It's the end of a cultural era with the Death of Hugh Hefner. We discuss the mogul's legacy and take calls from people who were affected by the man and his work. We also check-in on the SCOTUS agenda for what’s shaping up to be legendary term in October 2017; and more.
Former Playboy playmate, employees on Hefner's divisive legacy
On Wednesday, Hugh Hefner, the founder of “Playboy” magazine, passed away in his home at age 91. Hefner, known to most as simply “Hef,” started the iconic publication in his kitchen in Chicago with $8,000.
The first issue, featuring a nude profile of Marilyn Monroe, sold out within days of the launch. From there, Hefner build an empire around the evolution of sexuality in the latter half of 20th century. An artistic pioneer, a civil rights activist, a philanthropist and a controversial womanizer, Hefner wore many hats in shaping American pop culture.
Steven Watts, author of the biography “Mr. Playboy: Hugh Hefner and the American Dream,” talked about the life of the original playboy with KPCC's Larry Mantle and AirTalk callers.
Anna from Beverly Hills was a Playmate in 1973. She shared fond memories from the mansion:
I think Playmates were liberated at a time when there was a double standard of sexuality. Hugh Hefner showed the world that brilliant … women could show their bodies and not be embarrassed by nudity. I never felt any pressure to be a sexual object ... to sleep with him … or his guests.
Frances from Jackson, Wyoming was an assistant director of Playmate Promotions, critical of her time at the company:
The Playmates were exploited a great deal. There’s pressure to have some sort of relationship with Hugh Hefner if you’re a Playmate of the Year. I don’t think he was a person who promoted women … he promoted his magazine and himself.
Sarah from West Hollywood was recruited to try out for a centerfold in the 1970s. She said she was traumatized by her experience at the studio:
I was isolated from the person who came with me. They would talk about my body in a very crude way. What I was going to do was very limited, but they kept getting me to do more and more. I was going along, but getting more distressed. They wanted me to do this particular thing, and I just trashed the photo studio. ... When I returned home to Chicago from that I became anorexic for two years.
Robert from Venice worked on the creative side of the magazine:
I was the art director in the early '90s at Playboy videos. The brand has inspired thousands of photographers. It's not a magazine hidden in the closet, it was diagnosed by photographers. We learned things, we saw things. It was a wonderful resource. It was inspirational for people who loved the magazine.
New SCOTUS term preview: gerrymandering, LGBTQ rights versus religious liberty, cell site data and more
The new Supreme Court of term starts Monday, October 2, and the docket is full of blockbuster cases that will have big implications on issues such as partisan gerrymandering, LGBTQ and religious rights, the Fourth Amendment, hearing rights for undocumented immigrants and more.
In the words of Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaking at Georgetown Law last week, "there is only one prediction that is entirely safe about the upcoming term, and that is it will be momentous.”
For next week, all eyes are on Gill v. Whitford, the Wisconsin case that will address politician’s power to redraw electoral maps. Another controversial case on the docket is Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, an appeal from a Colorado cake baker who refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple for religious reasons, pitting anti-discrimination laws against the First Amendment right to free speech and religious freedom.
Thursday, the Supreme Court also announced it will hear the case of an Illinois state employee who refused to pay union fees, reviving an issue brought to the fore last year by a California teacher whose case was stalled by the death of Justice Scalia. Host Larry Mantle and our partisan law guests will also preview the most significant cases of the upcoming term, including Jennings v. Rodriguez, Carpenter v. U.S. and more, as well as the two travel ban cases that have been nixed from the docket.
And if you want to geek out about the upcoming term, you can join a FantasySCOTUS league. No, really.
Guests:
T. Gerald Treece, professor of law and vice president, associate dean, director of student advocacy and special counsel for South Texas College of Law Houston
Ekow Yankah, Professor of Law at Cardozo School of Law; he tweets
In light of NFL protests, how would you react to President Trump’s provocations?
President Trump’s National Football League comments were, and continue to be, in countless headlines this week.
The provocation started with a speech on Friday at a rally for Alabama Republican Senate Candidate Luther Strange. In his off-script style, Trump, referring to former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, started riffing about how NFL team owners should fire players who take a knee during the National Anthem. In response, 200 NFL players chose to stay in the locker room, sit, kneel or raise their fists during the national anthem before each game.
Some critics called it unpatriotic, others were upset at how it politicized the game. Supporters lauded protest to the president’s remarks. But with any protest, one question looms: what does it accomplish? It’s tough to say whether kneeling during the anthem will continue this Sunday, and if it does, how many weeks it will be sustained. And if players and their supporters are sending a message, it’s unlikely that Trump will tone down his future comments or apologize for what was said or tweeted.
But protest isn’t always about getting a reaction out of the person you oppose, sometimes it’s just about protesters expressing their feelings. If you were a player, how would you handle Trump’s comments? Would you stay in the locker room, kneel, lock arms or stand with your hand over your heart, as you normally would?
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