It’s time once again for news and views that you can peruse! It’s another edition of your Weekly Reader! As always, if you find something that you’d like or want to share, drop a link in the comments! The more reading material, the better! It’s like a party, but with reading instead of drinking. 🙂
On Covington Catholic and the Perils of Segregated Schools (from Love Joy Feminism via Patheos): “In the midst of all of this, I have a question: Why do we still have private schools that are for all intents and purposes all white, in areas that are not all white? I have another question. Why would an all-boys high school think it appropriate send its students to a march to protest abortion rights? And finally, why are people so focused on the finer points of the videos that they’ve left questions like this virtually unasked?”
What I Learned Inside the Lonely Sad World of QAnon Facebook Groups (from Vice): “As you probably noticed from the examples I have provided, the Q crew is made up of a very specific archetype of internet denizen: elderly right-wingers who have gone too far down the online rabbit hole. Diving into any given thread you’d be lucky to find someone whose age drops below 55—but you will encounter one of the most unnerving melanges of psychotic ramblings and hateful screeds available anywhere. Calls for sanity are met with accusations of “controlled opposition,” and the only theories that are criticized are ones that question if the group has gone too far. But more importantly, almost every single member of Q’s following seems to have one glaring and unifying trait: They are deeply, heartbreakingly lonely.”
My Take: Hell, dancing and evolving beliefs (from the Holland Sentinel): “I’ve been hearing rumors for a while now that hell isn’t as popular as it once was among evangelicals. How about getting your theology straight before spreading its fiery tentacles all over our lives, families and psyches? And I’ve been told recently that many well-known ministers do not believe in hell, but haven’t told their congregations yet. How about confessing your secret so our kids are no longer threatened into conversion by your congregants’ visions of a fiery underground world where the non-religious go when they die?”
Here’s What Happened When a City in Alaska Took Fluoride Out of Their Drinking Water (from Science Alert): “Of course, more cavities necessitating dental procedures means more money is needed to fix the damaged teeth.
After adjusting for inflation, those increased costs represented anywhere between a 28 percent to a 111 percent jump for the various age groups, with the maximum increase being just over $300 annually for children in the 0 to < 6 age group who grew up with suboptimal CWF exposure.
Basically, according to the researchers, the cessation was a very expensive move.”
A Border Wall Won’t Protect Against Toxic Masculinity (from Irreverin via Patheos): “The truth is that the wall will not protect us from violence, rape or murder. Because whether white or brown, legally documented or otherwise, the real criminal here is patriarchy. And its roots run deep on both sides of the border.”
She collapsed next to the best stroke center. Her ambulance was turned away. It was policy. She died. (from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel): “On that morning four years ago, Tate was having a stroke on the grounds of the Milwaukee Regional Medical Center, and 350 yards from Froedtert Hospital, the area’s most advanced, experienced stroke care center.
It would be a quick ambulance ride.
If only the ambulance had taken her there.
It didn’t.”
‘Nobody Is Going To Believe You’ (from the Atlantic): “The accusations against Singer cover a spectrum. Some of the alleged victims say they were seduced by the director while underage; others say they were raped. The victims we interviewed told us these experiences left them psychologically damaged, with substance-abuse problems, depression, and PTSD.”
Alyssa Milano: Red MAGA Hats Are the New White Hoods – Let’s Take a Stand (from The Wrap): “I sent out a tweet that read, “The red MAGA hat is the new white hood.” Right-wing pundits and anonymous trolls alike screamed for my head–literally and figuratively. My husband received death threats on his cell phone. Many demanded an apology.
Here’s the thing: I was right.
So, I won’t apologize to these boys. Or anyone who wears that hat. But I will thank them. I will thank them for lighting a fire underneath the conversation about systemic racism and misogyny in this country and the role President Donald Trump has had in cultivating it and making it acceptable.”
Sam Harris: Defender of Freeze Peach (from Daylight Atheism via Patheos): “But what, exactly, is Harris so upset about? For someone who’s famous for speaking his mind, you may notice just how vague and mealy-mouthed his explanation of his actions is. He’s bothered by Patreon banning Sargon and his ilk, but does he think that decision was wrong on the merits? Does he believe that Sargon’s behavior wasn’t objectionable or that he didn’t deserve to be kicked off?
For whatever reason, Harris is unwilling to say that. He’s also not claiming that his politics are similar to theirs and that makes him the next logical target. Instead, he’s framed his criticism as an objection to the fact that Patreon has any standards at all – because that means that they might, possibly, sometime in the future, make an unfair decision to delete his account. To prevent that from happening, he’s preemptively deleting his account now.”
And that’s it for today. Drop by again where I’ll post more articles you didn’t know you wanted to read. So until next time, happy reading!
Iacon East 