August Bonus Room

Can *that* dishwasher make a comeback because it literally looks like it would complete my life. Hell any dishwasher would help right now but that one looks like Nirvana. Not the band.

Hello, the audio is not working for this one!

Where is the audio for this one?

Also, I’m also curious about the ties between lead-positioning and systemic racism. Specifically, why the U.S. didn’t outlaw lead until decades after most other developed nations?

I’m curious about why this once in a century pandemic that we’re currently living through just happened to strike last year right around the same time Donald Trump was reaching a trade deal with China. The timing hasn’t been sitting well with me, and I’ve had going on 9 months of working from home to think about this...

I can’t listen to this one :(

Another possibility for the not a full topic, but I'd like to see covered is "Book It!". I'm convinced that this did not encourage reading, but purchasing pizzas.

I'd love a systematic, dank but perhaps brief/loose and thus appropriate for bonus eps content unpacking of capitalism. I think it could be an entire course in your hands!

Hello, I'd like to request a couple of topics that may not merit a full episode. In the early 90s I was in middle school and I remember a sea change in attitudes towards the consumption of water. Overnight it became verboten to drink water from the tap. From that point on everyone I knew only drank filtered or plastic-bottled water. I've never heard anyone discuss this dramatic change in the public's behavior. I'd like a shout-out to the killer bee media panic. News reports from the early 90s had me convinced that I would succumb to the coming swarms. These same reports made sure to emphasize how deadly the new strains were by being "Africanized." One topic that would merit a full episode would be prostitution/sex work and the legalization efforts thereof. I'm sure we're all wrong about that. Cheers!

Sorry if I’m being dumb but I can’t see a way to play the August Bonus Room? I can play September and July, but August doesn’t have a play button? Help!

I've been watching Mrs. America and with all the media surrounding her, I'm curious if you all have anything on your minds today about Gloria Steinem. Alternatively, I would just love to hear more pop culture hot takes from you guys. I just became a patron so you may have talked about this in your last AMA--but what do you think of the show "Hannibal"? Though in all honesty I could just listen to you guys talk about the themes in any piece of media for hours, lol

Kony 2012. It’s only been 8 years and I can’t remember a single thing about that flash in the pan. Also, tangentially related, an episode about Facebook and how it’s changed since it’s inception.

I have no precise exact idea what I mean by this suggestion, but...Pop Up Video meets You're Wrong About.

Remember when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift and everyone was mad. I know Kanye is... Kanye. But I actually agree that Beyoncé made a better video, and it's ridiculous that Black artists don't get the same recognition as White artists.

Would love to hear an episode on online content moderation. I used to work in that space and there's so much to dispel about how review work gets outsourced, worker conditions and what they're exposed to, and the role advertisers play in defining policies. And another plug for more international topics!

As a heterosexual male and a high school teacher always been fascinated by the story of Mary Kay Letourneau. There's no question that the woman involved did in fact do something terrible. But I think her story fits into your general pattern of upending media-driven perceptions - of sexuality, of young men, and especially of white female teachers who cross a line. Still a fascinating story. Love your podcast. dp

Just a personal one but I’d live for a quarantine book club of “chasing the scream”, would love a you’re wrong about for the war on drugs and feel like this could be a way of framing it in a doable way for such a huge topic. And to have a book club for something I’ve read... what a rush

I’m new here so apologies if this has been stated previously! Idea(s): An episode, or perhaps a set of mini-sodes (cue clever funny analogy, like ‘a pig in a blanket vs a full hot dog’ but better) on things that we’ve collectively developed a societal hatred for. I’m talking Nickelback, Furbies, Ohio, etc. What exactly happened here? Is Ohio really that bad? Another apology for offending any nickelback/furby fans or Ohioans!

I'm doing a research thesis at the moment (on news media depictions of government drug policies in australia), what are you favourite ways to find data? and what do your spreadsheets look like?? I'd love to see some from past episodes. Help an academic out!!!!

Can you do a minisode about Rumours? I have this vague idea that something happened and then it was all blamed on Stevie Nicks and broke up the band or something?

Just saw a tiktok series on Lisa Frank. Apparently her company was a "rainbow gulag"! Would love y'all's take on the story...

I think other episodes could be on fun things that were huge deals at the time (or felt like them) and are pretty much lost to history, like "Hands Across America," or killer bees, etc. Maybe I just want my 1970s/1980s childhood explored.

I'd like to know how you feel about the parasocial relationships your listeners developed during the pandemic. I go on my walks during quarantine, and sometimes, outside of work, whoever I listen to on podcasts are the main voices I hear, so I tend to try to engage a little bit on Twitter in various ways (jokes, little pictures, etc.). I have been working on a podcast idea of my own, and I'm not sure how I'd want to engage in social media spaces like that, so then I wonder if the amount of interaction you have with your listeners (which is a bit higher than some podcasts, and a lot more than others) helps you during this time when we're all still quite separated, or if it feels like a chore.

I would love a bonus episode where you talk about how you research! I haven't used Jstor or LexisNexis since 2005 and whenever I try to go the peer-reviewed journal route when trying to figure out what the smarties say about a give topic I get overwhelmed and bow out. I feel like a lot of lapsed academics like myself would love a primer on how you find trusted resources and you know, how you use color coded spreadsheets. 🤓

Q: michael how did you meet your boyfriend? 🥺 i’m curious Q: sarah what was your favorite newsies ship?? ideas: the manhattan project the black panthers kent state

By pure coincidence, I happened to learn last week that baking powder wasn't invented until 1843 (I've been catching up on the Charles Lennox mystery series and went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what a tulip cake was), so the argument from More Work for Mother rang some alarm bells for me. Long story short, I did some more digging and the dates don't match up. Quick breads weren't popularized in the US until the Civil War when a shortage of bakers gave the new soda technology a boost. The egg-beater wasn't patented until 1884 (Cowan may have confused with the wire whisk which is from the 1840s). Angel food cake doesn't look like it was a big deal until later. The timing around mass-market flour and sugar loaves seems a little messy as well. I would be cautious about relying on this work as a source.

I'd also like to recommend Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber to anyone interested in what I think we're calling the eggbeater effect!

Loved the Stepford Wives episode, I'd forgotten just how dark that was and I'm not sure that I'd properly made the Disney connection. I would really like something from the UK and I bet you'd enjoy reading about either The Miners' Strike or the Yorkshire Ripper on the basis of people making bad assumptions and media misreporting and of course the way both are still misremembered. But I'll also be happy with whatever you choose because we're all really polite like that in Britain :)

I’d love another urban legend round up, with maybe some research about *why* some of these stories just Will. Not. Die. (“capitalism, racism, or both?”) The Chevy Nova, the horrifyingly racist tales of kids named after Jello, the FOR THE MILLIONTH TIME McDonald’s Coffee lawsuit... And I’m sure the Venn diagram of YWA and Slacktivist has some overlap already, but a crossover ep with Fred Clark on the satanic panic, abortion, and desegregation - and how it leads directly to post millennial nonsense like Left Behind - would be a fantastic treat for us old-school internetizens.

I think it would be amazing to do one on mandated bussing considering that has been brought up politically and I don't really understand the history about that. Also desegregation of schools. Let me start by saying I am a stanch liberal who BELIEVES in desegregation schools. I read a book recently "We want to do more than just survive" about education policy and the author wrote about how when schools were desegregated black teachers were forced out of their positions, teachers who really knew their students in ways that white teachers didn't. This led to other problems and teaching is still a majority white profession in numbers vastly outweighing student populations. I think that is interesting... this thing that white liberals hold up as us "saving black children" and "ending racism" probably created problems that people were just unwilling to recognize at the time.

After listening to the (great!) episode today, I re-watched the 2004 trailer and someone in the comments wrote, "This is Get Out for white women." I'm dying!

Ideas for Bonus eps or in depth: Jane Fond; Water Rights; Waco and Ruby Ridge; The Twinkie Defense; NRA (though that may get more interesting in the next year, so maybe not yet); 1918 flu Pandemic; Cults and deprogramming; QAnon (yea I know it is more of the same and yet weirder); the Tea Party (aka the politics of the 2010s); Credit Scores; Benghazi; Generations and generation names; a history of Sex Ed; Gamergate; Lead in gas, car safety and the history of Public Health; the Koch Bros; Church child abuse; Voter suppression; Brian Wells; Virginity and Promise Rings; The McDonalds hot coffee lawsuit; Alien Abduction and it's history; Princess Diana (with Megan Markle diversion); Lou Pearlman aka 90s boy band big Poppa; the beans Baby bandits; Kanawha County (WV) book banning

The Olsen Twins, Michael Jackson, Princess Diana--not sure if I'm wrong about these things, but I feel like I might be...

Question! Do you plan for Book Club to continue in the long term, or is it strictly pandemic feel-good programming? I love how the chosen books provide a frame for discussion while also (I think?) being less labour-intensive for you guys, and I hope it sticks around, even as an occasional treat.

Please, please, please do a Book Club about American Predator, the book about Israel Keyes. This book drives me absolutely nuts and I feel like only Mike, Sarah, and other You're Wrong About fans will understand why!

I'd love an episode (or indeed an article by Sarah) on Linda Lovelace, as I think you both would do a good job on picking through the complexities of her life. A podcast on Pornography from a Mike Perspective would also be good (e.g. the effects of viewing porn, the history of it, how it relates to trafficking etc.)

I'm desperate for a Michelle Remembers follow up - Pazders involvement in the panic after the book, what michelle's family said about it. I wanna know!

I’m not sure if I have the right name cause it was like 15 or more years ago. Kobe Bryant (maybe) a basketball star had an underage girl in his hotel room. She said he rapped her and everyone, even my own family, blamed her and said she was lying to get attention or money. And if he did rape her, what did she expect to happen when she went to his hotel room at night. I just remember it being so ugly whenever anyone talked about it. I would love y’all to go through everything to hopefully find what actually happened. I trust your research abilities and your way of making sense of all the information in a relatable way and a way that captures my attention without visual aids (which is quite the accomplishment!)

Topic suggestion: Britney Spears, and conservatorship more generally. (Unsolicited opinion: It seems like she probably has more restrictions than necessary BUT ALSO her ability to work and participate in social media isn't the evidence that the conservatorship is totally unnecessary that the internet seems to think it is. It seems to be hard to find unbiased information.)

Are you planning on doing an episode about Reagan? I have like a general sense of why he sucked (mostly trickle-down) but not specifics.

Episode suggestion: Bitcoin / Blockchain

I'd say the Killdozer. If that's too long of a topic, then maybe American lawns? Like lawns used to be a mix of grass and clover, but companies couldn't develop a weed killer that didn't kill clover so they got public perception to change and classify clover as a weed

Love the podcast! Here are some topic suggestions: Geraldine Ferraro, Huma Abedin, Mary Jo Kopechne, Martha Mitchell.

all I want in life is a Dennis Rodman episode. I remember him being painted as SUCH a villain during my 90s childhood

Debunkmates! How could we have forgotten THE AFFLUENZA TEEN case! *forehead slap*

Amelia earhart!

Bonus ep ideas- LOVE the book club -maybe do one for a movie? (Not sure how that would work) or have an ep where you describe and analyse a internet culture thing - i.e. a meme or the newest twitter thing

Love you guys! Questions for you: 1) worst dates? 2) jobs you'd have if you weren't doing what you're doing? 3) what makes you happy - gives you the warm feeling when you think about it? 4) will you be my friend?

I can’t imagine this has not been suggested already. But with the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage being this year possibly women’s suffrage? Or the ain’t I a women speech by Sojouner Truth, which had been changed from “aren’t I a women” to make it seem in line with the person they wanted her to represent...

Inflation! I am certain to be exceedingly wrong about it.

I've been curious about how long it takes you to research a topic. I know a lot of work goes into it and your episodes are rock solid. And you work on multiple topics at once. But at what point is a story done cooking and ready to serve?

I would like to find out how Dr. Pazder (Michelle Remembers) billed insurance for 4-hr cuddling sessions! Is there a CPT code for that? If she paid out-of-pocket, the bills would've been massive. And how was Pazder able to see any other patients??? The book reads like Christian soft porn. Michelle and Pazder are far creepier than Satan! (And what are they doing now? I'm going to guess some multi-level marketing business. Garlic supplements would be ironic.)

Would you ever do an episode on 9/11? Not that it's a conspiracy but there is a lot of misinformation that goes around and I would love a deep dive from Mike!

Sarah, the recent consumer reports asks if since the freezer is out of stock... consider the second fridge m.

Sarah, where did your endless pit of empathy come from? Especially with respect to serial killers (it's very admirable).

I love how you humanize women that have been written off. What do you think of Kim Kardashian? While she isn’t the epitome of every feminists’ dream, I feel like she is a woman that everyone is free to hate for no concrete reason. Or, if that is too much to unpack, if you were involved in a scandal how would the 80s and 90s media turn you into a bimbo?

Honesty, considering this is a seminal year with the US undergoing its most serious threat to its existence as a democracy ever............I would simply like to hear a bonus episode about what the show might be talking about 30 years from now and why.

Finally listening to the Enron episode and all this talk about how energy is bought, sold and controlled reminded me of the '03 blackout. I'd love to hear a deep dive on how that came to pass. I'd also like to formally request that Megan Fox be added to the list of maligned women we need to talk about.

In the "When Marcia Met Kato" episode, you mentioned that the foreperson of the Grand Jury told Kato that his silence was without legal basis. It seemed odd that a layperson would make that kind of legal judgement. In the transcript of that proceeding that I found online (http://simpson.walraven.org/gj_pt1.html), the foreperson appears to be reading from a formal script when threatening Cato with contempt, after being prompted to do so by someone named "Mr. White". My two-part question is: 1. Does a grand jury foreperson work from a manual containing scripts for common situations? 2. Who is Mr. White and what was his role in the proceedings? Searching for that name has mostly led me to various analyses of racial issues surrounding the trial.

