L Frank Baum comes up in 2 chapters across 2 episodes of The Higherside Chats Free Show, from October 2014 to August 2018.
Joint Sessions Announcement and Outro
Greg Carlwood wraps up the episode by announcing the first Higher Side Chats "joint session" for Plus members. He previews upcoming topics including the existence of Nikola Tesla, L. Frank Baum, and the Library of Alexandria. The segment concludes with the show's closing music and a final sign-off.
The Wizard of Oz, Political Allegory and Gold Standard
L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz is analyzed as a complex political allegory of the late 19th-century United States. The Yellow Brick Road represents the gold standard, while the Emerald City symbolizes greenback paper money and the Wizard represents President William McKinley. Other characters are linked to the era's socio-economic landscape, including the Tin Man as the industrial laborer and the Scarecrow as the American farmer.
