AntiSocial cover image

AntiSocial

Latest episodes

undefined
Sep 20, 2024 • 53min

Coconuts, race and hate speech

Is it racist for a person of colour to call someone a coconut? Should it be a crime?A teacher was put on trial after she was pictured at a pro-Palestinian march holding a placard that showed then prime minister Rishi Sunak and then home secretary Suella Braverman as coconuts. The term “coconut” can be used to suggest that someone who is brown on the outside is white on the inside - that they are somehow acting in a way inconsistent with their ethnicity. The prosecution called “coconut” a “racial slur”; the judge said the placard was “political satire” and found the teacher not guilty. How did the case play out in court? What’s the history behind this use of the word coconut and others like it? And what does the law say about when speech becomes criminal?Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Simon Maybin, Ellie House, Elliot Ryder Production coordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Richard Vadon
undefined
Sep 17, 2024 • 7min

What is dwarfism?

Disney’s upcoming Snow White remake has sparked a debate about representations of people with dwarfism. But what does that term actually mean? Dr Melita Irving gives a medical perspective.
undefined
Sep 13, 2024 • 54min

Snow White and the dwarfism debate

Are the seven dwarfs perpetuating dangerous stereotypes or harmless fantasy figures?Disney is remaking its 1937 classic Snow White as a live action film - but this time there’s no mention of dwarfs in the title. Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage, who has a form of dwarfism, has questioned whether the story should be retold at all, calling it “backward”. But others argue that it’s just a fairytale - and one that can provide valuable work to actors with dwarfism. So how will the remake handle the dwarfs? What is dwarfism and what are the best terms to use? And we take a tour through Hollywood history, from Oompa Loompas to Middle Earth.Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Simon Maybin, Phoebe Keane, Ellie House Production coordinator: Janet Staples Editor: Penny Murphy
undefined
Sep 10, 2024 • 5min

When the Nazis banned smoking

What happened when the Nazis banned smoking and what were the effects? On this week's AntiSocial, we looked at proposals to ban smoking in some outdoor spaces. It led to some people on social media bringing up the Nazis, who launched the first and most broadly reaching anti-smoking campaign in history. In this mini-guide, Adam Fleming speaks to Professor George Davey Smith, a clinical epidemiologist at Bristol Medical School, about what happened and why.
undefined
Sep 6, 2024 • 53min

Outdoor smoking ban

Is banning smoking outdoors good for our health or state overreach?The Prime Minister has confirmed he's thinking about extending the indoor smoking ban to include outdoor areas restaurant terraces and pub gardens. This, in addition, to plans to progressively increase the age at which you can buy cigarettes so a whole generation never even starts smoking. It's sparked a social media discussion on personal freedom, the nanny state and the removal of civil liberties. But others argued that it would improve health, help the NHS and de-normalise smoking. Adam Fleming asks what does this reaction tell us about attitudes to public health, the collective wellness of a nation and the role of the individual within it?GUESTS Chris Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the Institute of Economic Affairs Deborah Arnott Chief Executive of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) Dr Tessa Langley, health economist specialising in the field of tobacco control, University of Nottingham Virginia Berridge , Professor of History and Health Policy, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Prof George Davey Smith, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Bristol Medical School
undefined
Sep 3, 2024 • 7min

A history of Received Pronunciation

There is one accent that is often rated as the most prestigious - Received Pronunciation. But what is RP and how did it come about? Lynda Mugglestone is a Professor of the History of English at the University of Oxford and author of '‘Talking Proper: The Rise of Accent as Social Symbol'. She says the idea of one national accent for all first started to emerge in the late 1700s with the creation of orthoepy and the invention of pronouncing dictionaries.
undefined
Aug 30, 2024 • 53min

Accent and class

Is it classist to stop Geordies using the term of endearment 'pet'? After the University of Newcastle sent out guidance to researchers advising they avoid using the word 'pet' as it might feel patronising or sexist to women, people took to social media to claim this was a classist move. It sparked a wider discussion about accents and class. Others claimed accents shouldn't be used as a marker of identity and that speaking with Received Pronunciation could be an equalising tool that could prevent prejudice. So what are the origins of RP and what does the data show about our perceptions of accents?GUESTS: Jasmine Andersson, writer and journalist Jonathan Meades, writer and critic Lynda Mugglestone, Professor of the history of English at the University of Oxford Dr Christian Ilbury, lecturer in Socio-linguistics at the University of Edinburgh
undefined
Aug 28, 2024 • 7min

What is the ‘manosphere’?

What kind of online content could be considered 'extreme misogyny' and who's promoting it? Dr Joe Whittaker, lecturer in Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University has been researching the ‘manopshere’, where content that might be considered ‘extreme misogyny’ is published and shared. Much of this activity takes place in forums that promote the ‘incel’ ideology, made up of men who say they are involuntarily celibate and are unhappy about it.
undefined
Aug 23, 2024 • 53min

'Extreme' Misogyny

Should some forms of misogyny be classed as extremism?After the Government announced it would look at ‘extreme misogyny’ in a review of its counter-extremism strategy, a fierce row kicked off on social media.Would creating a category of ‘extreme misogyny’ be a long-overdue move, or dangerous overreach that risks labelling young men and boys as radical? We look at the kind of misogynist content the government might be worried about, what the law does and doesn’t say about extremism, and how the government’s de-radicalisation programme Prevent is already dealing with forms of misogyny.Guests: Ally Fogg, co-founder of the Men & Boys Coalition Dr Charlotte Proudman, barrister and founder of campaign group Right to EqualityDr Joe Whittaker, lecturer in Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy at Swansea University. Jonathan Hall KC, UK’s independent reviewer of terrorist legislation Evelina Gibson, former Prevent officer
undefined
Aug 20, 2024 • 7min

A history of anti-fascist protest

The so-called ‘Battle of Cable Street’ in 1936 is often held up by counter-protesters as a model of how to defeat fascism - but it failed to stop antisemitic violence and actually led to a recruitment boost for the British Union of Fascists. Professor Nigel Copsey separates the history and the myth for us.

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.
App store bannerPlay store banner

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode