4 chapters across the catalog
Archival audio from the 1960s features wealthy, middle-class Black residents in Los Angeles expressing concern over the "exodus" of Southern Black people moving to the city. The speakers describe the newcomers as a "social problem" and express embarrassment over being associated with them. The hosts compare this "Boule" mentality to the themes explored in the television show *The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air*.
Listener Seth Peterson recommends the book *White Trash* by Nancy Eisenberg, which details how the British elite viewed poor settlers in the Americas as "waste" or a "subspecies." The book explores the history of the "mud-eaters" and how class-based eugenics existed long before modern racial theories. The hosts note that this source is already slated for a future deep dive on the show.
Dr. Tweety recounts an incident where a white doctor ignored him until learning he was also a physician, illustrating a bias based on appearance and perceived class. The hosts discuss "imposter syndrome" and the psychological impact of affirmative action on qualified Black professionals. They conclude that the bias in the exam room is often a combination of race and the assumption of poverty.
Contradictions in Michelle Obama's Narrative of Neighborhood Migration
The hosts scrutinize Michelle Obama's account of her childhood, pointing out that her family engaged in "black flight" by leaving their original neighborhood for better schools. They argue that the migration patterns she describes are driven more by class and income than race, noting that the Obamas now live in a wealthy, predominantly white neighborhood in Washington D.C. without incident.
