Before We Were White
Brian Halpin - Before We Were White
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Episode 24: Give Me Back My Country
In a time when political gangsters are mobilizing their base by appealing to "White Nationalism", it has never been more important to push back against the ridiculous assertion that "white" is an…
Episode 23: Deconstructing the Construct
Just over 5 years ago, in the aftermath of the first Trump presidency (which saw a resurgence of racism in the USA), I started Before We Were White as a project for countering the fake history…
Episode 22: The Last Shibboleth
No nation on earth fetishizes its military in the way the USA does. Do the lofty words of praise from US politicians match how veterans are treated? And if not, why not? In this episode of Before We…
Episode 21: Hillbilly Face
A simple question: Why have "poor white people" - aka Rednecks and Hillbillies - always been seen as legitimate targets for vicious mockery and public ridicule by "mainstream" American society? The…
Episode 20: Lights and Makeup
What connects The Mayflower with an iconic screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? And what connects the 1931 James Whale film Frankenstein with the 1956 Hollywood musical The King and…
Episode 19: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2
America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. Why? Episode 19 of Before We Were White - "New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 2" is out now. Part 2 explores…
Episode 18: New, Improved, and Super-Sanctified, Part 1
America is easily the most religious country among the wealthy western democracies. In almost every other nation, greater wealth and educational levels correlate with a drop-off in levels of…
Episode 17: Pre-Deliverance, Part 3
How did a musical instrument which started off hundreds of years ago in Africa end-up becoming a symbol of "white" American country music? Was this a case of simple cultural appropriation, or is…
Episode 16: Pre-Deliverance, Part 2
Part Two of "Pre-Deliverance" continues our exploration of some of the forgotten roots of American culture and ethnicity. In this episode, we get closer to understanding the origins of "Hillbilly…
Episode 15: Pre-Deliverance, Part 1
Play a game of word association with the average American. Say "banjo". Chances are, a great many would reply with words like "hillbilly" or "redneck". Some might venture to mention bluegrass…
Episode 14: Black Paddywhackery, Part 2
In Part 1 of "Black Paddywhackery", we learned about the origins of the Irish people, and asked why so many Americans self-identify as "Black Irish", believing themselves descended from survivors of…
Episode 13: Black Paddywhackery, Part 1
A curious number of Southern Appalachians like to refer to themselves or extended family members as being "Black Irish". There are Facebook discussion groups catering to Appalachian Americans (with…
Episode 12: No Safe Harbor, Part 3
The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places inaccurately described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern…
Episode 11: No Safe Harbor, Part 2
The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places often described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern Kentucky,…
Episode 10: No Safe Harbor, Part 1
The eastern half of the continental USA is dotted with places often described as "tri-racial isolate communities". One of the largest such population groups can be found spread over Eastern Kentucky,…
Episode 9: How Lovely Are Thy Branches
Do the mass media and film industry reflect popular culture, or create it? Where do we get our shared history, our national story, our traditions and identity? Follow us as we explore the origins of…
Episode 8: The Witch in the Tent Grave
Appalachia has no shortage of murder ballads and murder tales. And Appalachia certainly has no shortage of folklore dealing with "haints" and witches. But sometimes all of it becomes so entangled…
Episode 7: My Little Runaway
Josie and Celia both ran away from home as teenagers - one before the age of 15. Between them, these girls would travel thousands of miles to meet their similar destinies. Both would end up working…
Episode 6: Sun Bonnets and Bootstraps
It is often said that we live in "post-truth" times, as if misinformation and disinformation are an innovation of the internet age. The people who bend reality to fit ideology have been around for…
Episode 5: Charleston Reshuffle
Announcing the first of our new "bitesized" episodes, which we hope to release regularly between our "deep dive" episodes. ***** On 4 April 2015, an unarmed man was unlawfully shot dead on the…
Frequently Asked Questions
Before We Were White has published 26 episodes since September 2020, covering topics in Documentary, History.
Before We Were White is currently highly active with new episodes quarterly. Average episode length is 1h 3m.
