American Hysteria

In 2014, an urban legend formed around a cartoon cat chatbot when rumors spread across social media that a child predator was operating the app, actually visible in the reflection of her big blue eyes. We'll look at the moral panic that cropped up around Talking Angela, and take a look at how urban legends are often a patchwork of clumsy crowdsourced creativity taken far too seriously. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Co-written by Riley Swedelius-Smith Co-edited by Miranda Zickler Voice acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For this episode we chat about the sensational tales of cyberspace, from Slenderman to the Momo suicide game, with the guys behind the new podcast Digital Folklore, an immersive experience that explores online culture, internet monsters, memes, and urban legends as an accessible and entertaining way to learn about academic folklore concepts. We'll get deep into what these new stories tell us about ourselves, American society, and the wilderness of the modern internet. Subscribe to Digital Folklore! Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content American Hysteria is produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nope, it's not an urban legend! Today we are talking to journalist and filmmaker Robin Washington who, like a huge number of boys in high school between the 1920s and 1970s, was required to swim naked during gym class. Not only has Robin created documentaries like the PBS film You Don't Have to Ride Jim Crow!, he is also a founder of the Alliance of Black Jews. But Robin is here to talk to us specifically about the trauma that was his 1970s high school swim class and a shocking experience once shared by millions of boys but long forgotten by the rest of America. Learn more about Robin's work at robinwashington.com Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content American Hysteria is produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1974, running naked in public became a major fad led by students on college campuses across the nation. This provocative prank was surprisingly well-received, considered a playful call back to the college fads of yore like the riotous panty raids that burned across campuses in the 1950s. We'll look at the most outrageous moments from these crazes and see how streaking was used to discredit the political actions of students protesting against the Vietnam War and in the name of civil rights. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-researched and co-edited by Riley Swedelius-Smith Co-produced and co-edited by Miranda Zickler Voice acting by Will Rogers Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode will give context for our upcoming topic called The Streaking Craze using excerpts from previous shows including: Terrorism Pt. 1 Mind Control Teenage Sex For ad-free, early episodes and bonus content became a Patron at patreon.com/americanhysteria This episode was co-produced by Riley Swedelius-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler Produced and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tickle Me Elmo, Beanie Babies, Cabbage Patch Kids, Pokemon cards. These trendy toys all inspired parental parking lot brawls and suburban shadow economies. For our Christmas hangover, we revisit the outrageous toy riots that marked the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, many of which flared up around the holiday season. Includes a little interview with my Grannie about her experience securing a Tickle Me Elmo AT ALL COSTS. Become a Patron of our show! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Because so many Hallmark writers and directors also make horror movies, I called in podcasters Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed of 'You're Wrong About' and 'You Are Good' to discuss the similarities between these two seemingly polar opposite genres. Subscribe to You Are Good and You're Wrong About Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They usually go something like this: A cranky career woman from the big city who has lost the true meaning of Christmas arrives in a small town where she falls in love with a handsome handyman or baker or Christmas tree farmer and together they vanquish whatever big business force threatens the idyllic community. The Christmas spirit leads her to let go of her own ambitions and embrace a more traditional lifestyle and of course, someone's dad is always Santa. Sound familiar? We will explore the history of Hallmark, the formula that makes these cheesy productions so successful, the Christmas Movie Wars of the last few years, as well as the controversies over diversity and "family-friendly" entertainment. Become a Patron to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-produced and co-edited by Miranda Zickler Co-researched and co-edited by Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode gives context to our upcoming series on Hallmark Christmas Movies using excerpts from previous topics including The War on Christmas, The Gay Agenda, and Suburbia. Listen to The War on Christmas Listen to The Gay Agenda Listen to Suburbia Become a Patron at patreon.com/americanhysteria This Context Clues produced by Chelsey Weber-Smith and Riley Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Colin Dickey is one of American Hysteria's biggest influences—our episodes called Talking to the Dead and Alien Abductions relied on his books Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places and The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained. His newest piece is called Land of Delusion and it explores two new bizarre conspiracy theories that center around secret societies and buried histories. We’ll talk about the conspiratorial tales we keep telling and how we address this increasingly disturbing Land of Delusion. Try Scribd now to get Colin Dickey's Land of Delusion Find more of Colin's work here Join our Patreon! Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paranormal podcast host (and major buddy) Jim Perry of Euphomet returns to discuss a couple of the many experiences that have made it impossible for us to live purely skeptical lives: his time getting personal with a haunted doll and my time getting personal with the ghost that tried to burn my house down. As usual, expect lots of philosophical waxing from both of us about the mysteries of the supernatural and about how no one really knows anything, no matter what they say. Listen to Euphomet Follow Jim on Twitter // Instagram Join our Patreon! Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Featuring poems, fiction, nonfiction, AND A GROUP SONG with work by Sarah Marshall (You're Wrong About, You Are Good), Alex Steed (You Are Good), BJ Colangelo (This Ends at Prom), Will Rogers (Guide to the Unknown), Carolyn Kendrick (You're Wrong About, You Are Good), Miranda Zickler (Kuinka), Riley Swedelius-Smith (American Hysteria), and Chelsey Weber-Smith (me duh) To get an mp3 of our Halloween song, head to patreon.com/americanhysteria In order of appearance: Will Rogers Guide to the Unknown BJ Colangelo This Ends at Prom Sarah Marshall You’re Wrong About You Are Good Alex Steed You Are Good Miranda Zickler Kuinka Carolyn Kendrick Riley Swedelius-Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here’s a preview from a podcast that's right up your dark alley! On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford finds the morals in moments from the greatest mistakes and tragic catastrophes of the past. This Halloween season, he’s exploring “Halloween sadism” – where a stranger puts something dangerous in the treats collected by children. Razor blades in apples. Rat poison in chocolate. That sort of thing. Fantastical reports of trouble pop up every spooky season, but is trick or treating really something to worry about? Or is there a deadlier danger awaiting children on Halloween night? Hear the full episode, and more from Cautionary Tales, at https://podcasts.pushkin.fm/cthalloween?sid=hysteria Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We'll see how possessed playthings have crept their way into the dark attic of America: Thomas Edison's little monsters, a demonic Raggedy Ann, a living ventriloquist dummy, a deadly voodoo curse, and an online market where you can buy yourself a soul trapped in the body of a doll. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-produced and co-edited by Miranda Zickler Co-researched and co-editing by Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To get you ready for our upcoming episode called Haunted Dolls, we have selected some excerpts on Furby urban legends, demon-possessed toys, and uncanny killer clowns. Listen to Furby here Listen to Satanic Panic pt. 1 here Listen to Phantom Clowns here Become a Patron at patreon.com/americanhyseria Produced by Chelsey Weber-Smith, Riley Smith, and Miranda Zickler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our most classic American urban legend is back with a vengeance, promising to ruin Halloween yet again. With an updated introduction to our 2018 episode, we'll explore the newest fearful iteration: Rainbow Fentanyl. Are drug traffickers really passing out a deadly drug disguised as colorful candy in order to get kids hooked? And if not, who stands to gain from reviving this debunked tall tale? For more information about how to access Naloxone (Narcan), you can use this link to the National Harm Reduction Coalition Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Edited by Miranda Zickler and Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To get an extended director's cut of this episode, become a patron: patreon.com/americanhysteria For this Halloween Party, we are joined by our favorite undead friend Sarah Marshall, and she and I will answer some spooky questions asked by the waking nightmare that is our producer, Miranda Zickler. We scream like hovering banshees about horror movies, Halloween costumes, trick-or-treating, and even play a little game of horror villain F-ck Marry Kill because we are disgusting! Listen to You're Wrong About and You Are Good Produced and hosted by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios And Chelsey Weber-Smith talked and giggled like a child clown Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not unlike the bubble markets of Beanie Babies and Cryptocurrency, the Florida Land Boom of the 1920s was a chaotic craze that caused the largest migration in American history. This episode follows the ridiculous life of Carl Fisher, one of the most flamboyant gimmick artists in American history who helped convince thousands of people to spend their life savings of on his half-baked dream. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-production and co-editing by Miranda Zickler Co-research and co-writing by Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Florida Man meme, with its bizarre crime headlines and mugshots, has become one of our most popular and long-lasting social media staples. This episode will explore the strange history of the state that produced our Florida men, from cracker cowboys to rum runners, circus freaks to spring breakers. We’ll also look behind the memes into the dark forces that swirl around America's weirdest superhero. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-production and co-editing by Miranda Zickler Co-research and co-editing by Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode will provide some context for our upcoming series on Florida Man. The excerpts are from Trash Talk Shows, Drugs, and Rednecks. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Production for this episode by Riley Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

