Endless Thread Presents: Cautionary Tales

As an Endless Thread listener, we're guessing you like mysteries... maybe also cultural deep-dives... maybe even Dungeons & Dragons? Today, we're sharing an episode of another podcast that has all three of these components. The show is called Cautionary Tales. Host Tim Harford tells stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists, and hilarious fiascos of the past — pointing out valuable lessons for us from all the dithering, death and destruction.

In this episode,"Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons," Tim explains why some new things scare us into believing they're a danger to young people. It's the story of private detective William Dear, who stoked fears that a missing college student had fallen under the evil spell of a mysterious and sinister game... Dungeons & Dragons. Global panic about the danger D&D posed to impressionable minds may seem quaint 40 years on — but Tim explains why, again and again, we're fearful of creative endeavors we don't quite understand.

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