Best Broken Mouse Podcasts (2025)

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Chess - "A Noisy, Over-Milked, Musical Mess" 1:04:30

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8d ago1:04:30

1:04:30

Music by Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus Book & Lyrics by Tim Rice Directed by Trevor Nunn (Replacing Michael Bennett) Starring David Carroll, Philip Casnoff, Judy Kuhn, Harry Goz & Marcia Mitzman Opened on Broadway April 28, 1988 Closed after 68 performances!By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing? 1:01:32

13d ago1:01:32

1:01:32

When an actor opens their mouth to sing in a movie, chances are high that the voice you hear will be their own. Even in music biopics, movie stars without much singing experience regularly go to great lengths to impersonate the most beloved vocalists of our time. Why not simply play Johnny Cash or Bruce Springsteen’s actual recordings, the reasons …

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Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 2: Hanoi Jane’s VHS Revolution (Encore) 52:59

27d ago52:59

52:59

In part two of our special two-part episode, we return to the 1982 VHS tape that created the at-home video industry: Jane Fonda’s Workout. On this episode, originally released in 2020, we deconstruct the tape itself, how it was made, and why anyone thought it was a good idea in the first place. Then we’ll explore how it was possible for an extremel…

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Decoder Ring | Jane Fonda’s Workout, Part 1: Jane and Leni (Encore) 58:31

1M ago58:31

58:31

In 1982, the Jane Fonda Workout became the best-selling home video of all time. Over decades, it and its 22 follow ups would spawn a fitness empire, sell more than 17 million copies, and transform Fonda into a leg-warmer-clad exercise guru. And 40 years after its initial release, when the COVID pandemic hit, the workout had a moment yet again. Peop…

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Decoder Ring | How to Hunt a Mammoth, and Other Experiments in Archaeology 57:03

2M ago57:03

57:03

Experimental archeology is, simply put, archeology that involves running experiments. Where traditional archaeologists may study, research, analyze, and theorize about how artifacts were made or used, experimental archaeologists actually try to recreate, test, and use them to see what they can learn. In doing so, they have given the field a whole n…

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Decoder Ring | The Bad-Mouthing of British Teeth 51:01

2M ago51:01

51:01

From The Simpsons’ Big Book of British Smiles to Austin Powers’ ochre-tinged grin, American culture can’t stop bad-mouthing English teeth. But why? Are they worse than any other nation’s? June Thomas drills down into the origins of the stereotype, and discovers that the different approaches to dentistry on each side of the Atlantic have a lot to sa…

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The Body Beautiful - "Not-Too-Clever Lightweight" 1:09:52

2M ago1:09:52

1:09:52

Music by Jerry Bock Lyrics by Sheldon Harnick Book by Joseph Stein & Will Glickman Directed by George Schaefer Starring Steve Forrest, Jack Warden, Mindy Carson, Barbara McNair & Lonnie Sattin. Opened on Broadway January 23, 1958 Closed after 60 performances!By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Drug Names, Cow Abductions, and the “Ass-Intensifier” 48:01

3M ago48:01

48:01

In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that aliens from outer space would travel to Earth just …

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Decoder Ring | The White Noise Boom 52:58

3M ago52:58

52:58

White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white noise was a regular part of your life, they would have found that unu…

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Decoder Ring | The Boston Cinematic Universe 47:37

4M ago47:37

47:37

This episode is a first for Decoder Ring: a live show, recorded at the WBUR Festival in Boston, Massachusetts. Given the setting, we decided to take on a Boston-based cultural mystery: namely, the “Boston movie.” Beginning in the late 1990s and early 2000s, Hollywood has churned out a whole cycle of films drenched in Beantown’s particularities, cri…

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Decoder Ring | The Laff Box (Encore) 36:17

4M ago36:17

36:17

Decoder Ring is marking its 100th episode this year. To celebrate, we’re revisiting our very first episode from 2018, which asks: What happened to the laugh track? For nearly five decades, the laugh track was ubiquitous, but beginning in the early 2000s, it fell out of sitcom fashion. What happened? How did we get from The Beverly Hillbillies to 30…

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BONUS Chit-Chat & Listener Mail Episode!! 22:53

4M ago22:53

22:53

Marla & John chat about this & that and read some listener mail. June is Bustin' Out All Over!By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Harrigan 'n' Hart - "A Silly Little Valentine" 1:02:46

4M ago1:02:46

1:02:46

Music by Max Showalter Lyrics by Peter Walker Book by Michael Stewart Featuring music by Harrigan & Hart Directed by Joe Layton Starring Mark Hamill, Harry Groener, Chrisitne Ebersole, Armelia McQueen & Tudi Roche Opened on Broadway January 31, 1985By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | The Glaring Problem with Headlights 43:17

5M ago43:17

43:17

Something seems to have happened to car headlights. In the last few years, many people have become convinced that they are much brighter than they used to be—and it’s driving them to the point of rage. Headlight glare is now Americans’ number one complaint on the road. The story of how and why we got here is illuminating and confounding. It’s what …

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It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's Superman! - "Half-Sly Vaudeville" 1:01:52

5M ago1:01:52

1:01:52

Music by Charles Strouse Lyrics by Lee Adams Book by David Newman & Robert Benton Directed & Produced by Harold Prince Starring Jack Cassidy, Linda Lavin, Bob Holiday, Patricia Marand & Michael O'Sullivan Opened on Broadway March 29, 1966By John Anker Bow & Connor McAndrews

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Decoder Ring | Off-the-Wall Stories of Off-Label Use 52:01

5M ago52:01

52:01

Products often tell you exactly how they’re intended to be used. But why leave it at that? As a culture, we have long had a knack for finding ingenious, off-label uses for things. In this episode, we take a close look at a few examples of products that are ostensibly meant for one thing, but are better known for something else entirely. We explore …

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Decoder Ring | How “Chicken Soup” Sold Its Soul 48:49

6M ago48:49

48:49

Chicken Soup for the Soul was the brainchild of two motivational speakers who preach the New Thought belief system known as the Law of Attraction. For more than 30 years, the self-help series has compiled reader-submitted stories about kindness, courage, and perseverance into easily digestible books aimed at almost every conceivable demographic: Ch…

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Decoder Ring | Spring Break Forever 48:08

6M ago48:08

48:08

The infamous annual ritual of spring break—where thousands of college students head to the same warm location and go crazy—can seem like it’s always been here. But it hasn’t. The spring break phenomenon is a holdover from midcentury teen culture that has endured by changing, just enough, to be passed from one generation to the next. In this episode…

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Shinbone Alley - "A Maze of Mediocrity" 1:05:22

6M ago1:05:22

1:05:22

Music by George Kleinsinger Lyrics by Joe Darion Book by Joe Darion & Mel Brooks Directed by Nobody Starring Eartha Kitt & Eddie Bracken Opened on Broadway April 13, 1957By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | How Books About Things That Changed the World… Changed the World 56:24

7M ago56:24

56:24

Look in the nonfiction section of any bookstore and you’ll find dozens of history books making the same bold claim: that their narrow, unexpected subject somehow changed the world. Potatoes, kudzu, soccer, coffee, Iceland, bees, oak trees, sand, chickens—there are books about all of them, and many more besides, with the phrase “changed the world” o…

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Supercommunicators | 3. How to Have the Hardest Conversations 30:40

7M ago30:40

30:40

The final installment of our series explores the conversations that most of us dread, like frank discussions of our differences or a negative performance review at work. We often anticipate that these chats will go badly—and end in hurt feelings or embarrassment—but there are proven ways to make them easier to navigate. Host Charles Duhigg talks wi…

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Decoder Ring | Truck Nutz (Encore) 39:29

7M ago39:29

39:29

Truck Nutz is a brand name for the dangling plastic testicles some people affix to the bumpers or hitches of their vehicles. Also sold as Bulls Balls, Your Nutz, and other brand names, these plastic novelties have a powerful symbolic charge and are often associated with a crass, macho, red state audience. But truck nuts are a surprisingly complicat…

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Supercommunicators | 2. How to Communicate Without Words 28:37

7M ago28:37

28:37

Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other subtle nonverbal cues play a huge role in how we connect with one another. In this episode, host Charles Duhigg explores how we communicate without words, including a deep dive into the visual and tonal cu…

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Decoder Ring | Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie 56:52

7M ago56:52

56:52

In 1972, Jerry Lewis—the actor and filmmaker known for slapstick comedies like The Nutty Professor—took the biggest risk of his career when he decided to make a drama called The Day The Clown Cried, about a circus clown who ends up in Auschwitz. This could have been a landmark as one of the first portrayals of the Holocaust in American cinema. Inst…

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The Gay Life - "House Frau, Mouse Frau" 1:06:57

7M ago1:06:57

1:06:57

Music by Arthur Schwartz Lyrics by Howard Dietz Book by Kay Kanin & Michael Kanin Directed by Gerald Freedman & Herbert Ross Starring Walter Chiari, Barbara Cook, Jules Munshin, Loring Smith, Jack Adams & Elizabeth Allen Opened on Broadway November 18, 1961By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Supercommunicators | 1. How to Talk to Anyone 32:22

8M ago32:22

32:22

Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here… In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyday life. He talks to Nick Epley, psychology professor at the Universit…

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Introducing Supercommunicators 1:15

8M ago1:15

1:15

In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scientists, and even a Hollywood writer to explore how to ask the right questions, communicate without words, and find meaningful connections in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/…

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Decoder Ring | The Scratch-Off Ticket’s Instant Win 37:18

8M ago37:18

37:18

You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of gambling that’s simply a pedestrian part of American life. But not so long ago, they were risky and innovative, the killer app of their time and the must-play game of the state lottery. In this episode, Ian Coss, host of the new podcast…

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Decoder Ring | Jump, Jive and Fail: The ’90s Swing Craze 1:04:01

8M ago1:04:01

1:04:01

When we recently got a couple of listener emails asking about the swing revival of the late 1990s, host Willa Paskin’s first, knee jerk reaction was just: no. She lived through it, and remembers it as being so incredibly corny and uncool. Insofar as the swing revival persists in the cultural memory, it’s usually as a punchline or as head-scratcher,…

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Rocky - "My Nose Ain't Broken" 1:02:24

8M ago1:02:24

1:02:24

Music by Stephen Flaherty Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens Book by Thomas Meehan & Sylvester Stallone Directed by Alex Timbers Choreography by Steven Hoggett & Kelly Devine Starring Andy Karl, Margo Seibert, Terence Archie, Danny Mastrogiorgio, Dakin Matthews & Jennifer Mudge Opened on Broadway March 13, 2014By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | I am Tupperware, I Contain Multitudes 43:09

9M ago43:09

43:09

The storage container is a stealthy star of the modern home. It’s something we use to organize more of our stuff than ever before, and also something other people use to organize their stuff for our viewing pleasure. Its role as a source of soothing, satisfying, potentially viral clicks is new, but storage container innovations are not – something …

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Introducing Planet Money: Can Money Buy Happiness? 30:02

9M ago30:02

30:02

People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it, they'll mention a famous 2010 study by Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton. That study found that higher household income correlates with greater emotional well-being, but only up to around $75,000 a year. After that, more mon…

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Into the Light - "Thin Fabric" 1:00:00

9M ago1:00:00

1:00:00

Music by Lee Holdridge Lyrics by John Forster Book by Jeff Tamborino Directed by Michael Maurer Starring Dean Jones, Thomas Batten, Susan Bigelow, Danny Gerard & Gordon Stanley Opened on Broadway October 22, 1986By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Fruit Snacks, Waterbeds, and Lobster Tanks 49:38

10M ago49:38

49:38

It’s our annual mailbag episode! We get a lot of wonderful reader emails suggesting topics for the show — and at the end of the year we try to answer some of them. This year, we’re tackling four fascinating questions. Why do grocery stores keep live lobsters in tanks, unlike any other animal? How did candy get rebranded as “fruit snacks” when fruit…

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Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms 32:18

10M ago32:18

32:18

While the Slow Burn team is hard at work on our next season, we are excited to share the first episode of the second season from our friends at SNAFU with Ed Helms: MEDBURG. In March 1971, Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger receives a mysterious envelope full of classified documents. Soon, what's inside will change the way America sees the FBI.…

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Decoder Ring | Mystery of the Mullet (Encore) 51:18

10M ago51:18

51:18

The mullet, the love-to-hate-it hairstyle, is as associated with the 1980’s as Ronald Reagan, junk bonds, and breakdancing. But in at least one major way, we are suffering from a collective case of false memory syndrome. In this episode we track the rise and fall of the mullet, and also the lexical quandary at its heart: Who named the mullet? We le…

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Decoder Ring: Reconsidering One of the “Worst” TV Shows of All Time 1:01:20

11M ago1:01:20

1:01:20

In 1980, a variety show debuted on NBC called Pink Lady and Jeff. Its stars were a pair of Japanese pop idols known for catchy, choreographed dance numbers. Pink Lady was inescapable in Japan: selling millions of records, appearing on TV daily, and filling arenas. But their American TV show left audiences completely bewildered. Pink Lady and Jeff a…

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Decoder Ring: A Feel-Good Story About the End of the World 40:36

11M ago40:36

40:36

The fear that the Earth could be destroyed by a killer asteroid is an anxiety that pops up all the time in fiction and is grounded in fact. But funnily enough—actually being pancaked by a giant space rock? Not something you need to spend a whole lot of time worrying about! And that’s because a bunch of NASA scientists and engineers are already worr…