CW: Sexual violence. Since the 1970s, Loretta J. Ross has been an instrumental activist in the fight for 'Reproductive Justice', a framework she and her colleagues created in 1994 that went beyond the pro-choice and pro-life debate. She has worked as the Director of the Women of Color Program for the National Organization for Women, the program director of the Black Women's Health Imperative the director of projects for the National Anti-Klan Network, and is an author and professor as well. Today Loretta will share some of her prolific personal and political journey and what it has taught her about the importance of solidarity, about how we create a strong movement genuinely dedicated to working together even when it's difficult to do. Take a class, buy a book, and learn more about Loretta J. Ross at lorettajross.com Donate to SisterSong at sistersong.net Become a Patron and support our show! American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Featuring yet another flamboyant abortionist, sideshow fetuses, Mother with a capital M, eugenic suspicions, and plenty more population panics. We'll see how the battle over family planning took very different forms from 1900 up to when Roe vs. Wade made abortion federally legal. We'll see how conversations around the history of abortion and birth control continue to leave out the most important voices, the voices of those who can get pregnant, instead promoting racial population fantasies and fears. Head to Podvoices.help for information on how you can get involved in the fight for abortion rights Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Co-production and co-editing by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Co-research and co-editing by Riley Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Featuring flamboyant abortionists, dangerously determined doctors, problematic feminists, opportunist politicians, and one sneaky pope, this two-part series will explore the surprising origins of the anti-abortion movement long before Roe v. Wade changed everything. We'll see how the bodies of those who can get pregnant have been used as potent weapons of both population wars and power grabs by forces seeking to control the future. Head to Podvoices.help for information on how you can get involved in the fight for abortion rights Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Research and edited by Riley Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our upcoming series is about the origins of the anti-abortion movement in the time before Roe vs Wade. This Context Clues episode combines clips from three previous episodes to give some context. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Voice Acting by Will Rogers Research and Production for this episode by Riley Smith Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alice Sparkly Kat (who goes by Ace) is an astrologer and the author of the book ‘Postcolonial Astrology: Reading the Planets through Capital, Power, and Labor’. Today they share with us their perspective on the power of the practice and how it has served those in power and those looking for empowerment in different ways. Get a copy of Postcolonial Astrology! @alicesparklykat on twitter @alicesparklykat on instagram Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1941, hundreds of British secret agents were sent to the United States to spread creative anti-Nazi propaganda with the hopes of convincing the American people to support military intervention. This included a flamboyant astrologer sent to give false predictions about the imminent downfall of Adolf Hitler. Head to choice.crd.co to get involved/find resources in respond to the overturning of Roe V. Wade Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Research by Riley Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Eric Kurlander is the author of Hitler’s Monsters: A Supernatural History of the Third Reich which details the occult practices and pseudosciences that many high ranking Nazis investigated at length. This episode will explore the 'supernatural imaginary' the early Nazi party was able to cultivate through a mash-up of esoteric beliefs, astrology, eastern and western religion, and pseudoscience, World Ice Theory, and sensational conspiracy theories. Listen carefully and you will start to hear some things that sound eerily similar to the fringe beliefs becoming normalized in modern America. Read Eric's book Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is not about debunking astrology, it’s about something far more interesting: the role that star-gazing soothsaying advisors have played in American politics, and the secret history of how first ladies, presidents, and other politicians have been influenced by those swearing that they can see the future. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Researched and edited Riley Smith Produced and editing by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*CW: Brief description of animal abuse, some brief descriptions of death* Sarah Marshall is the host of our sibling podcasts You’re Wrong About and You Are Good, and is also an expert on satanic panic in all its myriad forms. Today we discuss the decade that produced snuff urban legends, the other horror movies that added to the lore, and learn about the way this tale continues to express itself on the shadowy dark web. Make sure you listen to You’re Wrong About and You Are Good Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rotten.com was a shock website from the late 90s and early 2000s that collected the most gruesome and explicit photos on the early internet. After a series of outrages pushed it into the public eye, the site would become an unlikely voice in the battle for online free speech at a time when the government was first attempting to censor the net. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Researched and edited Riley Smith Produced and editing by Miranda Zickler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Snuff films are alleged murders filmed for the purpose of distribution, an urban legend that has been circulating since the porn wars of the 1970s. We'll explore the Manson Family rumor that first sparked the story, the hoax film that led to feminist protests, the Christian organization that laid the foundation, and a mysterious home movie found tied to a cluster of balloons. We'll also see what it all has to do with Winnie the Pooh as well as what it can teach us about how false stories can be used in a variety of ways by groups with different agendas. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Researched and edited Riley Smith Produced and editing by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This rerelease will give some context for next week's new episode called Snuff Films. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers and by Lily Orrey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just a handful of little announcements as we take a few weeks off (back in late April). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melissa Lozada-Oliva is a Guatemalan-Colombian-American poet, screenwriter, and educator, and co-host of the podcast Say More. She is the author of a novel in verse called Dreaming of You, about bringing 90s Mexican-American pop star Selena back to life through a séance and the disastrous consequences that follow. Along with our producer Miranda, we talk about the life and death of Selena who was murdered by a 'crazed fan', about the power of poetry and lyrics, and our favorite karaoke songs. Find Melissa on Twitter @ellomelissa and on Instagram @ellomelissa Order Dreaming of You and check out more of her work here Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

'This Ends at Prom' is a podcast that dives deep into coming-of-age and teen girl movies from the queer, feminist cisgender and transgender perspectives of wives and film analysts BJ and Harmony Colangelo. Today we chat about millennial pop groups, the emo scene, pop punk, hair metal, gender contamination, boy band haircuts, and what we hope for the next generation of stars and the fans that make them. Listen to This Ends at Prom! Twitter: @thisendsatprom @BJColangelo @Veloci_trap_tor Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Behind every manufactured boy band there is what the press calls a Svengali, a puppet master who assembles the group and styles everything about them. This episode will introduce us to the eccentric producers and talent agents who have long shaped pop music from behind the curtain. American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers and by Riley Smith Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hysterical fangirls have become so commonplace in popular music that we hardly pay attention to them anymore, no matter how loud they scream. But there was a time when the screaming, crying, fainting teenage fan was seen not only as a psychological puzzle but also as a major threat to the American empire. Today we’ll cover four eras of landmark swooning starting in the mid-1800s and heading through to Beatlemania, taking a look at the moral panics they inspired and the new power these teenage girls were able to create with just the power of their screams. Our next episode will pick up right after Beatlemania to explore how the music industry capitalized on fangirls’ tastes by manufacturing what we now know as Boy Bands. American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers and by Riley Smith Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Head to greenchef.com/hysteria130 and use code hysteria130 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To prepare for our series called Fangirls and Boy Bands, we are heading back to the fantastical realm of the teenager and the reactionary moral panics their sex lives have inspired since the days of the Puritans. In this episode, pay special attention to the invention of the teenager in the 1920s and 40s as well as the way the small revolutions that music and dance were able to incite, and then come back next week when we will break down the archetype of hysterical fangirl and see how these seas of swooners were seen as both ridiculous and extremely dangerous to the very fabric of America. Head to greenchef.com/hysteria130 and use code hysteria130 Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers and by Lily Orrey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

*Please listen to our Westboro Baptist Church episode first!!* Megan Phelps-Roper was born and raised in the WBC, a fervent believer and lover of cruel funeral pickets. But when she got on Twitter to preach the hatred of God, she was met with thousands of replies from thousands of different people, a few of whom would slowly help reveal to her the error of her ways. Make sure you read Unfollow by Megan Phelps-Roper Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Produced by Miranda Zickler Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Westboro Baptist Church outraged both sides of the political spectrum throughout the 90s, 2000s and 2010s, picketing the funerals of AIDS victims and soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, touting their loud and always shockingly foul-mouth message that America was doomed because we had accepted homosexuality. Today we explore their most memorable “antics”, the life of their asshole leader and the family that makes up most of their following, trying our best to demystify one of America’s most infamous pop-culture supervillains. CW: homophobia, religious abuse, death Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Next week we will be covering the Westboro Baptist Church, the small family clan and hyper-Calvinist group who have long outraged both the left and the right with their severe anti-gay and anti-military funeral pickets. To put their story into context, this rerelease will illuminate the history of American mainstream Christianity and show what the major players of the Evangelical right were really up to behind closed doors as they criticized the publicly inflammatory tactics of the WBC. Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Research and co-writing by Riley Smith Co-produced and edited by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This is a sneak peek of our new Patrons-only podcast Hysteria Home Companion, where we share with you all the hottest gossip from the cutting room floor. This week we’re talking about the outrageous celebrity alien encounters of Demi Lovato, Anne Heche, Elvis Presley, Fran Drescher, and Miley Cyrus. Head to patreon.com/americanhysteria to get access to Hysteria Home Companion and much more! Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith and Miranda Zickler Original music by Emily Westman, check out her work at emilywestmanmusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we're talking to podcaster Jim Perry, the host of Euphomet, a paranormal documentary series that explores the unknown and our relationship to it through the stories of supernatural Experiencers. But Euphomet is less interested in what is real and what isn't and more interested in the emotional side to the most unexplainable experiences, including our own. Become a Patron Check out Euphomet Check out Guide to the Unknown American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Produced by Miranda Zickler Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this classic episode, learn about the battles fought for and against this controversial American holiday from the Puritans to the present as well as some of the forgotten traditions that may change your perspective on this "season of giving" for good. American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Produced and edited by Clear Commo Studios Research and cowriting assisted by Riley Smith Co-Produced by Miranda Zickler Voice Acting by Will Rogers Become a Patron for extra episodes, interviews, and videos monthly! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For part two of our series, we will look at skeptics' explanations for the alien abduction phenomenon to see what factors they believe may be creating these visions: repressed memory hypnotherapy, sleep paralysis, and cultural fears. We will also ask what deep human needs may be expressing themselves through these stories of 21st century secular supernaturalized trauma. Become a Patron today to get access to our follow-up talk show 'Hysteria Home Companion' and much more Check out Guide to the Unknown on Apple Podcasts Head to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Co-Researched by Riley Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Voice acting by Will Rogers Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For part one of our two-part series, we will learn about the lives of some of the most influential abductees and the people who've studied them in order to set the stage for part two, in which we will use every intellectual tool at our humble human disposal to try to better understand what on earth, or off of earth, is going on. Become a Patron today to get access to our follow-up talk show 'Hysteria Home Companion' and much more Head to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Co-Researched by Riley Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Voice acting by Will Rogers Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Here's a little more information about our new Patron's-only talk show Hysteria Home Companion, in which producer Miranda Zickler and I dive deeper into the show's current topic and share all the gossip from the cutting room floor as well as a little more of our personal experience with the whole self esteem thing. Our most recent episode focuses on the strange circle that surrounded writer and conservative cult leader Ayn Rand, how she used philosophy to get what she wanted, and like many insufferable people, she only wanted what she couldn't have. We've all known an Ayn Rand. Head to patreon.com/americanhysteria to get access to Hysteria Home Companion and much more! Original music by Emily Westman, check out her work at emilywestmanmusic.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sarah Marshall and Alex Steed host the feelings/movie podcast 'You Are Good'. On this episode, we talk about our own self-esteem, the movies that made us, and break down the secular myths we've created. Sarah is also the host of 'You’re Wrong About', so expect lots of Satanic Panic content too. Become a Patron, a new 'Hysteria Home Companion' is out Monday Follow @youaregoodpod on twitter and Instagram Head to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Produced by Miranda Zickler Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the late 1980s, a New Age America began telling children that they were special, that if they just believed in themselves all their dreams would come true. Not only that, but spiritual seekers and psychologists began making claims that programs in self-esteem could solve all our most pressing national issues, an idea soon supported by law and order conservatives as well. The value of self-esteem as a social savior has settled into our culture as an almost unquestioned truth, but what if it is all based on a lie? Today we follow the long journey of one charismatic leader who knew how to get both sides of the political spectrum onboard with his vision of utopia. Become a Patron! to get access to our follow-up talk show 'Hysteria Home Companion' Head to truebill.com/americanhysteria to start saving money today American Hysteria is written, produced, and hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith Sound design by Clear Commo Studios Co-Researched by Riley Smith Produced by Miranda Zickler Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Check out Will Storr's book Selfie Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This rerelease episode is about America's lifelong obsession with Get Rich Quick magical thinking. It will help us put into context next week's brand new episode called Self-Esteem and the magical thinking behind a movement that promised to solve all of America's ills, inside and out, based entirely on a lie. To listen to Flash Forward, head to flashforwardpod.com or anywhere you get your podcasts! To listen to Morbidology head to morbidology.com or anywhere you get your podcasts! Become a Patron and support our show! Follow American Hysteria on social media: Twitter: @AmerHysteria Instagram: @AmericanHysteriaPodcast Find our merch at americanhysteria.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices