Impolite Society: Exploring the Weird, Taboo & Macabre

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There are so many things we've been told we can't talk about in polite society. The things your mom told you never to ask about: Sex. Money. Poop. Death. The things that make normal people uncomfortable.


But if you're curious about the truth behind our deepest societal taboos, we're your gals. We dig into the history, science, and straight up weird truths behind these off-limits topics and give you the answers you never knew you needed.

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Episodes

Deadly Fashion Trends of the Past
Yesterday
Deadly Fashion Trends of the Past
Fashion is a complicated world. Youthful women, beautiful clothes, and the whiff of culture and privilege is a heady mix. It’s no surprise that the trends and fads in fashion have had us chasing our tails for eons. But before there was heroin chic and body positivity movements, fashion was shaping our health in a completely different way. Turns out it’s not just the culture of fashion that’s toxic.Today we’re exploring the deadly fashion trends of centuries past. Industrial waste, poison hats, and columns of fire are on the docket today and it might make you think twice about what threads you decide to rock at your next big social function.That’s what you're in for today on Impolite Society.00:00 The World of Fashion: A Toxic Legacy03:25 Historical Fashion: From TikTok Trends to Deadly Dyes06:23 Aniline Dyes19:17 Fiery Hoop Skirts26:13 Felt Hats and Mercury Poisoning37:00 The Legacy of Scheele's Green46:06 Reflecting on the Dangers of Fashion and Industrial Chemicals48:25 Share the Podcast and Stay Informed Sources: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/toms-river-excerpt-on-aniline-dye/https://wwwn.cdc.gov/TSP/MMG/MMGDetails.aspx?mmgid=448&toxid=79#:~:text=Aniline%20is%20irritating%20to%20the,acute%20or%20delayed%20hemolytic%20anemia https://mollybrown.org/death-by-crinoline/https://thecowkeeperswish.com/2018/08/06/the-crinoline-fires/https://www.famsf.org/stories/poisons-part-i-the-mercurial-world-of-felthttps://corrosion-doctors.org/Elements-Toxic/Mercury-mad-hatter.htmhttps://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2018/05/02/scheeles-green-the-color-of-fake-foliage-and-death/https://www.jezebel.com/the-arsenic-dress-how-poisonous-green-pigments-terrori-1738374597Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.
The Darkest Christmas Traditions Around the World
Dec 25 2023
The Darkest Christmas Traditions Around the World
Christmas bells, candy canes, and hot cocoa by the fire - that’s the idealized American Christmas scene. Our traditions are designed to give everyone in the family the warm fuzzies and in America, the worst thing that could ever happen at Christmas is a lump of coal in your stocking. But this isn’t the case in the Old Country. Europe is the source of many of our grim fairy tales and even Christmas has its own unique cast of monsters. Tales of cannibalism, horse skulls, slaves, and worse all make an appearance in the holiday traditions around the world. Today we’re exploring the yuletide lore that your parents definitely didn’t tell you before bed. That’s what you're in for today on Impolite Society.Sources:https://www.slate.com/articles/life/holidays/2011/12/zwarte_piet_holland_s_favorite_racist_christmas_tradition_.htmlhttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/0015587042000231264https://www.medievalists.net/2019/12/the-yule-cat-of-iceland-a-different-kind-of-christmas-tradition/ https://witchlike.wordpress.com/2020/01/05/frau-perchta-witch-of-twelfth-night/https://www.wales.com/about/culture/mari-lwydhttps://medium.com/@jahernandez_writes/the-tale-of-p%C3%A8re-fouettard-66260dc44890https://www.visiticeland.com/article/meet-the-icelandic-yule-troll-familyhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIXscGcdGyk https://www.americanacademy.de/attacking-zwarte-piet/ https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2017/12/22/572569325/caga-ti-a-catalan-log-that-poops-nougats-at-christmashttps://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays-christmas/pooping-man-catalan-nativity-scene.htmEmail us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.
Do You Think You're Better Than Me, or Something?
Jun 27 2022
Do You Think You're Better Than Me, or Something?
Nothing quite gets under our skin like when we feel like someone thinks they’re better than us. But yet, the odds are that you think you’re better than the average person.Today we’re talking superiority. We’ll explore how humans evolved to rank each other and dig into the theories on why we tend to put ourselves higher in those rankings. We’ll also look at what happens when that feeling of superiority goes too far.All to answer to our rude question: Do you think you’re better than me, or something?That’s what’s coming your way today, on Impolite Society.Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.SOURCES:https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201703/why-some-people-think-theyre-superiorhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_rank_theory https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5494206/#R89https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5494206/#R6 https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00123/fullhttps://www.researchgate.net/publication/230726570_The_better-than-average_effecthttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6029792/https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1997-43182-001https://www.livescience.com/26914-why-we-are-all-above-average.htmlhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/a-hidden-problem-at-the-heart-of-psychopathy/555335/https://www.verywellmind.com/the-difference-between-a-narcissist-and-a-sociopath-5181518 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-sociopath-380184 https://cultureplusconsulting.com/2015/06/04/ethnocentrism/ Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.
Does Having Pets Make Me a Shitty Person?
