Slate Culture Feed

From “woke bae” to “woke-a-cola,” the word woke has taken the internet and mainstream media by storm. But how many people who use the word actually know what it means? On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison (but, really, mostly Rachelle) explain the decades-old origins of the word, and how its meaning has evolved as it’s gone from being sung as a call to “stay woke” by the likes of Erykah Badu and Childish Gambino to being wielded as a slur by the likes of Mike Huckabee.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Jasmine Ellis.This episode was originally published on June 19, 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part 2 of this holiday episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy dives deep into radio, streaming and Billboard chart data of some your favorite holiday hitmakers to compare their long legacies to the majority-merry ways they are consumed today. And none has been more condensed by Christmas than another artist who was once famous enough to go by her first name: Brenda. A ’60s chart dominator and double–Hall of Famer, Brenda Lee is now mostly known for that tune about Christmas tree rockin’. How did the legendary “Little Miss Dynamite” become Santa’s little helper? And will she ever pass Mariah and go back to No. 1?Podcast production by Asha Saluja.Sign up for Slate Plus now to get episodes in one installment as soon as they're out. You'll also get The Bridge, our trivia show and bonus deep dive. Click here for more info.   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

"I want it, so I take it." A serial shoplifter explains why she steals, and how—and we hear about what's happened in her life since we first talked four years ago. Thanks to Tasbeeh Herwees for her help with this story. You can find Tasbeeh's article for GOOD Magazine about the shoplifting community on Tumblr here. To listen to our 2017 episode featuring your responses to Alice's story, click here. We have big fundraising goals to hit by the end of the year! Support Death, Sex & Money today and get your Savor Action Pack (our Death, Sex & Money tote bag and mug). Subscribe to our weekly email newsletter and we'll send you great audio recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter.Follow the show on Twitter @deathsexmoney and Facebook at facebook.com/deathsexmoney. Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s the final episode of the year, and a chance to look back at all the ways the internet has gone wrong in 2021. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison invite Tracy Clayton and Josh Gwynn, hosts of the podcast Back Issue, to join them as they discuss all the trends, memes, and moments of 2021 internet that have no place cropping back up in 2022.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Steve, Dana, and Julia tackle some listener questions in our annual call-in show. Topics include: favorite pieces of art, culture their children introduced them to, and previous years’ endorsements that have become staples in the panel’s lives.In Slate Plus, the panel continues to field some stellar listener questions. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.There are no endorsements this week, but here are links to some of the things mentioned in the episode:Here’s Julia’s former (Dana approved) Cooks Illustrated blueberry muffin recipe endorsement that’s sourced from The New Best Recipe. Here’s her current favorite blueberry muffin recipe. Dana’s suggestions for content that might help with grief features Francois Couperin’s Leçons de Ténèbres. Some songs Steve would like played at his funeral include: Everything but the Girl’s cover of Captain Beefheart’s “My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains;” Nina Simone’s version of “Who Knows Where the Time Goes;” Charles Mingus’s “Myself When I Am Real;” and The Go-Between’s “Cattle and Cane.” Julia’s picks include: Felix Mendelssohn’s “Op. 62 No.3” and Superchunk’s “Me & You & Jackie Mittoo.” Here’s Dana’s Spotify playlist of her picks.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.Outro music is "Lonely Calling" by Arc De Soleil.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and Joel Anderson are joined by ESPN’s Kevin Arnovitz to talk about Christmas Day in the NBA. Washington Post health reporter Dan Diamond also joins to discuss the past, present, and future of COVID in sports. Finally, Josh, Joel, and Stefan Fatsis interview Mitchell S. Jackson about his award-winning story on Ahmaud Arbery and running while Black. NBA (3:37): How did the Warriors and Suns leap to the top of the West? And how are teams dealing with all the positive tests? COVID (25:51): What should leagues be doing, and what will they do in 2022? Arbery (45:59): A discussion about the Pulitzer-winning story “Twelve Minutes and a Life.” Afterball (1:06:04): Josh on the Washington Post’s coverage of Daniel Snyder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Martha Stewart loves to tell people on Instagram about the products she likes, but these posts look suspiciously like ads. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle scroll through Martha’s feed to look at all the things she raves about, talk about why she might be breaking the rules, and discuss how the social media advertising guidelines are much more flexible than we realize.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Custer's Revenge is widely considered one of the worst video games ever made. Originally released as part of a series of Swedish Erotica-branded adult games for the Atari 2600, Custer's Revenge involves moving a pixelated General Custer across the screen to rape an Indigenous woman tied to a post. It's unfathomably racist, sexist, and un-fun to play. Today on Decoder Ring we tell the story of how Custer's Revenge came to be, the people who protested it, and the even stranger story of how the whole thing became a considered trolling operation. This is the final episode of our current season, but we'll be back in 2022.If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can get ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more.Note: This episode has been edited to correct a misstatement about Women Against Pornography's aims. The group did not advocate the banning of pornography. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I share some of the advice, tools, movies, and TV shows that I savored in 2021. Looking for The Favorites File from Kendra Adachi? Find it here at The Lazy Genius Collective. If you're thinking about year-end giving, please consider donating to Death, Sex & Money. You'll be supporting the work we do here at the show, and the community we're building together. Donate now at deathsexmoney.org/donate.Sign up for our newsletter at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and every Wednesday we'll send you podcast listening recommendations, listener letters from our inbox and updates from the show.Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neopets, a kid-friendly site from the early 2000s that let users raise digital pets and play games with them, has fallen far from its peak popularity. The nostalgic luster of it also seems to be fading, following the site’s recent failed attempt at Neopet NFTs—not to mention its years-old, mostly broken user interface. On today’s show, Madison and Allegra look back at the happier times of Neopia past, discussing their early experiences on the site and exactly how it’s grown, or not, with the times. Then they interview concept artist Claire Hummel about her teenage years interning at the site, the creative freedom the staff used to have, and why nobody could ever get enough Neopoints to buy all those cool items.Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.