The history of litter is in lock step with the history of disposable packaging. Learn all about this nasty habit today.
AI Summary
This episode explores the surprising history and impact of littering in America, from its origins as a newfound problem in the 1950s to the corporate PR campaigns that shaped how we think about it today. Josh and Chuck trace how disposable packaging became normal, uncover the corporate interest behind the famous "Keep America Beautiful" campaign (including the iconic crying Indian PSA), and dig into the current statistics on litter—revealing that cigarette butts dominate the problem and that littering disproportionately harms wildlife. Along the way, they discover some Bernaysian surprises about how big beverage companies deliberately shifted responsibility from themselves to individual consumers to protect their profits.
Lord of the Flies
1963
1h 32m
★ 6.7
"it's like Lord of the Flies level upset — Compared to a listener's children screaming angrily on a voicemail about Calvin and Hobbes."
— Josh
"the Mad Men episode, which is very funny. I remember when it happened, the Drapers were on a picnic — Referenced as an example of casual littering behavior in the 1950s-60s when Don Draper throws a beer bottle in the woods."
— Chuck
Nancy Drew… Detective
1938
1h 6m
★ 6.5
"it's like a sort of an old school Nancy Drew detective, teen detective type of thing — Used as a comparison for the style and format of Lethal Lit."
— Josh
Reality Bites
1994
PG-13
1h 38m
★ 6.5
"that sounds like a character from Reality Bites — Referenced when discussing the fictional job of being a copywriter for instant litter flyers."
— Chuck
"they say it's like Nancy Drew for scream fans — Used to describe the tone and audience of Lethal Lit - family friendly but with more bite for older viewers."
— Josh
"I did a very small part on Squidbillies a few years ago — Josh mentions doing voice acting work on this Adult Swim animated series that was never released."
— Josh
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