May 30 2022
Does Having Pets Make Me a Shitty Person?
Do you love your pets like family? Ninety five percent of pet owners in America would say yes. And pet owners are willing to put their money where their mouth is- we’ll spend about $110 billion annually on our furry friends. But does all this love come at a cost? Today we are exploring the wild world of pets, looking at where all these critters come from, how happy pets really are in the human world, and what we might owe to the animals we have bred to be our daily companions. All this to answer the rude question, Does having pets make me a shitty person?That’s what you're in for today, on Impolite Society. Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.Sources:https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/aug/01/should-we-stop-keeping-pets-why-more-and-more-ethicists-say-yeshttps://www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2016/05/05/476853317/should-we-really-be-keeping-cats-and-dogs-and-geckos-as-pets https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/fox-dogs-wild-tame-genetics-study-news https://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/animals/using/pets.shtml https://www.avma.org/resources-tools/reports-statistics/us-pet-ownership-statistics https://www.aspca.org/helping-people-pets/shelter-intake-and-surrender#:~:text=Of%20the%20approximately%206.5%20million,00%20dogs%20and%20860%2C000%20cats). https://spots.com/puppy-mill-statistics/ https://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2015/06/19/animal-rescue-workers-prone-depression-suicide/28968501/  https://breedingbusiness.com/dog-breeding-statistics/ https://www.petfoodindustry.com/articles/5695-report---say-pets-are-part-of-the-family https://scienceblogs.com/observations/2010/04/01/domesticated-dummies https://thehumaneleague.org/article/animal-rightshttps://aeon.co/essays/why-keeping-a-pet-is-fundamentally-unethical https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication_syndrome  Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.
Why Won't Men Wear Condoms?
May 16 2022
Why Won't Men Wear Condoms?
While the humble condom might seem like a bit of buzzkill, this 8 one-hundredths of a millimeter is all that separates us from a world of unwanted pregnancies and rampant infection.So why is the condom so controversial? Join us on a journey through the history of the condom from cute, little dick bonnet to our modern-day rubber. We'll also explore how condoms' public image has changed just as much along the way. We’ll meet the clergymen and Casanovas who’ve detested them and explore the reasons why men still won’t wear them to this day.All to answer our rude question: why don’t men wear condoms?That’s what you’re in for today, on Impolite Society.Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel. SOURCES:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3649591/ https://daily.jstor.org/short-history-of-the-condom/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comstock_laws#State_laws_on_birth_control_(contraception),_etc.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0010782413007348https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10508-007-9213-0https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/you-it/201511/women-dont-how-condoms-feel-any-more-men-dohttps://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/06/24/study-men-say-theyre-less-inclined-to-use-condoms-if-a-female-partner-is-hot/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/post/on-condoms-and-commodes-why-innovators-must-tackle-the-taboo/2013/03/28/8dc8a328-97a8-11e2-b5b4-b63027b499de_blog.html https://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2018/06/28/taboo-prevents-indonesians-from-buying-condoms.html https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3723757/https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3859530/Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.
Is It Normal to Hate Your Kids?
May 2 2022
Is It Normal to Hate Your Kids?
Modern parents have been sold the idea that kids are the tried and true pathway to perfect happiness. But it turns out, there are a lot of bumps on the way to bliss. More than ever, parents are feeling like they have been sold a bad bill of goods.Today on Impolite Society, we’re exploring the myth of joyful parenting, the enormous pressure parents are under, and the very real risks of parental burnout. All this to answer the rude question, is it normal to hate your kids? That’s what you're in for today, on Impolite Society. Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.SOURCES:https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/10/cover-parental-burnout https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/infant-and-toddler-health/expert-answers/terrible-twos/faq-20058314 https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/toddlers.html https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006322310001204 https://kids.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frym.2016.00016 https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2013/10/08/parents-time-with-kids-more-rewarding-than-paid-work-and-more-exhausting/ https://jenniferfulwiler.com/2013/12/why-im-going-to-keep-letting-santa-and-the-tooth-fairy-ruin-my-life/ https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2167702619858430 https://www.apa.org/monitor/2021/10/cover-parental-burnout#:~:text=Because%20burned%2Dout%20parents%20often,6%2C%202019). https://www.regain.us/advice/family/i-hate-my-kids-the-struggles-of-parenting/ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-human-experience/201510/8-reasons-parents-fail-love-their-kids https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02113/full https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/090415/cost-raising-child-america.asp#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20U.S.%20Department,could%20be%20estimated%Email us your impolite questions at rude@impolitesocietypodcast.com and visit our website for info about the show and your hosts Laura and Rachel.