"Parental Rights" and the Authoritarian Family
For advocates of "parental rights," family autonomy becomes both reward and weapon, extended to those who conform and withdrawn from those who do not.
Political Polarization Across the U.S.A. and Europe (Half the Answer #71, with Aurelien Mondon)
Caitlin and Trent talk with Aurelien Mondon about his recent political science paper outlining the limitations of considering all politics through the lens of "polarization." They discuss the pitfalls of the term and the ways "polarizing" events and speech can be drastically different and sometimes even
The Purchase of My Body
Submission to injustice, and sanction of injustice, are different things.
Gambling on War
An insider made hundreds of thousands betting just before Maduro was kidnapped. This kind of behavior is becoming normalized.
Right-Wing Attacks on James Talarico Are a Reminder That Christian Extremism Is Official Republican Policy
The reaction to Talarico's Christian rhetoric demonstrates the ways in which far-right theology is about underwriting misogyny and racism.
The New Radical Feminism: "Brown/Trans/Les," Reviewed
Talia Bhatt's new "Brown/Trans/Les" is a tour de force that reclaims the necessity of radical feminism in our pervasively misogynist age.
Making America Sick Again: How MAGA Is Hurting Healthcare and Science (Half the Answer #70, with Walker Bragman)
Trent and Caitlin reconnect with journalist Walker Bragman to hash out the current state of the NIH and HHS, the ideologies that drive people to promote eugenics and science denial, and the childish nature of fascism. Half the Answer can be heard on Spotify, on Apple, on YouTube, on Amazon,
Upholding Liberal Education
Love of the world, not meaningless tests, must be the heart of liberal education.
Call You This Liberty?
"Once a mask is involved, people understand it as a sign of weakness. That the government has something to hide."
Envy, Greed, and Billionaires (Neon Liberalism #66, with David Lay Williams)
Samantha Hancox-Li and guest David Lay Williams, author of The Greatest of All Plagues, discuss the nature of extreme wealth inequality in America and across history, from Plato to Occupy Wall Street. Williams argues that extreme wealth warps the soul, leading to "pleonexia"—a restless desire for more
America and Iran: Another Forever War? (Half the Answer #69, with Jeff Waldorf)
The United States and Israel have dropped bombs on Iran, killing Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, several of his top-ranking officials, and many civilians, among them more than 160 little girls killed in the bombing of the Shajareh Tayyebeh elementary school. Trent and Caitlin have Jeff Waldorf, the Logical Leftist, to hang
It Wasn't Fascism All Along
Conservatism was a distinct ideology but it is dead and it is not coming back.