Episode 172: "Operation Varsity Blues," the White Supremacy Terrorist Attack in New Zealand, and Beto O'Rourke

In this episode, Natalia, Niki, and Neil discuss the college admissions scandal, the white supremacy terrorist attack in New Zealand, Beto O’Rourke’s bid for the presidency.

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

• College admissions has long legally favored the wealthy, but “Operation Varsity Blues” has highlighted the illegal means to which some affluent people go to secure their children college admission.
• An attack by a white supremacist on a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, killed and wounded dozens of worshipers earlier this month. Niki recommended historian David Atkinson’s book, The Burden of White Supremacy: Containing Asian Migration in the British Empire and referred to Jean Raspail’s 1973 white-supremacist text, The Camp of the Saints.
• After much speculation, Texas Democrat Beto O’Rourke has announced he is running for president in 2020. Natalia recommended this New Republic article on O’Rourke’s “profound emptiness” and Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming. Niki referred to David Sirota’s Guardian piece criticizing O’Rourke’s centrism.

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

• Natalia discussed the work of physical culturalist Bernarr MacFadden, and the perils of taking decontextualized “inspiring lessons from history” at face value.
• Neil commented on Karen Zraick’s New York Times article, “Florida Republicans Push to Make Ex-Felons Pay Fees Before They Can Vote.”
• Niki talked about her upcoming appearance in a new documentary based on the popular Slow Burn