Peace talks for the culture wars. In an era of polarisation, propaganda and pile-ons, AntiSocial offers an alternative: understanding, facts, and respect. Each week, Adam Fleming takes on a topic that's generating conflict on social media, blogs, talk shows and phone-ins and helps you work out what the arguments are really about.
The new biopic about Michael Jackson has come under fire for not including any of the allegations made against him, but what exactly has the singer been accused of? Rachel McGrath, a freelance culture journalist, gives Adam Fleming a timeline of the alleged victims, the cases, and the outcomes.
Michael - the Michael Jackson biopic - has smashed box office records, but it's also raised questions about the controversial pop star's legacy. Some see the movie as irresponsible propaganda from the singer's estate because it doesn't address the allegations of child sexual abuse made against him - allegations which he repeatedly denied. Others point to the fact that he was never found guilty in a trial, and argue that there is nothing wrong with celebrating his music anyway. We explore what's ...
An investigation by The Telegraph has revealed hundreds of adverts for "Muslim-only" flat and room rentals - sparking debates about housing, discrimination, and whether it's ever okay for minorities to get special treatment when it comes to housing. Many on social media pointed to the case of a housing association specifically for Orthodox Jews that went all the way to the Supreme Court. To explain what the case was, and how the law around it works, Adam Fleming spoke to Sarah Steinhardt, a barr...
An investigation by The Telegraph reveals hundreds of adverts advertising "Muslim-only" flat and room rentals. Some say the newspaper's reports, which also uncover other apparent equality breaches, are a worrying sign of unchecked discrimination. Others question the focus on Muslims and argue that some forms of discrimination in renting are understandable, even necessary. We find out what the law says, step back in time to understand the link between property and race in the UK, and look at some...
After a report suggesting a 'quiet revival' of the Christian faith in the UK was withdrawn due to faulty data, people have been debating whether this truly is a Christian country. Some point to statistics showing a steep decline in Christianity. Others say that the institutions and history of the UK have been shaped by the Church of England. To learn more about the influence of the established church, Adam Fleming speaks to Linda Woodhead, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies at Kings Col...
A report by a Christian charity, suggesting a surge in churchgoing is withdrawn due to faulty data, but some Christians in the UK still believe in the finding that there is a 'quiet revival'. Others point to recent data showing the steep decline in Christianity. We get into the story of the report and ask whether data and our institutions can tell us just how Christian the UK really is. Presenter: Adam Fleming Production team: Annabel Deas, Simon Tulett and Ellie House Studio manager: Andrew Mil...
Ultra-thin appears to be back on trend for Hollywood stars and other A-listers, some aided by weight-loss drugs. It’s led some to ask whether ‘body positivity’ is dead, but what does that term mean and how much success did the movement behind it have anyway? Adam Fleming speaks to Viren Swami, professor of social psychology at Anglia Ruskin University.
Should we call out celebrities we deem too thin, or just leave them alone? That’s the debate prompted by an apparent shift among A-list stars - mostly women - to lose weight. Some people say it’s a worrying trend, fuelled by weight loss drugs, that’s damaging women’s views of their bodies. Others say it’s none of our business what these celebs look like, and that they are the product of a culture that still prizes thinness. We hear about some of the most prominent celebs to hit the headlines rec...
Girlguiding has told transgender girls they must soon leave its clubs, following a Supreme Court ruling on biological sex, but why was the Girl Guides set up just for girls? Adam Fleming speaks to Janie Hampton, who has written a book on the organisation’s history.
The organising body of the Girl Guides says that trans girls - biological males - will have to leave by the 6th September to conform with a ruling by the Supreme Court last year. Whatever the perceived rights and wrongs of this decision, it's another chapter in the debate about whether we need single sex groups at all, from the Brownies to the gentleman's club. We look into the history of the Girl Guides and the Scouts; hear what the law says about single sex organisations and ask whether girls ...
There's a new beauty standard on the block but instead of lip filler and face lifts aimed at women, it's a trend targeting men. The founder of the movement is the 20-year-old influencer, Clavicular, who has been taking steroids since he was 14 years old to achieve a look he thinks is attractive. Looksmaxxers recommend pseudoscientific methods such as 'mewing' and bone smashing to create a chiseled jawline. But where did this harmful trend originate from? YouTuber, Jimmy the Giant, talks about so...
Peace talks for the culture wars. Adam looks at the dark art of looksmaxxing, asking what is it, where does it come from and why has it been growing online? Adam gets a glossary of the terms around this trend. He hears how social media is influencing beauty standards. And we find out about "pretty privilege." Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: John Murphy, Natasha Fernandes and Annabel Deas. Studio manager: Jack Wilfan Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Penny Murphy
The new film adaptation of Wuthering Heights has sparked controversy online after the director, Emerald Fennell, announced that she would cast a white actor to play Heathcliff. Critics have said the decision ignores references to Heathcliff as an outsider in Emily Brontë’s original text. In recent years, there’s been a growing business to tackle cultural insensitivities in film – cultural consultancy. Co-founder of Good Form cultural consultancy, Melissa Legarda, talks about the power of authent...
Peace talks for the culture wars. The latest version of Wuthering Heights has come in for criticism on social media, especially about the casting of a white actor as Heathcliff. Chris Warburton and guests examine the debate about representation on the big screen. Presenter: Chris Warburton Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Tom Gillett, John Murphy Studio Manager: Andrew Mills Production co-ordinator: Gemma Ashman Editor: Penny Murphy
The year 2016 is taking over the internet with people posting ‘throwback’ photos and memories from ten years ago all over their social media. It’s prompted questions over whether 2016 was a simpler time and why people have become nostalgic for that year. Agnes Arnold-Forster, a historian at Edinburgh University and the author of Nostalgia: A History of a Dangerous Emotion, talks about how nostalgia has evolved over time, from a serious medical condition in the 17th Century to a rose-tinted visio...
