Chase > Recent Status Updates

while i'm aware of the research purpose of the experiments the author is discussing here, i can't help but be incredibly amused by the fact the author spent over a year on a social experiment entirely revolving around feeding bees and then gaslighting them by moving their house around

oh wait nevermind she just brought it up

given the the historical proximity in time and geography between middle + late egyptian dynasties and ancient abrahamic cultures around judea and samaria, i'd even go as far as to say it's likely that the prominence of serpents in ancient egyptian culture may have even directly influenced the abrahamic perceptions of snakes, through their preexisting cultural avoidance of pagan practice.

the author was just talking about how pre-christian cultural history shows fear of snakes is not evolved, and used baltic pagan folklore to evidence it. while she's right about those cultural traditions, i'm rather shocked she neglected to mention the entirety of ANCIENT EGYPT, who's organized religious structure featured snakes almost more than any other animal. [note 1/2]

and now he's using the COVID vaccine development cycle to recommend deregulating FDA approval timelines. in the era of fake medicine grifters and RFK, no less.
i wish i was exaggerating, this is such an abhorrently terrible idea that i can't even find the words to adequately articulate it.

i am genuinely appalled and disgusted by the casual way Mr. Klein recommends loosening widely approved and necessary regulations such as local disability access laws, state funding oversight, judicial review of environmental concerns and appeals of eminent domain. then he goes out of his way to praise the use of a state of emergency to EVADE FINANCIAL OVERSIGHT AND BYPASS CONSTRUCTION SAFETY REGULATION. repulsive.

i tried to start this book in good faith, despite my distaste for ezra klein. i got 30% of the way through before my irritation with this man's civil engineering input boiled over. did he seriously just blame WORKSITE SAFETY REGULATION for the worsening productivity of the american construction industry? yup. and worse yet, he did it based on feedback from a CONSTRUCTION COST ESTIMATOR. talk about disingenuous

wow, it's not explicitly mentioned (yet) but this history really highlights the way fundamentalist christian parenting became a pipeline that drew "crunchy" skeptic parents (prior to the advent of the term) into evangelical christianity and amplified their nascent anti-science beliefs via parent blaming into the modern day RFK jr led science denial movement of anti-vax and dangerous fake "autism cures"

much of the toxic parenting rhetoric seen in these evangelical parenting philosophies, once they became more stigmatized by secular gen X parents, maintained their insidious roots in the cultural subconscious and thus were easily stripped of their religious aspects, backfilled with misappropriated pop psychology, and funneled into the wellness cults that compose the modern american troubled teen industry.

i've unfortunately had the displeasure of a longer history with christian nationalism than the average american, largely because of the more direct effect such rhetoric and policy has on my life and my loved ones.
i'm reading this book among other similar titles because my anger is an exhausting and ineffective approach to deradicalization, and such efforts will be necessary when the time for reconstruction comes.

niCe

i appreciate how thoroughly the author addresses scriptural interpretations misattributed to conservative "christian" antifeminist and homo/transphobic talking points. however, i would add the Leviticus 18:22 aramaic-to-greek mistranslation of "boy" as "man" (thus, ironically, obscuring its purpose of condemning pedophilia by clergy). that said, as a gentile the author may not have a direct hebrew translation

i greatly appreciate the way the author makes note of the dishonest and often antisemitic representations of the pharisees as universally corrupt and unilaterally responsible for "killing christ". i particularly appreciate the way he directly addresses the falsehood of the idea that all pharisees were oh-so-happy about his execution and the lie that the romans were somehow hesitant about it. thanks!

can't say i'm surprised to hear that joe rogan screwed over kamala harris, but i'm certainly disappointed