Professor Footnote
About This Show
Show Info:
The Professor Footnote Podcast was created because the world is full of interesting topics that drive interesting conversations. Unfortunately, most conversations are informed by rumors, and half-truths, or by vague recollections of things read or heard long ago. On Professor Footnote, we try to bolster the art of conversation by chasing down the interesting information. Our hope is that the podcast informs you not only about our chosen topics but also the wealth of creative and academic work that exists in the world and makes that world and its conversations more interesting. Our suspicion is that the podcast will make you only slightly better at trivia games.
Most Recent Episode
S1-06 60 years of Seduction: Fredric Wertham and the Comic Book Code of 1954
Mar 28 14
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62 minutes
In 1954, the United States Senate held subcommittee hearings on the corrupting influence of comic books on the nation's youth. Testifying against the comic book industry was one Fredric Wertham, M.D. Wertham's testimony was also a promotion of his book, Seduction of the Innocent, an account of Wertham's experience and findings working with juvenile delinquents (who may or may not have been comic book readers). On the 60th anniversary of Wertham's testimony, we take a look back at Wertham's book and the effects of the Senate Hearings on juvenile delinquency, including the rise of the Comic Book Code and the fall and rebirth of the comic book industry.
