Articles
Substack: A Re-Assembling of the Old Media
Over the past several months, many of these reputable voices – including high-profile journalists – have been jumping ship from their safe, cushy jobs to join Substack, a newsletter-based subscription platform, to escape the onslaught of ideology, censorship, and rigid editorial control.
Some are calling this migration the “beginning of the gold rush," others are comparing Substack to the old Internet, while others are likening it to the early newsletters of the 17th century. In some ways, Substack does harken back to the old blogosphere; it is reminiscent of a former Internet, and elicits a certain sense of nostalgia. As tempting as it is to see this as a step towards building a rich information ecosystem, I fear this mass migration will simply re-organize the establishment class in new ways and create more toll booths on the information highway.
Identity Crisis Bonus Episode: Does the Equality Act Damage Women’s Rights?
MK Fain, the Communications Fellow at the Women's Liberation Front, answers questions about the Equality Act: what it means for women's and LGBT rights, and the poison pill nature of the gender identity wording in the bill.
Identity Crisis Episode 6: Reacting to Woke Instagram
In this episode, we take a deep dive into woke instagram. We read and analyze posts from a popular account that "dissect[s] progressive politics and social issues in graphic slideshow form". We break down a number of neoliberal and pop political talking points about the paradox of tolerance, Karl Popper, pronouns, dysphoria, gender & sex, and free speech. We critique the "fast food" type of political diet that this instagram account represents.
We make the case for free speech, for the enduring value of the First Amendment, and talk about how anyone who is challenging the status quo is someone who needs speech rights to be protected.
We also touch on one particular area of public speech that we do consider harmful: rhetoric which implies that suicide will result from any particular action, event, or speech—or any form of suicide encouragement/suggestion in the media. We talk about ethical reporting guidelines around suicide and consider the role of this kind of rhetoric in the gender identity conversation.
Upper Hand Mars: Individuality over Ideology
Mars joins Sasha for a discussion about choosing individuality over ideology, different ways of talking about gender, teenagers with dysphoria, and the value of getting out of your box and interpreting issues with nuance.
Identity Crisis Episode 5: Have you lost friends for being gender critical?
In this episode, we discuss losing friends over politics, building resilient relationships, and give four tips on how to survive as a gender critical teen.
Separating Fact From Fiction in Gender and Sex: Zach Elliott
Zach Elliott is the founder of the Paradox Institute, a science education group presenting contemporary sex difference research in short animated videos. He researches and writes about human sex differences and the biology of sex, and plans to pursue a Master of Science in Biology.
Zach joins Sasha to talk about his book, Gender Paradox, the origin of his interest in learning about sexual dimorphism, and his view that we should consider both social and biological factors when analyzing the differences between the sexes.
Who Owns the Internet?
The democratizing potential of the Internet echoed across the world: it was seen as a true equalizer, a force for good, and one that looked the same everywhere irrespective of one’s geographical location -- it defied all territorial borders. This vision was hardly seen as radical or controversial. Quite the opposite, it was widely embraced among tech circles, even by the likes of Microsoft.
But that Golden Age of the Internet is long gone.
Identity Crisis Episode 4: Groupthink and Preference Falsification
In this episode, we discuss the phenomenon of groupthink in relation to the debate over sex and gender. Whether individuals adopt the groups' opinion out of fear, to avoid discomfort, or to fulfill social inclusion needs—the result can be that an unfounded idea takes hold.
Zach Elliott Dissects the ACLU’s Claims About Trans Athletes
Zach Elliott is the founder of the Paradox Institute, a science education group presenting contemporary sex difference research in short animated videos. He researches and writes about human sex differences and the biology of sex, and plans to pursue a Master of Science in Biology.
Zach joins Sasha to thoroughly dissect a recent tweet thread by the American Civil Liberties Union, “Four Myths About Trans People in School Sports: Debunked.” We read through each “myth” presented by the ACLU and tried to give as impartial and rational a critique as we could. Zach explains why the “facts” about biological sex in the thread are misleading or downright incorrect. We also discuss the recent legal cases surrounding girl’s high school track teams. Zach gives one proposal for how to solve the issue of transgender people and sports teams, and we muse on the circularity and vagueness of many of the ACLU’s points.
Sean P. McCarthy: r/WallStreetBets Should Scare the Elites
Sean P. McCarthy is a comedian and co-host of the Grubstakers podcast, which covers the lives and misdeeds of billionaires. Sean joins me to talk about GameStop, Wall Street, populist movements, and why this story about the stock market should matter to all of us.
Identity Crisis Episode 3: Facing Despair + Debate on Porn
This episode we set out to answer the question, "how do you deal with feelings of despair and hopelessness in this movement?" Part of what we wanted to convey is the importance of cordial disagreements and debate. Our conversation soon became a debate on one issue that we at least partially disagree on: pornography. We decided to lean in to this clash of ideas and see what would happen. This is the result!
Jodi Shaw on Smith College, Neo Racism, and Free Thinking
Jodi sits down with Sasha to tell the story of how she came to be at the epicenter of a discussion about racial bias training and the nature of oppression and conformity. Jodi is a Student Support Coordinator in the Department of Residence Life at Smith College in Massachusetts, a women’s university which is also her alma mater. She is currently on paid leave.
On Oct 27 2020, Jodi posted a video on YouTube titled “Dear Smith College: I Have a Few Requests”, in which she addresses the “policies and initiatives” that she sees as creating “a divisive, racially hostile work environment”. Jodi specifies that she is a life-long liberal, but that she considers this a human issue of reducing people to racial categories.
Jodi joins me on Crossroads for an in-depth conversation about the courage it takes to speak out, how she sees this as a workplace conditions issue, and about the reaction she has received since making that first video.