I wrote about the abject failure of federal Covid policy, about the passive eugenics of the Biden administration, and how fiercely worthwhile disabled lives are: theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/eugenics-wit…
"It is a central axiom in the American mindset that one’s health is a matter of personal responsibility; ailing is a moral failure, a sign of deficient character; health is a primary arbiter of worth." theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/eugenics-wit…
I'm sorry for all the relentless promo lately. But it's hard & daunting to launch a new publication. I've been working really hard, and I *like* today's column - it's funny, and fun, and researched - and I hope you'll consider subscribing. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/notable-sand…
Tomorrow I attempt to quit smoking again. With patches and gum this time. Wish me luck, and I plead your forebearance. no podcasting
A teen tried to cadge a cig off me yesterday and I instantly transformed into a haggard crone in an anti tobacco PSA
My psychiatrist told me in no uncertain terms that quitting cold turkey would be bad for me. I'm allergic to Wellbutrin and Chantix has been recalled off the market. So time to put some nicotine on my skin.
It's here: the final installment of my series on evangelical Christian corporal punishment. This last section concerns the process of deconstruction (breaking away from faith); how people heal; and how they choose to parent, their children and themselves. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
This has been a massive amount of work -- intellectual and emotional. I have read all or parts of 21 books, talked to over a hundred people. Taken as a whole, the series traces the political evolution of evangelical child punishment in the 20th century and its effects.
Part 1 looks at the "biblical parenting" movement of the back half of the 20th century, situating it in text and historical context, and featuring the testimony of people raised by Dobson, the Pearls et. al. theswordandthesandwich.substack.com/p/ministry-of-…
finishing up the series on evangelical child abuse tonight for publication tomorrow. this has been a real weight on me-- one that feels important. it is a topic i will expand on in my book. but it has been challenging to write gracefully & factually about so much pain.
every time i dive into the evangelical world i find something new and staggeringly bizarre (or see something I knew about in a new context). Answers in Genesis is something else (as are the Hams' books on childrearing). Also I got the Keepers At Home handbook! It's so... pink.
This piece is a bit shorter. The draft is only 3,000 words. I feel so... much... right now.