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) rubber-stamping pipeline projects, their mis-use of eminent domain and the general ineffectiveness and corruption of this governing body...dovetails with my other idea of "Is progress for the sake of progress really a good thing?" (the Peter Principle).

I'd love bonus episodes with all of your favorite discoveries that didn't make it into regular episodes. I'm sure there are TONS of fun facts that don't make it from research to pod!

Topic ideas: affirmative action, Westboro Baptist Church, "bully" dog breeds, sex workers, Melania Trump

Pressure Cookers

I don’t know how much debunking there is to this, but the Singapore caning incident is etched into my now-middle aged permanent memory. The story of Singapore itself is certainly fascinating enough. Another I’ve long wondered about is whether the media surge around post office shootings (“going postal”) is rooted in fact.

Would love bonus episodes that update a topic if something has changed since you did the episode. Or ones that go down interesting tangents you discovered while researching -- stuff that didn't fit in the episode but could make up a portion of a bonus one.

1) Which episode ideas/future episodes are you MOST excited about making? 2) What are your thoughts about the changes in American journalism in the past decades? Changing formats, closing media outlets, etc.

Two things I remember from when I was little that I don't think you've done but would tie into other episodes and themes you've discussed are the 1990 Judas Priest trial and the early 80s Dungeons and Dragons moral panic. One of the few things my hippie mom and bible thumping aunt could agree on was that playing D&D would open a hell mouth portal that would suck players in. Also, how hard is it to not spend all day debunking things on social media once you've done a deep dive into subjects? Thanks you so much for all the work and time you put into these episodes!

My Question is: If either of you got married in a COVID free world. Is the other co-host, coming, just sending a gift, or ACTUALLY in the wedding?

1. Mary Kay. 2. Also I saw Camilla Parker Bowles on a magazine cover and I remember having a low opinion of her when I was growing up which is hilarious because I was so young when all of that happened. What is her love story with Charles without telling it for the sake of Diana.

East Coast v. West Coast Beef of the 90s!

For regular episodes, I'd love something on forensic science (blood splatter, tooth marks, handwriting, etc) - it seems like pretty much all of it is sketchy if not outright bad. Also anything on international development or philanthropy in general. For bonus episodes, I love when 99% Invisible does mini-episodes, with stories that they researched but decided weren't enough to warrant a full episode. I feel like you probably have similar stories that are still interesting, just not quite full enough.

Another thought, perhaps wrapping up a few themes (e.g. Sarah's Horror movie watching): Sarah and Michael's survival tips for a pandemic - how are you keeping mentally sane? Great chance to talk about every one of us should get a Kilgore.

I want you to do something special here. Some thing we don't usually get on the main channel. Im also thinking something that would be fun for you guys but also that would keep you on your toes! How about the odd "celebrity" interview...someone who the media is wrong about all the time. Seriously I'm thinking Pamela Anderson, El DeBarge, Fabio, Chaz Bono, Anita Hill... The list goes on....Really as long as they were big in the 80s or 90s I'd be happy.

How about a bonus episode on abandoned ideas or eh, maybe, but there's not really anything to debunk topics? You talked about this with Letourneau....are there more like this? Also, journalistic hoaxes!

It would be interesting to hear reactions from folks you've done episodes on (Tonya Harding, Jessica Simpson, Marie Antoinette etc.).

Other bonus episode ideas (most of these have been mentioned, but to add my vote): Episodes analyzing a movie or TV show and what they (and their response) say about culture; something we're not wrong about, but you think still deserves an in-depth discussion; an episode that combines a few mini-topics that don't quite merit a full episode, but still touch on something worth talking about.

Regular episode suggestions: Steve Irwin (no idea what I think or what you'd find); Gregory Kingsley and kids "divorcing" their parents in the early 1990s (I was one of those kids so remember how much the media got wrong, but it might be not *too* depressing an episode?); the Hitler Diaries hoax, which I just found about and sounds wild. Bonus episodes: Horror Film Club where Sarah tells Mike about horror films so that neither he nor I have to actually watch them; Lexus Nexus Dregsus where Mike reads Sarah news articles he has come across in his searches that don't necessarily make it into an actual episode but are funny, wild, worth analysis nonetheless.

I think a good topic for an election-themed ep would be Sister Souljah and the "Sister Souljah moment." I found her response speech very moving.

I would love to hear a You’re Wrong About Brexit episode, honestly. I feel like that’s a topic that has a multi-layered debunk possibility! Also, having just finished watching Mrs America (which was a lot of fun!) maybe there is a You’re Wrong About Phyllis Schlafly. Gloria Steinem seems to think we are! An episode about the ERA would be very cool though. But I love listening to literally anything you cover so like just crack on :)

Would love an episode about international development as a field/industry and the misconceptions around what it actually achieves. (So many directions to go with that, from efficacy of programs to reach their purported goals, colonialism and white saviorism, outrageous missteps born of complete ignorance, etc.) I know Mike has some background in the field and there's so much literature about these topics but I think the general public is very out of touch with the reality of the field.

Very serious and important question, if you both suddenly somehow ended up lipsyncing for your lives on Drag Race, but production fucked up and forgot to pick a song for you to perform against each other and gave you the power to agree on the lipsync song together, what would it be? Both must know their words AND take their masks off.

Topic idea: Mary Kay Letourneau?

PS Please bring back the old music!

There are SO many amazing ideas for episodes, I simply cannot add anything of value there. So instead, some questions: - What are your favourite fiction books of all time and why. - What has been the single most significant moment in your life so far. - What is your idea of the perfect date.

Sarah has mentioned Hilde Bruch in the past...I would love to see a debunking of eating disorder diagnoses from both a clinical and cross cultural perspective. Before the nosology was changed w/ the DSM-5, something like 50% of patients were diagnosed with Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified. There’s also, obviously, a prevalent myth that only wealthy white European/American cis girls have eating disorders. The origins of that myth, all it’s loaded with, and how it makes services more difficult to access for trans, POC, and fat people deserve a thorough discussion. I wrote a dissertation related to this in 2015 and am happy to share what resources I found useful.

I’ll be honest and say I’d listen to any topic you pick, you haven’t failed me yet. Just give it time...I can hear Sarah saying it now. Some additional options: 1. The Trail of Tears. The “civilization” of American Indians, including slave ownership. 2. The Tuskegee Study. Often there is confusion about whether people were given syphilis so the disease could be studied (they were not). Additionally the involvement of black professionals over the years. 3. The ongoing, open prejudice involving body weight. The topic has been touched on in episodes (Tanya Harding in particular), there is so much more to talk about. Q/A: favorite movie snack?

I would love a bonus episode on ADHD. Just saw a great article on Mashable that was a mini version of what y’all do so excellently and it just made me want to hear from you two.

This is a massive topic, but: illegal immigration. There's so much to debunk! Also seconding the votes for Canada, veganism & recycling, Biggie vs. Tupac, Rosie O'Donnell, and Britney Spears.

Honestly think it'd be fun to have a much less intensive (for you) version of your readalongs: maybe you both watch a movie that one or the other or you loves and you discuss? Like I think the bonus content should not require more research on your part but a way for a fun get to know you with bonus discussion and rapport. Also I want Sarah to make Mike watch Newsies.

I would love to hear their take on the scandals that have surfaced in USA Gymnastics (formerly USAG) over the years. Many people have heard of Larry Nassar by now as well as the Karolyi’s, but the rot goes so much deeper than that and pre-dates Bela and Marta’s arrival on US soil. I just feel like there is so much YWA-rich material here and would play to both of your strengths. This is not meant for a bonus episode, but just throwing that idea out there.

Hi Mike and Sarah, love the show! Maybe an episode about female fertility? I've always heard that the numbers are based on old timey data from the 19th century... maybe an episode about Rosie O'Donnell? She was so popular and then one day, she just wasn't? I don't even know why... As far as questions go, I'm curious as to how you research different resources. I'm a university librarian so I'd be fascinated to know how you determine your keywords, how you narrow and filter, and how you evaluate a source's credibility. Thank you! -Nicole

For bonus content, I like the Q&A. Maybe you can do that for some of your episodes, answering viewer questions about topics you cover. As for episode ideas... please one day do Biggie vs Tupac Hip Hop "Beef". As a black girl from the Bronx, this was one of the biggest scandals of my childhood. I hate the narrative that there was a terrible rap battle that led to the death of two talented musicians... as if the music had anything to do with their deaths. 90% of that "beef" was all media hype. Besides that anything you guys do is fine by me!!

Given that you guys met online and record the podcast from different locations, have you actually ever met in person? If you have what surprised you most about the other when you did meet face to face? Do you think the geographical distance and recording remotely makes any difference in terms of the way you relate to one another? As this "You're Wrong About" beast grows, do you anticipate needing to re evaluate being in a "long distance relationship" or geography is of no consequence?

I'd love an episode on either the Milgram experiment or the Stanford Prison experiment. Too many people use both (along with the Kitty Genovese story) to "prove" that humans are inherently self-involved and cruel.

What podcasts do you two enjoy listening to? I would love to hear a bonus episode on the Munich Olympics, my stepdad competed that year as a swimmer and has a pretty wild story.

I was re-listening to your Yoko Ono episode last week and I would love to hear a companion episode on Beatlemania! There's been some great stuff written on how it was a hugely important moment of sexual revolution/empowerment but of course it's primarily remembered as just more silly teen girl stuff… On a very different note: multi-episode deep dive on Waco?

Hi Mike and Sarah, My Partner and i love your show - we both feel like maybe we arn't screaming into the void alone so much as each episode highlights how similar our points of view are and that maybe we arn't the craazy ones!!! I would love to know what the most suprising debunkment you have done? what surprised you the most!

hi guys! my friends & i love the poddy so much. we were saying it would be cool if you guys did an episode on plan b. maybe it wouldn’t be enough info to do a full episode but a bonus one? there is so much blatantly wrong information that goes around about it, it’d be cool to hear you guys discuss that & some of the theories around why those stigmas exist.

As a Canadian, I would love to hear some You're Wrong About Canada episodes enlightening some people about our racism toward our black communities as well as indigenous peoples. Immigrant detention is a nightmare here, and our economy is so dependent on fossil fuels that we don't deserve our green reputation. Canada is a pretty awesome place to live but we have major issues and cognitive dissonance about those issues that most non Canadians don't know much about. We had slavery here too. It was just less profitable here than in warmer climates hence less prevalent. Gay bars in Canada were being raided by cops well into the 90s too. Your show is doing such a great job delivering well researched content that people remember, share, and talk about because you're both so charming and passionate so I think you can do us all some good by shining a light on my beautifully strange and complex country where many find the best quality of life but many others are excluded from our middle class utopian sense of safety and well being. Love this show so much. My favourite part of every Mike researched episode is when Sarah says she barely remembers the event and then in great detail recounts every key element correctly. Makes me smile every time.

On the third Nancy Grace episode, Sarah mentions she was reading a book about homemaking (where the “I am no fan of sponges” quote originated.) What was the book called?

What are your favourite 'guilty pleasure' movies?

Episode suggestions: Recovered memory/False Memory Syndrome, deinstitutionalization and criminalization of mental illness, Martha Stewart, Joss Whedon, troubling Stephen King tropes.

I would love another book club series!! I love the long deep dive that you guys do for it! Also, an episode on the gun ban/the gun buy-back scheme in Australia might be interesting (it's something that was WILDLY unpopular at the time, especially politically, but is now generally thought of as a positive thing (although in recent years people have started to try and reverse it))

I'd love a you're wrong about Ronald Reagan. I always hear people saying how great he was and he just wasn't. I'd like to be able to refer them to an episode about the darkness that was Ronald Reagan.

"I walked into a pub in north Wales and everyone switched to speaking Welsh!" Too niche?

Ooh and id love to hear your take on Patty Hearst

The book club episodes are excellent and I would love a YWA movie date where you discuss your favorite or most influential films.

I would love to hear you guys read... Anything. A chapter from a favorite book, song lyrics you love (maybe obscure ones and what your interpretations are), weird instructional manuals. I'd also love to hear you talk about various toy fads from over the years. Cabbage Patch Dolls come to mind and how the hype and frenzy was an amazing marketing strategy. I have a vague memory that Mattel used to be super litigious, suing anyone who used Barbie in a subversive way until - I think - they tried to sue an artist (perhaps the blender Barbie one?) and the judge said it was fair use and they lost that power to control her image and use.

I would love to hear you guys explain to each other a certain topic that doesn't necessarily fall under YWA - like, Jane Eyre, or Whitney Houston. Just something fun that you love that we might not be wrong about, but just don't know enough about!

This probably doesn't rise to a special episode but my skin crawls when Jeffrey Toobin is touted as a judicial expert (which is all the time). He had an affair with his best friend Jeff Greenfield's daughter (gross) while married the whole time (gross), then had a child with her and made her prove his paternity before he was court-ordered to pay child support (extremely gross). Bit of a pig, really. But ROCK ON Marshall and Hobbes! YOu guys make me so happy.

What do you think about forensic genetic genealogy? Is it the slippery slope to Gattaca people fear?

After watching a long YouTube discussion between two amatuer vloggers/activists about the Uighur oppression in China, I'd like to know: What do you think makes the difference between an amateur debunker and professionals like you two? Is it knowing how to do rigorous research? Is it learning to apply rigour no matter the topic? I find it fascinating how you two mix professional investigation with strong opinions - how do you walk that line, both on the podcast and in your written pieces?

