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3.26.15: Hate Groups Move Online, American Passage, The History Of The Ashcan Copy

David Coxon via www.flickr.com/photos/davidcoxon

The Southern Poverty Law Center is out with its annual survey on hate groups.  The good news? Active hate groups are on the decline.  The bad news? They've relocated online.  Today on Word of Mouth, a disturbing look at the hidden state of hate in America.  Also, a historian reveals the surprising method many early New Englanders used to pass correspondence from colony to colony: Native American couriers.

Listen to the full show and click read more for individual segments.Hate Groups Move Online

  • Mark Potok, Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center, says the number of active hate groups in America is at a ten-year low - meanwhile, online hate is on the rise. 
  • Check out the SPLC's annual survey on hate groups here.
    WOM03262015A.mp3
    Hate Groups Move Online

Walt Disney: Anti-Semite?

  • Eric Molinsky, host of the podcast Imaginary Worlds, digs into evidence that Walt Disney was an anti-semite.
  • Listen to this piece again at PRX.org.

American Passage

The History Of The Ashcan Copy

  • Clay Wirestone, columnist for the Concord Monitor and a contributor to Mental Floss, uncovers the weird history of 'ashcan' copies - usually low-budget films made for the purpose of retaining intellectual property rights. 
  • Read Clay's article on ashcan copies for Mental Floss here.
  • Read more about the 'Wheel of Time' ashcan episode here.
    WOM03262015D.mp3
    The History Of The Ashcan Copy

And check out this super-emotional scene from the 1994 ashcan copy of The Fantastic Four.  It sure is tough being The Thing.

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