AMERICAN HYSTERIA

Daniel Peña is the author of HOW TO LOOK AWAY: On American Cruelty and the Refusal to Disappear, a collection of essays about his childhood as a Mexican-American kid in conspiracy-friendly Texas and the broader experiences of watching those fringe elements enter American popular culture and politics, helping to create the tolerance of human rights abuses against migrants from Latin America and elsewhere. For this episode, he tells me about Cynthia Ann Parker, a white girl in Texas who was captured by and then raised within a tribe of Comanche natives in the mid 1800s, and how her story, and the stories made up about her, were processed through the white American imagination. We discuss the narrative of the white damsel in distress and look at how girls and women have been used for centuries as an almost folkloric justification for cruelty and the consolidation of power.

Get a copy of HOW TO LOOK AWAY

Check out Daniel's other work here

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Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional editing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaylee Jasperson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith
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This is a re-release of last year's Halloween special. Vote early! Here is a guide to help if you have any questions. Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary...Bloody Mary... for this episode, we are going to trace the history of the slumber party ritual known as Bloody Mary in which a young summoner stands in the dark in front of a mirror to call up a dangerous, blood-soaked witch-woman. By looking at the Victorian era occult divination games of girls, the many cemetery ghosts known as Mary, as well as humanity's supernatural history with the mirror itself, we'll try to figure out what this modern rite of passage might mean to those who dare go through with it.

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Listen to ⁠⁠⁠Magpie Cinema Club⁠⁠⁠

Get some of our new merch at ⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠, all profits this month go to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group who are on the ground in Gaza delivering food, supplies, and cash envelops to displaced families.

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sound Designer and Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Voice Actor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Will Rogers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith
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For this Halloween special, we are going to look at a handful of American cases in which mysterious blood suddenly appeared without a sensible source, as if by some kind of macabre magic, whether it be found all over the inside of a house, raining down from the sky alongside flesh and organs, dripping out of a centuries old tombstone, or oozing from an otherwise bloodless Puritan corpse. We'll see which of these events may have reasonable explanations and which remain inexplicable to this very day.

⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content

Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get some of our new merch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, all profits this month go to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group.

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Sound Designer and Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Voice Actor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Will Rogers⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Written, Produced, and Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith

Young Hunting performed by Brian Peters

Rain Oh Rain performed by Dan D. Dirges

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Don’t you want a balloon? For this episode, the Wives Colangelo of the movie podcast This Ends at Prom join me to honor not only the 1990 horror miniseries Stephen King’s IT, but also its diabolical star, the late Tim Curry, whose transcendent version as Pennywise the Dancing Clown has terrified audiences for the last 26 years. Together, BJ, Harmony, and I go through the sweeping plot of IT and along the way tell stories from the making of the miniseries, give our thoughts on the meaning behind the story, and of course, wax poetic about perhaps the greatest character actor of our lifetimes (RIP).

Listen to This Ends at Prom wherever you get your podcasts

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content

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Get some of our new merch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, all profits this month go to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group in Gaza

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Additional editing by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaylee Jasperson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Breaking news, my dear friends, and this one’s a doozy,

an urban legend born from an uncanny movie.

Some of it’s silly, some of it’s serious,

it’s all happening now and the truth is mysterious.

The cat in the hat played by Mike Myers

burns through our Tiktoks like an uncanny fire.

Teens are using AI to make him even scarier

while the consequences are getting much hairier.

Threats against schools and threats against students

are leading to arrests from here to Saint Louis.

Will and Kristen join me from Guide to the Unknown

to cover a panic chilling parents to the bone

Is this a real problem or will kids just just be kids

who haven’t yet learned what a problem this is?

Listen to Guide to the Unknown wherever you get your podcasts

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a Patron⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to support our show and get early ad-free episodes and bonus content

Or subscribe to American Hysteria on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Get some of our new merch at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, all profits this month go to The Sameer Project, a Palestinian-led mutual aid group in Gaza

Leave us a message on our Urban Legends Hotline at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠americanhysteria.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Producer and Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Miranda Zickler⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Associate Producer: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Riley Swedelius-Smith⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Associate Editor: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Kaylee Jasperson⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Hosted by Chelsey Weber-Smith
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices