For our second open thread we’re asking: Which conspiracy theory do you actually believe. UFOs? JFK? Subliminal messages sung by Judas Priest? Bring ‘em on! Nancy’ll start: She’s always sort of thought COVID might have escaped from a Wuhan lab…
Talk amongst yourselves. But first! Early subscribers will recall a Nancy-bakes-for-you giveaway for 10th new paid subscriber. These cakes being sent to winner today. Let’s do it again: 5th new paid subscriber gets the goods. Go!
I don’t identify as a feminist, but you talked about “choice feminism” last week and I suppose that’s how I’d qualify myself. Anyway, I wanted to share one of my favorite anecdotes on the topic: When I got married 7 years ago, I decided to take my husband’s last name. My husband didn’t expect that I would, but it felt right to me. Several years later, I found out that one of my very good friends had just assumed that this hadn't been my choice, that there was some coercion involved to take my husband’s name. This friend knows me (and my husband) really well, and SHE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS BETTER than to jump to this conclusion, and yet couldn’t shake her mindset that Feminism = XYZ, which includes keeping one’s maiden name. Sigh.
Does seem strange to assume that. A lot of feminists change their names from what I’ve seen. Could be anything from not liking your maiden name to just wanting things simpler.
Within my liberal-arts-degree social group (and my larger FB friend world), it’s fairly uncommon at this point to change your name. Growing up, I remember exactly one mother who kept her maiden name, but within overeducated and hyper-liberal circles, it’s now the rule, not the exception.
Several years ago, an acquaintance of mine polled her FB friends about what she should do w/r/t her last name. After a day or two of comments, her husband-to-be joined the discussion, saying "I had no idea this was such a huge thing! Screw it, let's just choose our own last name." So they did!
I identify as a feminist and I’m proud of that. I also changed my name when I got married. 31 yes ago. It felt right and ok, it has a nice ring to it. We have the same initials. No one else’s business. Choice feminism… I like it..
As far as conspiracy theories go, I'm a big believer in the maxim "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." But yea, Covid probably came from a lab.
Vanity Fair had a great article on this. Some scientists from the Woohan lab visited a bat cave in southern China to do research. They probably caught Covid from the bats. Then they went back to work at the lab. The rest is history.
Covid def accidentally got out of that lab dude. Also I didn't know where to put this so yall would see it but I watched the first part of the Netflix doc about Manti Teo and it seems right up yalls alley. Former college football star gets catfished in front of the whole country. Would love to hear it discussed on the pod. Thanks and keep up the good work!
I had considered the Teo documentary but passed it over for Woodstock 99. Guess I’ll be watching the catfish doc after all.
Also, the Woodstock doc made me both sad and nostalgic. I love anything that gives me an opportunity to look back at the music and flannel fashion of my teenage years, but it is also a reminder of how angry and depressed I was then. Several years ago I was listening to something hard from then - maybe Manson, Metallica or Korn - and it clicked why I gravitated to it so much. I was such an angry kid and that stuff resonated and gave me an outlet when I had no others. Still love listening to it, but thankfully now it’s for my love of nostalgia rather than identifying with the rage.
I weighed over 270 in May and now I’m down to 233. I’m planning to keep dieting intensely until I get to about 210 but I wonder how far I have to go until I don’t like obese anymore. I’m 5’10. I’m also for the most part still wearing the same clothes and that might contribute to looking heavier just wearing oversized outfits.
I don’t want to be like Kirstie Alley and lose 100 pounds and then gain 100 pounds and then lose 100 pounds, etc. So I’ll have to be careful from now on but at least give myself a break sometimes.
I'll second the endorsement of the virus lab leak theory. By this point it's up to them to prove it's not vs requiring me to prove it is.
The Econtalk interview with Amor Towles (Aug 29) about "A Gentleman in Moscow" is very good. I'd not heard him interviewed before, so learned a lot. He talks a lot about the writing process -- he is an outliner; writes in the morning, and more. He does love to talk, but he is interesting. I read that book 4 years ago and now will go back and read it (i.e. listen to it) again. He spaced out the depicted events in what he called an "accordion" fashion -- e.g. 1,3,6,10 days, 2,4,8,16 weeks, 2,4,8 years, and then back down in the same period. Interesting approach and it had not occurred to me that he had done this.
I don’t identify as a feminist, but you talked about “choice feminism” last week and I suppose that’s how I’d qualify myself. Anyway, I wanted to share one of my favorite anecdotes on the topic: When I got married 7 years ago, I decided to take my husband’s last name. My husband didn’t expect that I would, but it felt right to me. Several years later, I found out that one of my very good friends had just assumed that this hadn't been my choice, that there was some coercion involved to take my husband’s name. This friend knows me (and my husband) really well, and SHE ABSOLUTELY KNOWS BETTER than to jump to this conclusion, and yet couldn’t shake her mindset that Feminism = XYZ, which includes keeping one’s maiden name. Sigh.
Does seem strange to assume that. A lot of feminists change their names from what I’ve seen. Could be anything from not liking your maiden name to just wanting things simpler.
Within my liberal-arts-degree social group (and my larger FB friend world), it’s fairly uncommon at this point to change your name. Growing up, I remember exactly one mother who kept her maiden name, but within overeducated and hyper-liberal circles, it’s now the rule, not the exception.
Several years ago, an acquaintance of mine polled her FB friends about what she should do w/r/t her last name. After a day or two of comments, her husband-to-be joined the discussion, saying "I had no idea this was such a huge thing! Screw it, let's just choose our own last name." So they did!
I identify as a feminist and I’m proud of that. I also changed my name when I got married. 31 yes ago. It felt right and ok, it has a nice ring to it. We have the same initials. No one else’s business. Choice feminism… I like it..
As far as conspiracy theories go, I'm a big believer in the maxim "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity." But yea, Covid probably came from a lab.
Vanity Fair had a great article on this. Some scientists from the Woohan lab visited a bat cave in southern China to do research. They probably caught Covid from the bats. Then they went back to work at the lab. The rest is history.
Birds (especially pigeons) aren't real. Why else do they call that Tennessee town Pigeon Forge?
Covid def accidentally got out of that lab dude. Also I didn't know where to put this so yall would see it but I watched the first part of the Netflix doc about Manti Teo and it seems right up yalls alley. Former college football star gets catfished in front of the whole country. Would love to hear it discussed on the pod. Thanks and keep up the good work!
Funny you should mention that doc. Check out the next episode! (Not a conspiracy.) -- SH
I had considered the Teo documentary but passed it over for Woodstock 99. Guess I’ll be watching the catfish doc after all.
Also, the Woodstock doc made me both sad and nostalgic. I love anything that gives me an opportunity to look back at the music and flannel fashion of my teenage years, but it is also a reminder of how angry and depressed I was then. Several years ago I was listening to something hard from then - maybe Manson, Metallica or Korn - and it clicked why I gravitated to it so much. I was such an angry kid and that stuff resonated and gave me an outlet when I had no others. Still love listening to it, but thankfully now it’s for my love of nostalgia rather than identifying with the rage.
That was a very good and sad documentary!
I’m with Nancy that virus has got to be from the lab! Occam’s Razor.
JFK definitely a coup attempt
UFOs of course they are real 🖖🏽
I weighed over 270 in May and now I’m down to 233. I’m planning to keep dieting intensely until I get to about 210 but I wonder how far I have to go until I don’t like obese anymore. I’m 5’10. I’m also for the most part still wearing the same clothes and that might contribute to looking heavier just wearing oversized outfits.
I don’t want to be like Kirstie Alley and lose 100 pounds and then gain 100 pounds and then lose 100 pounds, etc. So I’ll have to be careful from now on but at least give myself a break sometimes.
I don't belive in UFO conspiracies. Instead I like the Don Henley song "They're not here, they're not coming." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUQ_gj-biIc. or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79rAhn2A8Kk&t=9s.)
Nor do I believe in Kennedy assasination conspiracies. I believe the author of "Case Closed" got it right. (https://www.amazon.com/Case-Closed-Harvey-Oswald-Assassination/dp/1400034620/ref=asc_df_1400034620/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=353874173411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6730057154051957622&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015537&hvtargid=pla-489699041481&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=71634025176&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=353874173411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=6730057154051957622&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=1015537&hvtargid=pla-489699041481) Sometimes small men can kill great men.
Instead what I would like to suggest is the idea of subliinal advertising. (https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2017/10/24/subliminal-advertising) It's possible there may be some truth to this idea.
So-called Conspiracies I believe:
Lab leak
Vaccine injury
Pharmaceutical industry is not your friend generally
Government supports industry (big agriculture for instance) over us
The cakes look good! What kind?
I'll second the endorsement of the virus lab leak theory. By this point it's up to them to prove it's not vs requiring me to prove it is.
The Econtalk interview with Amor Towles (Aug 29) about "A Gentleman in Moscow" is very good. I'd not heard him interviewed before, so learned a lot. He talks a lot about the writing process -- he is an outliner; writes in the morning, and more. He does love to talk, but he is interesting. I read that book 4 years ago and now will go back and read it (i.e. listen to it) again. He spaced out the depicted events in what he called an "accordion" fashion -- e.g. 1,3,6,10 days, 2,4,8,16 weeks, 2,4,8 years, and then back down in the same period. Interesting approach and it had not occurred to me that he had done this.
Zucchini bread
As for Judas Priest, I do hope you take "Electric Eye" seriously.
https://images.app.goo.gl/qA3Bnnuvwfy9TqWQA
We are one big petri dish for a universe that is chock full of beings superior to our barely-evolved monkey brains.