Bonus episode suggestions: things people aren’t necessarily wrong about but that y’all have a lot of feelings/thoughts about. I’d absolutely listen to Sarah talk about Newsies for an hour! Also maybe an episode of things you don’t have enough to do a whole episode about but still think are worth discussing. Regular episodes: I’d love a full episode on True Crime. Not sure what there is to debunk but I’d like to hear your retelling of the Baby Jessica saga. Also more science/health episodes, like the obesity episode. Maybe eating disorders or self-injury? Chronic pain? Also something about AIDS and the Reagan administration, maybe? That was a shitshow worth exploring. Questions: What’s on your research soundtracks? Who is your dream guest host? Are there any episodes you’ve since learned you were wrong about in some way? How do you deal with constant news updates/doom scrolling without losing your mind?

Hi Hi! I may have noted this last month, but with the #FreeBritney movement heating up and the portrayal by the media only a bit better than the fervor of 2007/2008, it would be really interesting to hear an episode on Britney Spears, within the larger context of the portrayal of mental health in the mid 2000s as fueled by paparazzi, gossip magazines like US weekly, and reality TV as well as the idea of conservatorship. Thank you guys!!

I would love a Batman movie deep dive for future bonus episodes since Sarah watched so many of them recently. Alternatively, as a question for this episode, what was Sarah’s favorite of the Batman movies she watched? I found Noble Blood because of you, what other podcasts do you recommend? Just as an episode topic I desperately want, Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign. Five Thirty Eight did a podcast episode on it a few years ago that I enjoyed (where they discussed that it wasn’t clear Perot was pulling more votes from Bush), but I’d love to hear you guys talk about it. For one thing, I feel you would make excellent voodoo stick jokes.

As a person who has no use for sports, professional or otherwise, I would love to understand why congress spent (seemingly?) months investigating steroids in baseball at a time when we could have been investigating a war we began based on false intelligence. Or, y'know, steroids in pro wrestling, which legitimately killed a lot of people.

International topics! In the five years I lived in the States, I was really struck by how much Americans don't know about other countries. (My country is tiny, so we have an in-built advantage -- we're forced by circumstance to look outwards more. But also, obviously, we watch your movies and live with the consequences of your political choices.) I'd like to hear you discuss things you've believed about other countries that have turned out not to be true.

All my life I’ve been waiting to be asked these questions 😁 AMA questions: -which episodes were most emotionally arduous to prepare for and record? -do you get burnt out on topics? is there anything/anyone you don’t want to think about again after doing an episode on it? -do you ever disagree or argue about things with each other? -you have a time machine and can use it to visit and deliver a message to someone from one of your episodes. Who would you pick? What would you say? - celebrity crushes? - - - Ideas for bonus episodes: 1) Watch a movie together and record your commentary so we can watch “with you.” Really any movie would do, but for the purposes of tie-in... you could do the movies you talked about in the last AMA or movies featured in or mentioned from past episodes like The Godfather, Afterschool Specials, or the many Lifetime movies about maligned women. 2) If teenage girls like it, it must be bad... A deeper dive into the concept you hit on (or scraped the side on) re: teenage girls and Titanic would be cool. Thank you for your work!!

Bonus episode idea: I've said this before, but an episode on sensationalist journalism in the early 20th century and how it shaped our knowledge of historical figures and Hollywood, particularly William Randolph Hearst and his scumbag tactics. I kind of see him as the massive rise of tabloid gossip, and the spreading of false rumors; a good discussion seeing as social media now has really paved the way for easy access to falsities.

Are there any episodes you’ve started and abandoned, for whatever reason?

What’s your favourite long read?

I would love more book clubs! Or maybe youre wrong about peer review? it seems like anyone can get anything published these days even with the peer review process. I was listening to a podcast, the skeptics guide to the universe, and they were mentioning that some truly bogus science papers are getting through the review process and some are even being released before publication which is where a lot of "bad articles" are turning up and then being pulled before theyre even published. Probably nothing there but I loved the wayfair episode and when you guys talk about statistics and what the numbers actually mean. You're my favorite podcast. NEVER LEAVE!!!

Q: What is the thing(s) that get you irrationally angry? (for example, I have many, but right now it's how many people are spelling the word "lose" as "loose")

More "book club" episodes. I love hearing your analysis of memoirs. I'd also be interested in a YWA debunking of Steven Leavitt's Freakonomics, especially his theory that legalized abortion reduced crime rates.

Howard Dean, the media, and the "Dean scream"!

If you were a Major League Baseball player (and we were living in a world with live sports again), what song would play when you walk out onto the field?

I'd love an episode about you two! I know you did the how you two met episode but more like the Jessica Simpson biography of Sarah and Michael

Question: Who are some of your role models? (Both professional and personal would be interesting, if "personal" is not too... personal.) Question2: How do you get your news these days? Bonus episode format request: I agree with folks who would like a quarantine movie club to go along with quarantine book club. Maybe even a Rifftrax/MST3K-like companion audio file to be listened to while debunkmates watch the film "with" you??

hmm, how about your favorite things to buy at trader joes?

