Diabolical Lies

In this conversation…Caro & Katie talk about abortion in America, starting with leaders in the evangelical church recognizing it as a political tool in the 1970s with which to gain power in the face of unwanted desegregation, to the profound discomfort that modern politicians across the spectrum express about the subject—that is, until maybe, right now. It turns out that American women have never actually been guaranteed the freedom to get an abortion, and to begin changing that, we need a new moral framework.References, Bonus Reading & Timestamps, Oh MyReferences“An Irish Problem,” a knock-your-socks-off essay by Sally Rooney about something that is also, incidentally, An American Problem“Hillary Clinton’s Moral Conflicts on Abortion,” a 2016 profile in The Atlantic that feels, in retrospect, like such an ambulance siren warning for the years to come that it might just inspire you to quit your job, spend a decade or two building a time machine, and go back in time just to try that much harder to get Bernie across the finish line at the DNC“Obama Says Abortion Rights Are Not a Priority,” a 2009 Reuters article that will make you realize the time machine needs to take you back earlier“Jimmy Carter Says Jesus Would Not Support Abortion, Revealing ‘Only Conflict’ Between His Politics and Christian Faith,” an article that will make you say fuck it, the time machine effort is pointless, and inspire you to smash the time machine in a field, Office Space-style, because when it comes to Democrats dropping the ball on abortion, the limit does not apparently exist “Doctors Agreed Her Baby Would Die 3 Months Before She Was Forced to Give Birth,” a Rolling Stone story of a Florida woman who was psychologically, physically, and financially tortured by Ron DeSantis’s abortion lawsThe Turnaway Study (2008), a 10-year longitudinal study of nearly 1,000 women who sought abortions—some of whom accessed care and others who were denied it—that found not only do women who get abortions not regret it (95% reported it was the right choice in the years that followed), but those who don’t receive care accurately predict the hardships they will encounter after being denied care“The Obstacle Course Facing Those Seeking Abortions,” a 2021 interview with reproductive rights expert Carole Joffe that offers insight into just how shitty our “golden age” of reproductive rights under Roe really was“The Religious Right and the Abortion Myth,” a 2022 piece in Politico in which old quotes from Christianity Today prove how little church leaders cared about abortion, and how in 1971, the delegates to the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution calling for the legalization of abortion, a position they reaffirmed in 1974 and again in 1976 (one year and three years after Roe v. Wade, respectively)Bonus Reading/Listening“The New York Times’ War on Trans Kids,” a truly stellar episode of If Books Could Kill that highlights the Republican strategy of taking a microscopic statistic/nonexistent “problem” and using it to delegitimize an entire civil rights issue“Abortion Is Ancient History and That Matters Today,” a lovely CNN debunking of the “abortion = modernity” fallacy we see everywhere“The Brilliance of Safe, Legal, and Rare,” an Atlantic article highlighting the most annoying “pro-choice” rhetorical argument of all timeTimestamps 0:00 - this episode brought to you by…1:15 - Diabolical Lies makes its first-ever presidential endorsement!!!2:30 - lil explainer on how today’s conversation will unfold, featuring a deranged metaphor/Dane Cook deep cut about three monkeys fucking a coconut4:42 - meet the first monkey that fucked the coconut: the Republican christo-fascist base <3 <3 <3 12:44 - discussing the OG political pick-me, Phyllis Schlafly 17:01 - meet the second monkey that fucked the coconut: the Supreme Court <3 <3 <3 35:00 - addressing the post-Dobbs, T.S. Elliott-Wasteland-esque landscape we find ourselves in today40:00 - meet the third monkey fucking the coconut, caro’s personal fave: the feckless pearl-grabbing behavior of Democratic leaders over the years <3 <3 <3 51:00 - debunking the absolute horseshit fake-ass drunk history claims of “late-term abortion concerns”59:30 - welcome to part two of the conversation, where we wave bye bye to the monkeys that fucked us (yes, dear reader, WE were the coconut all along! i love a good mid-novel plot twist!) and say hello to a new framework called reproductive justice1:01:45 - enter, stage right: famed Irish author and marxist thinker, Sally Rooney1:08:00 - caro finally follows up on her promise for an optimistic hot take on our current moment lol 1:15:40 - yay we made it to part three where we quit whining and start talking about how to actually solve things (gulp) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.diabolicalliespod.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.diabolicalliespod.comOur first bonus episode! The first 40 minutes of this conversation are available to everyone, but if you'd like to become a subscriber, join us on Substack or Apple Podcasts.In this conversation…A critique of work that best illustrates different elements of the, “I used to be a liberal, but…” media personality that purports to have invented a bold new form of centrist, independent thinking—but upon further inspection, it’s…just conservatism, often cloaked in the language of the left.

