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Freakonomics Radio · April 22, 2026 · 00:40:34

Why Does Everyone Hate Rats? (Update)

New York City’s mayor has called rats “public enemy number one,” but is this reputation deserved? This Freakonomics Radio episode revisits the 2025 exploration of rat hatred, challenging the long-held belief that rats caused the Black Death with recent scientific findings. It asks whether rats are scapegoats for deeper human fears about filth, disease, and disorder.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

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Rats as Public Enemy Number One
New York City’s mayor labeled rats “public enemy number one.”
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The Black Death Misattribution
Rats have historically been blamed for spreading the Black Death, but recent scientific evidence disputes this claim.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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The Psychology of Rat Hatred
The episode explores what our intense hatred of rats reveals about human psychology.
ClaudeChatGPTGemini
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