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Decoder Ring: The Wrongest Bird in Movie History 48:41

11M ago48:41

48:41

There is a prominent bird in the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels that makes absolutely no sense. This so-called Pygmy Nuthatch doesn’t look or sound like it should, or live where the characters say it does. The bird is so elaborately wrong that it has haunted the birding community, including Slate’s very own Forrest Wickman, for almost a quarter of a ce…

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Cry For Us All - "CLUNK!" 1:10:04

11M ago1:10:04

1:10:04

with Special Guest Host Connor McAndrews Music by Mitch Leigh Lyrics by Phyllis Robinson & William Alfred Book by William Alfred & Albert Marre Directed by Albert Marre Starring Joan Diener, Steve Arlen, Robert Weede, Tommy Rall & Helen Gallagher. Opened on Broadway April 8, 1970By Marla Alpert and John Anker Bow

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Decoder Ring: Selling Out (Encore) 51:19

11M ago51:19

51:19

Whatever happened to selling out? The defining concern of Generation X has become a relic from another era. How that happened is best illustrated by one of the idea’s last gasps, when in 2001, Oprah Winfrey invited author Jonathan Franzen to come on her show to discuss his new novel The Corrections. A month later, she withdrew the invitation, kicki…

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Decoder Ring: Calling Dick Tracy! It’s Warren Beatty Again 46:58

11M ago46:58

46:58

(While we work on the next season of Slow Burn we're showcasing new episodes from Slate's narrative podcast Decoder Ring.) Oscar-winner Warren Beatty first secured the rights to the comic book character Dick Tracy in the lead up to his 1990 movie adaptation. Decades later, Beatty kept playing Tracy in bizarre late-night specials airing on cable TV,…

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The Rise of Fox News | 6. What Hath We Wrought? 1:15:01

12M ago1:15:01

1:15:01

The 2004 presidential race would be the first fully Fox News election—a contest that was framed by Fox, and fought on its terms. But the fight over Fox News was about more than just partisan politics. It also launched covert ops against reporters and let loose a secret army of online trolls. And when a Fox producer made serious allegations against …

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The Rise of Fox News | 5. Ludacris Has Been Fired 1:02:35

12M ago1:02:35

1:02:35

As Fox News gathered strength, progressive activists turned to comedian Al Franken and fledgling online communities to punch back. But could the left put up a real fight without a Fox News of its own? And what did Fox’s critics miss when they focused only on its politics? Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all season…

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The Rise of Fox News | 4. Beacon of Truth 1:03:12

12M ago1:03:12

1:03:12

After 9/11, the Fox News Channel rallied a huge portion of the country around the Bush administration’s vision of the world. But as the U.S. marched to war in the Middle East, journalists, liberal watchdogs, and comedians began pushing back. Could The Daily Show, Fox News’ own liberal pundits, or an employee-turned-whistleblower take Fox down a peg…

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The Rise of Fox News | 3. The Other Guy’s Hamburger 55:09

1y ago55:09

55:09

For a decade and a half, CNN was peerless and ambitious, and it understood its place in the world. At least, it thought it did—until Fox News burst onto television screens. Could CNN save itself by becoming conservative or by going tabloid? And how would CNN and Fox respond when September 11 made the news more important than ever? Want more from Sl…

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The Rise of Fox News | 2. A Network for Normal People 58:05

1y ago58:05

58:05

Before he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes launched a very different kind of channel. America’s Talking was his vision of the future of television: a strange, slapdash, mostly apolitical cable network. When that dream got snatched away from him, Ailes went on a revenge mission—and made a connection with Rupert Murdoch. Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate…

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The Rise of Fox News | 1. We Report. You Can Suck It. 55:24

1y ago55:24

55:24

When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be a joke for long. During the 2000 election, Fox News would captivate the nation – and just maybe change the fate of American democracy. Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, includ…

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The Pirate Queen - "All Plot, No Heart" 58:03

1y ago58:03

58:03

Music by Claude-Michel Schönberg Lyrics by Alain Boublil, Richard Maltby, Jr. & John Dempsey Book by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg & Richard Maltby, Jr. Directed by Frank Galati Starring Stephanie J. Block, Hadley Fraser, Linda Balgord, Marcus Chait, Jeff McCarthy & William Youmans Opened on Broadway April 5, 2007.…

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Decoder Ring: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check? 42:05

1y ago42:05

42:05

Adults have a long history of trying to find morals and lessons in children’s literature. But what happens when a seemingly innocent book about a boy and a hungry mouse becomes fodder for the culture wars? Over the last decade, Laura Joffe Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie has been adopted by some on the right as a cautionary tale about gover…