The Seventies #4: Cults, Crime, and Culture (Patreon)

Happy Mothers Day! It's quite fitting that today I get to drop my favorite episode of Lexual Does The 70s, Cults, Crime, and Culture, because it's dedicated to my mommy, Tamara Peake. She was born in 1972. When discussing my research plans with her, she mentioned how when she was around 7 or 8 (so in 1979 or 1980), a man tried to abduct her and a friend named Melody Jenkins when they were walking the daily 10 miles from school to their neighborhood.  The man tried to lure my mother and her friend into his van by first saying he had lost his puppy, then switching gears and offering candy. My mother fully admits she was gullible and began approaching the man when Melody Jenkins yelled, "TAMMY PEAKE, YOU BETTER RUN! HE'S PROBABLY ONE OF THOSE KIDDIE FREAKS! HE'S GONNA TAKE YOU!" Melanie began running and my mother followed suit, while the man angrily hopped into his van and sped away. 

This miraculous incident (without Melody, would I be here?) was on my mind when writing and pulling footage for this episode. In today's world, it would not be acceptable among many parents to allow a 7-8 year-old child the lush freedom of ten-mile unsupervised walks, but in the 70s it was commonplace. In this episode, I seek to explore the dangers that faced 1970s kids and teens, as well as giving context to the landmark historical events they experienced (and we discussed in previous episodes)! 

I also feel guilty for not mentioning the early 1970's murders of six black girls in Washington D.C. in this episode. The murderer, known as the Freeway Phantom Killer, was never found. Their story is often untold in stories about emerging serial killers in the 70s, and I should have included a segment about them. However, I am working on a true-crime series and I promise to give the six victims the attention they deserve. 

PLEASE LET THIS SERVE AS A TRIGGER WARNING. THERE ARE NUMEROUS MENTIONS OF DEATH AND SUICIDE IN THIS EPISODE, ALONG WITH CRIME SCENE IMAGES. 

Sources and Additional Reading

The Seventies: The Great Shift in American Culture, Society, and Politics (Bruce J Schulman)

The 1970s: A New Global History From Civil Rights to Economic Inequality (Thomas Borstelmann)

Fault Lines: A History of The United States Since 1974 (Kevin Kruse and Julian E. Zelizer)

High School Pregnancy (Life Magazine, April 1971)

In An Era of Sexuality, Growing Concern About Pornography (Life Magazine, Aug 1970)

Is Child Pornography... About Sex? (Ms. Magazine, Aug 1977)

That Old Feeling: When Porno Was Chic (Richard Corliss)

Charles Manson: The Incredible Story of The Most Dangerous Man Alive

Childhood in the US 'safer than in the 1970s'

Overheard on CNN.com: Face on milk carton chipped away at our innocence

Missing child case 'awakened America'

This Documentarian's Personal Journey Into The Wild, Kidnapping-Filled World Of Cult Deprogramming

CULT OPPONENT ON TRIAL IN OHIO KIDNAPPING CASE

Kathy’s Still In The Cult’ ‘Religion’ Worries Parents

Parents, Peers and Pot: The Rise of the Drug Culture and the Birth of the Parent Movement, 1976-1980

Tracking decades of allegations in the Boy Scouts

Child Sex Abuse In The Boy Scouts of America (1970-1984)

History and Definitions of Family Violence

Inside Peoples Temple (1977 Article)

Drinking The Kool Aid: A Surivivor Remembers Jim Jones

The Road To Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples Temple (Jeff Guinn)

How “Young Adult” Fiction Blossomed With Teenage Culture in America

Peak Suburban White Kid