Two insightful hosts tackle the political panic surrounding declining birth rates, questioning the motivations behind pronatalist rhetoric. They highlight the disconnect between family idealization and women's autonomy, suggesting economic support as a more effective solution than traditional family models. The discussion critiques nostalgia for past gender roles and exposes the intersection of race, capitalism, and reproductive rights. They emphasize the need to redefine societal narratives around motherhood, capitalism, and women's choices.

The conversation dives into the fervent scrutiny of Taylor Swift's appearance and the cultural implications of cosmetic procedures. It critiques the misleading nature of fillers and the intersection of feminism with beauty capitalism. Societal pressures surrounding injectables are explored, revealing the psychological effects and addictive qualities tied to chasing youth. With personal narratives, the podcast highlights the evolving beauty standards and the interconnectedness of misogyny and race, ultimately advocating for self-acceptance over societal ideals.

What began as a debrief about the ongoing, deeply ridiculous moral panic surrounding a number of celebrities this summer morphed into an expansive discussion about the truth of “celebrity,” what it means to be famous, how we distinguish content from art, and why the context-collapse of algorithms is wreaking so much havoc on our brains.Bonus Reading“Why Is Everyone Mad at Blake Lively?” by Alex Abad-Santos for Vox“Blake Lively on Fame, Family, Good Fortune—And Becoming a Glamorous Jewel Thief for Baz Luhrmann” by Andrew Sean Greer for Vogue“Chappell Roan Confronts the Sickness of Modern Fandom,” by Kelsey McKinney for Defector (the comments on this one are just as interesting as the piece itself!)“Chappell Roan Doesn’t Owe You Shit,” by Lauren Hough on Badreads“Why A.I. Isn’t Going to Make Art,” by Ted Chiang for The New YorkerTime Stamps2:00 — Deep dive of the source material: Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us10:00 — Blake Lively enters the CoHo Cinematic Universe21:20 — What is this online drama with the It Ends With Us film actually about? And what do celebrities owe us, if anything?29:45 — The difference between celebrities and artists32:10 — Let’s talk about that extremely terrible interview clip circulating all over the internet right now37:00 — The medium is the message: how algorithms function as the internet’s dopamine receptor44:00 — Is Blake Lively filling the Taylor Swift conversation vacuum?48:20 — Chappell Roan doesn’t owe you shit53:20 — Why the process of becoming famous necessitates the need to “sell out”1:07:00 — What is the functional difference between content and art?1:15:00 — Liberals have moral panics too1:21:00 — How the moral high ground operates in the internet landscape This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.diabolicalliespod.com/subscribe

in this episode: caro & katie debrief on the bama rush / rushtok phenomenon, through the lens of katie's experience going through alabama rush 10 years ago and the deconstruction process that followed. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.diabolicalliespod.com/subscribe

101s on the latest gender panic event at the Olympics“The Right-Wing Campaign to Purge Women from Women’s Sports” — The Intercept“Boxer in Controversy Over Eligibility Lets Her Gloves Do the Talking” — New York Times“Imane Khelif and Western Delusions of White Innocence” — Al Jazeera“Imane Khelif Fights The World's Greatest Boxers—and Bigots” — Qasim Rashid Substacksome helpful 101s on debunking gender panic/trans hysteriaThe New York Times's War On Trans Kids — If Books Could Kill podcastAlok Vaid-Menon interview — Man Enough podcast “No link between trans-inclusive policies and bathroom safety, study finds” — NBC News“Arguments that trans athletes have an unfair advantage lack evidence to support” — NPRthe zeitgeist giveth an inch, and caro & katie taketh a mile. if you liked this, subscribe for more! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.diabolicalliespod.com/subscribe

Listeners dive into the intricate web of free will and the harsh realities of homesteading versus romanticized ideals. The discussion critiques how social media shapes perceptions of beauty and traditional lifestyles, alongside the influence of benevolent patriarchy on women's experiences. Examining the overlap of agriculture, religion, and extremism, the episode highlights the necessity for women's voices in political discourse. It also addresses the challenges in navigating agency amid indoctrination, questioning the fabric of personal choice within oppressive structures.