Peace talks for the culture wars. Nostalgia and the cringe factor. Adam Fleming explores why 2016 is big online, especially for Gen Z. Can you really be nostalgic for things you didn't really experience. With the help of others, Adam unpicks what nostalgia is and where it came from. Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Tom Gillett and John Murphy Studio Manager: Andrew Mills Editor: Penny Murphy
The French state railway company has introduced child-free carriages on some of its journeys, but transport isn’t the only area being affected by the child-free phenomenon. There’s also been a rise in weddings without children. Head of Brand at the wedding planning app, Bridebook, Zoe Burke chats through some of the stories she’s come across and the polling she’s done.
Should we have more child-free spaces? The French state railway company has introduced child-free carriages on some of its high-speed trains. This has caused a row online. Adam Fleming gets to the bottom of the story and asks if there is a growing demand for more child-free spaces. But is the debate simply a measure of growing intolerance - particularly of children - in society. Presenter: Adam Fleming Producers: Natasha Fernandes, Tom Gillett, John Murphy Studio manager: Andrew Mills Production...
The contestants on Britain's most popular TV show, The Traitors, have faced criticism for voting out ethnic minorities early on in the game. It’s led to a slew of posts online saying this is a clear example of unconscious racial bias. Head of Psychology at Aberdeen University, Doug Martin, breaks down unconscious bias and where it comes from.
The UK's most popular TV show, The Traitors, has come under the spotlight not just because of its popularity but because it has been accused of reflecting prejudice in British society. The charge is that contestants from ethnic minorities are more likely to be expelled early on in the game because of unconscious bias, particularly unconscious racial bias. Others shows too, like Strictly Come Dancing, Love Island and Big Brother have faced similar accusations. Adam Fleming unpicks the debate. Pre...
A clip from Stephen Bartlett’s podcast has resurfaced and gone viral for claiming that a group of men will go extinct because women don’t want to date and have children with them anymore. It’s prompted questions about whether society should intervene to help men find a date and what women are attracted to in a male partner. Professor of Psychology at Durham University, Linda Boothroyd, speaks to Adam Fleming about the science of attraction and how women’s expectations of men have changed over ti...
A podcast conversation between the entrepreneur Steven Bartlett and the gamer-turned psychiatrist-turned-online self help guru Dr K has gone viral. And it's about what might happen if men can't get a date. The podcast was originally published last summer but more recently re-surfaced clips have sparked a debate online about how far society should go to help men who are struggling to find a partner. Should we have sympathy for men who can't get a date? We hear from an intimacy coach who helps men...
Elon Musk’s chatbot, Grok AI, has been in the news because thousands of its users have been using it to digitally undress women without their consent. Staff writer at The Atlantic, Matteo Wong, has been covering the evolution of Musk’s AI chatbot and the controversies it’s been involved in along the way. He speaks to Adam Fleming about how Grok AI fits into Musk’s wider Modus Operandi and how it was made to compete with other AI tools.
Elon Musk's social networking site X has restricted access to one of the features on its artificial intelligence chat-bot called Grok, because of a global outcry. It allows users to alter photos, for example changing a person's clothes - without their permission. With a simple instruction a man's trousers can become swimming trunks -- and more frequently -- a woman can be made to wear a bikini. The platform faced a backlash with governments around the world calling for urgent action and some pol...
For hundreds of years women were treated as somehow incomplete, or dangerous, if they didn’t have a (male) partner. It used to be illegal for women to live alone in some parts of the UK and, until much more recently, single women weren’t allowed mortgages. And then there’s the cat lady stereotype. Amanda Vickery, professor of history at Queen Mary University of London, tells Adam Fleming how the stigma around women’s singledom has evolved, and how it’s fading.
An article in British Vogue asking if it's "embarrassing" to have a boyfriend prompts a discussion about whether women might be better off ditching men and staying single. Some women say they feel more empowered by single life, and that they expect much higher standards of men these days. Others think it's divisive to suggest men are, on average, poor relationship material and that it's unfair to demean women who are happy with a partner. We speak to author of the British Vogue article, Chanté J...
What do we know about the levels of sexual harassment on public transport? Statistics show that a third of women and girls have experienced it and 97% of women fear it could happen to them, but is the problem getting worse, and who is at fault? Author of Mind the Gender Gap and Lecturer in Criminology at the University of Plymouth, Dr Sian Lewis, breaks down the data.
A petition calling for women-only tube carriages has surpassed 12,000 signatures. It comes amid increased reports of sexual offences on public transport, both in London and beyond. Supporters claim that giving women the option to travel separately from men will make them safer, and send a message that harassment is unacceptable. Critics argue that this is a backwards step, amounting to segregation. Some say it unfairly stigmatises men. We hear from the woman leading the campaign, and explore the...
The comedian Lenny Henry in a new book has backed calls for the UK to pay more than £18 trillion in compensation for its role in the transatlantic slave trade. It's a figure that some people think is absurdly high. It comes from a report written by an economic consultancy called The Brattle Group. They tried to quantify the impact of slavery on black people in North and South America, and the Caribbean. Adam Fleming speaks to one of the co-authors, Mary Olson.
Sir Lenny Henry has called for the UK government to pay £18tn in slavery reparations for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, and argued that every black Briton also deserves compensation. The comedian, co-author of a new book titled The Big Payback, says the payments would help repair damage caused in parts of the Americas, especially the Caribbean, and argues slavery has contributed to modern day racism and poorer outcomes for black people in the UK. Opponents have argued it's unfair to ...
