Diabolical Lies

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.diabolicalliespod.comIn this conversation…What does it mean to “run the government like a business” in America today? In today’s episode, we scrutinize the fetishization of “efficiency” and the American businessman, the role this valorization played in the ascendancy of our current “leaders,” and what everyone’s getting wrong about how business is done in America today—through the lens of a recent bombshell report that “breastaurant” Hooters is filing for bankruptcy.Got questions? ask@diabolicalliespod.com.References in the Episode“Is Hooters Really Rebranding Because Millennials ‘Aren’t That Into Boobs’ Anymore? Here’s What We Know So Far,” the important, hard-hitting journalism you’ve come to expect from Peter Thiel’s favorite beach read, Evie Magazine“The decline and fall of Hooters,” by Kara Kennedy in The New Statesman“Hooters in Talks for Potential Bankruptcy in Coming Months,” by Eliza Ronalds-Hannon and Reshmi Basu for Bloomberg UK“Chanticleer Holdings and Hooters Ring NASDAQ Closing Bell,” a 2012 Hooters press release“Prison food is the latest target in a campaign to divest holdings,” by Fola Akinnibi for The Los Angeles Times, because nothing says American dream quite like the ROI on mass incarceration“PE Firms Rebrand Prison Healthcare Companies, But Care Issues Continue,” by Syed Hamza Sohail for HIT ConsultantThe Private Equity Stakeholder Project’s report on HIG Capital and Wellpath, and the 1,395 times the “Correct Care Solutions” subsidiary was sued in federal court“PE-Backed Prison Health-Care Firm Wellpath Declares Bankruptcy” by Dorothy Ma for Bloomberg“H.I.G. Capital’s Companies Mired in Regulatory and Headline Risk,” by Eileen O’Grady for the Private Equity Stakeholder Project“H.I.G. Capital puts Hooters up for sale,” by Luisa Beltran for PE Hub in 2015“H.I.G. calls off ‘Hooters of America’ auction,” by Luisa Beltran for PE Hub approximately 10 minutes later lol“H.I.G.-backed Hooters of America seeks a buyer: sources,” by Luisa Beltran for PE Hub in 2018“New Owners of Hooters Plan to Expand Less Offensive Spinoff, Hoots” by Greg Morabito for Eater“Hooters of America sold to 2 private equity firms,” by Julie Littman for Restaurant Dive“Hooters of America Announces Closing of $70 Million Term Loan Facility,” from Stephen Brown on Business Wire“How the Financialization of America Hurt Workers and the Economy,” by Michael Collins for IndustryWeek“The Apprentice, Intro Season 1, Donald Trump,” which is nothing short of an absolute fucking trip to the reality television universe where this man truly shined and should’ve stayedMarjorie Taylor Greene being generally confused about how the government is supposed to work pt. 359235“Trump seeks to run government like a business, for better or worse,” by Brett Samuels for The Hill, which contains some of the bleakest quotes known to science“DOGE is causing the very problem it claims to be solving,” by Shannon Arvizu for The Hill“Trump Quietly Plans to Liquidate Public Lands to Finance His Sovereign Wealth Fund,” by Mark Haggerty and Jenny Rowland-Shea for the Center for American ProgressRonald Reagan contradicting himself for 41 seconds“How Ronald Reagan Tried to Shrink Government Spending” by Christopher Klein for Historyusaspending.gov, a literal line by line accounting of where we spend money“Americans voted for Trump, but don’t support his agenda,” by G. Elliott Morris for ABC News“What DOGE is Doing Across the Federal Government,” by Nik Popli for Timefiscaldata.treasury.gov, where you can learn about the national debt“How Much Is the National Debt? What Are the Different Measures Used?” from the Peter G. Peterson Foundation

In this lively discussion, Lily Phillips, a British sex worker and OnlyFans creator famous for her audacious 100-men-in-a-day challenge, delves into the complexities of sex work. She shares her journey of empowerment and challenges societal perceptions, exploring the impact of platforms like OnlyFans. The conversation highlights the emotional toll and safety concerns sex workers face, while questioning the double standards in societal judgments. With humor and insight, Phillips advocates for a more nuanced understanding of individual agency in the sex work industry.

Delve into the evolving aesthetics of femininity within the New Right, where a woman's appearance intertwines with her political message. Discover the historical dynamics of feminine representation, from traditional roles to the modern complexities shaped by figures like Sarah Palin. Examine the critiques of beauty culture and how they resonate in today's media, particularly in conservative circles. Uncover the intersection of politics and consumer identity, all while navigating the cultural narratives that define gender in the current political landscape.

Discover the intriguing contrast between TikTok and Facebook, delving into their algorithmic impacts on society. Explore how TikTok's rise reflects changing teen preferences while Facebook struggles with user engagement.

Discover the unsettling truth about how the label of terrorism has shifted in America, often misapplied to protestors instead of actual threats. Delve into the complex interplay of wealth, violence, and media, revealing a disconnect between elite narratives and public outrage. Unpack the changing perceptions around CEO pay and the ethical dilemmas faced by business leaders. Explore the harsh realities of American capitalism and its impact on social mobility, while comparing the backgrounds of two very different individuals caught in a tragic narrative.

Isabel Brown, a dynamic content creator and live streamer, dives into the identity crisis within feminism today. She critiques the rise of reactionary feminism and its co-optation by media influencers, questioning what it truly means to be a feminist. The conversation covers how marriage and motherhood may distort women's happiness narratives, the flaws in modern feminist discourse, and the challenges of politically funded research. Brown also explores the intersection of capitalism, reproductive rights, and women's labor, revealing the complexities of contemporary gender dynamics.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.diabolicalliespod.comIn this conversation...Evie Magazine bills itself as a “Cosmopolitan for conservatives,” but is that the best description for this editorial mission? Spoiler alert: No! Today’s sprawling conversation explores every nook and cranny of this dumpster fire of a “media company,” as well as the… uncanny, let’s say, timing of Hannah Neeleman becoming an Evie cover girl and the beneficiary of a glowing NYT puff piece, all in a matter of days.

Caro and Katie tackle the pressing issue of male loneliness and its alarming rise. They dissect the narratives around masculinity and examine how feminism intersects with men's experiences. The conversation delves into the challenges young men face today, including evolving gender roles and emotional communication. They also explore the complexities of patriarchy and its impact on men's vulnerability. With a critical lens, they unpack societal perceptions of masculinity and the influence of right-wing ideologies on contemporary discourse.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.diabolicalliespod.comIn this conversation…Caro & Katie engage in a close read of the viral Free Press debate TikTok that stars a young woman angry she can’t live on a homestead, and accidentally discover it’s uniquely emblematic of the sort of right-wing radicalization we’re witnessing en masse in the United States.

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