, and Neil J. Young discuss “cancel culture,” the lost art of hobbies, and the tragic Ethiopian Air crash.

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

• Young Adult literature is the latest arena for controversies over “cancel culture.” Neil recommended Jennifer Senior’s New York Times article on the perils of taking it too far.
• Hobbies, or engaging in an activity only for the joy it brings, are increasingly a rarity. Neil referred to Hanna Rosin’s book The End of Men: And the Rise of Women. Natalia recommended this history of the “side hustle” at The Conversation.
• A tragic airplane crash has killed 157 people and raised questions about the Boeing 737 Max 8 model. Neil recommended the book, Flying Without Fear. Natalia referred to this Wall Street Journal article about the effect of crashes on the airplane industry.

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

• Natalia discussed Matthew Remski’s new book, Practice and All is Coming.
• Neil recommended Patrick Radden Keefe’s book, Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland and his previous reporting at The New Yorker.
• Niki talked about her recent appearance on Trumpcast.