Vulgarians at the Gate: How Censors Lost the Culture War

Breaking History

The Free Press

History

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 May 2025

⏱️ 67 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

*Explicit Content Warning* Since Donald Trump won the presidential election, American institutions are shedding what remains of wokeness nearly everywhere. From Columbia University to Facebook, the old guardrails have crumbled. Something similar happened nearly 60 years ago. After police and prosecutors drove the revolutionary comic Lenny Bruce into bankruptcy and overdose, America began its slide into vulgarity. Despite the best efforts of the word police of that era, the old taboos about sex and profanity melted away. So just how did America's censors end up losing the culture war? CREDITSProducer Poppy DamonExecutive Producer Alex Miller Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Warning, the following episode is about Lenny Bruce and his legacy on American culture.
0:06.2	So there will be a lot of bad words.
0:08.9	There is a lot of profanity, including some racial epithets.
0:12.3	If that is something that you are uncomfortable with, then please keep that in mind.
0:18.6	Since Trump won the election, American institutions are shedding what remains of
0:23.2	wokeness nearly everywhere. From Columbia University to Facebook, the old guardrails have crumbled.
0:29.6	Something similar happened nearly 60 years ago, after police and prosecutors drove the
0:34.7	revolutionary comic Lenny Bruce into bankruptcy and overdose,
0:38.4	America began its slide into vulgarity. Despite the best efforts of the word police of that era,
0:45.0	the old taboos about sex and profanity melted away nonetheless. After the break, how American
0:51.9	censors may win their battles but lose the culture war.
0:56.6	Hayibou ball and back, loud babel, the part you've got this next year's model.
1:05.3	Lee Harvey-Arm, Irming, Berlin.
1:09.2	What happened once happens again
1:12.6	When news is a mystery
1:15.6	Turn into breaking history
1:19.6	History
1:20.6	Hi listeners
1:23.6	I want to tell you about the Free Press' latest new podcast,
1:26.6	Old School with Shiloh Brooks.
1:30.2	When we met Shiloh, he was one of the most popular professors, and he was making reading great books cool again.
1:37.1	Now he's hosting his show to help all of us, and young men in particular, get back into reading for pleasure.
	...

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