What are two episodes/topics that you researched which surprised you the most in how wrong we all were?

This is a regular episode suggestion, especially in that it plays to the “women of the 90s who got a bad rap” theme: Shannen Doherty.

Bonus Room Q: Ideal picnic? (guest list, menu, location, and attire) Bonus Ep./Plain 'ole Ep. Ideas: Michael Jackson, Fast Fashion/"Ethical" Consumerism, Siegfried and Roy (that TIGER!), Mormonism, JonBénet Ramsey (I know, I know... but I wanna hear ~you guys~ talk about it), "Conversion" Therapy, and Selena.

In terms of other bonus episodes— I would love a kind of loose canon episode! Things you’re interested in, but could never fit into a traditional episode. Like, “my thoughts on Jesus Christ Superstar”, or “Fran Drescher, and why I love her”.

Hmm, first, I’d like to second the American horror genre suggestion! But also, what sorts of books/movies were most impactful on who you have become today? How do you handle incorporating knowledge and stories like these into your real lives? (ie: how do you avoid becoming the annoying “well, actually...” person IRL?) What stories have made the biggest impact on you not just emotionally, but via more direct actions? I thoroughly enjoy the book club ones! But maybe if you need a break, what about watching and then debunking a historical movie or tv show? Maybe a team-up with the Coquette podcast ladies for a crossover?! 😍

Transgender/non-binary athletes, hormones, "fairness" in sport. My usual policy is not to read the comments but I got sucked down a horrible hate rabbit-hole when I read a social media story Strava posted about a trans woman. It was, predictably, thousands of comments of white men who suddenly genuinely cared about making things fair for cis women. On an individual level, everyone differs on many different continua simultaneously. I don’t understand why people feel so strongly about hard gender categories in sport, but don't seem to care as much about opportunity when it comes to poverty, environment, equipment, whether the local government invests in athletes, or even whether there is a tradition of that sport in the athlete’s society. There are weight classes in boxing, so maybe it would make more sense to group people according to generic physical attributes that transcend biological sex group averages, anyways. On the other hand, screw sports

Besides the fact that I know that I will like any topic you decide to discuss (seriously, I didn’t even know there’s been a disco demolition night and I ended up laughing and dancing doing the dishes)... I’d love to hear your take on more European topics!

Thoughts on social media? It seems like both of you use it (at least Twitter) consistently, and I’m curious if you consider it part of your process, or if it is more of a downtime activity.

I'd love to hear a selective reading of a paragraph or two of Sarah's upcoming book. (Probably the most stress inducing request I can think of!)

It might be fun to watch some older movies that are widely believed to be bad or controversial and then do a little review episode on how you both felt about it. (This has kind of already happened on the show a couple times by accident, I feel like) Sort of keeps the spirit of the show without involving quite as much research!

I would love to hear an episode about Ross Perot and what happened with that campaign.

Sarah, please tell why you are sitting in your closet to record. I have visions of you in a tiny closet, sitting on a pile of pillows, clothes pushed to the side, with a flashlight, talking to your phone. That's how I used to hide from my annoying little brothers so I could read Nancy Drew books in peace. Lol.

Another good episode might be on Polly Klass. Although I'm unsure of what exactly there would be to debunk, to a 90's kid living in the Bay Area, it felt like stranger danger times a thousand.

i’d love to hear outtakes & digressions that don’t make the cut!

also I'm always wondering what happens in the interviews Mike does for episodes. Do you record them? can we hear some snippets? Can you give us details that didn't make it into the episode?

I would really love for you to do an episode on Michael Jackson.

Also debunking the idea that domestic cats are devastating songbird populations. Those studies are seriously flawed but everyone just quotes from them and perpetuates the myth that stray/outdoor cats are devastating bird populations.

maybe Sarah can talk about her thoughts on the culture impact of American horror movies. I know she's been watching a lot lately.

Speaking of history, how about a bonus episode on how history is not a linear, upwards sloping line of progressiveness? Women's rights and attitudes toward different gender/sexual orientations varied by countries, cultures, and in different times. (Etruscan women probably had way more rights than Ancient Roman women despite the society pre-dating Ancient Rome). A lot of beliefs we take for granted as being true for all times in the past did not exist pre-Victorian times. (Sorry this is a super long and broad topic....but I get tired of guys on the internet going "women didn't advocate for their rights back then!" (And like, yes, and no, and sometimes, and in different ways....ugh). The point is also that we can go backwards. Democracy isn't guaranteed in the future, civil rights can be revoked. We have to contine fighting to keep what we have gained or we will lose it.

What are your own fav podcasts to listen to?