A Special Place in Hell

Do all dogs go to heaven? Or just those euthanized by Strong Republican Women? Like Kristi Noem (with a dash of Glennon Doyle?), the girlx/womxn prove they Can Do Hard Things when it feels right. Listeners will be dismayed to discover that what feels right today is agreeing with the overturning of Harvey Weinstein case in New York and poking holes in the witness testimony. Act 3: Women's tears: a discussion. (Again.) Relevant Links * The Guardian on Kristi Noem * JoAnn Wypijewski's 2020 article in The Nation on Weinstein This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com How is a cruise like BDSM? How is BDSM like this podcast? The girlx/womenx begin by clearing their throats about the last episode (TLDR: we are sorry you are mad), and Sarah recounts her tragic, abusive childhood (and in so doing provides living proof that hurt people hurt people). They then move on to the chaos at Columbia, sidestepping the political discussion entirely to wave their canes at the damned kids. Nothing in life is free, and especially not this podcast. To hear the full version, click on the red button. If you are a paying subscriber, thanks and welcome! Link to the YouTube video is below. Links * CRYING MYSELF TO SLEEP ON THE BIGGEST CRUISE SHIP EVER by Gary Shteyngart * No Dorm or Dining Hall: Ilhan Omar’s Daughter Recounts Protest Arrest * Isra Hirsi, Ilhan Omar's Daughter, On Columbia Arrests, Barnard Suspension, Palestine Protests Feeling alone? Want to “touch grass” and “make friends” and “feel like a person worthy of authentic human consideration”? Sign up for the next Unspeakeasy retreat, here!

In the wake of the solar eclipse, the girls/women contemplate the state of American leisure, particularly, the Supposedly Fun™ pastime of cruise vacations. After taking an intermission to defend the TERF Queen from the usual suspects, they (aka Sarah) chastise second generation immigrants for being ingrates. Finally, another argument about psychotherapy (sorry!). Feeling guilty about freeloading? Subscribe and find relief (and bonus episodes)! Links: * CRYING MYSELF TO SLEEP ON THE BIGGEST CRUISE SHIP EVER by Gary Shteyngart * Activist faces 18 felony counts for allegedly threatening Bakersfield City Council * SHIPPING OUT by David Foster Wallace * Tweet by Rivkah Brown on JK Rowling This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

Our fearless heroines return once again to defend the indefensible. First, they throw their hat in with the chaotic billionaire of Twitter/X, no not Elon Musk (although him too), but terf-queen J.K. Rowling. Why is Scotland so fascist? Should America invade that country, if for no other reason than to water down those unintelligible accents? Then they ruminate over class, wondering why everyone is afraid of rural whites. Finally (and probably inevitably) Meghan defends the honor of Woody Allen, who she suspects is the Real Victim. All that said, we all know that the real victim is Justice – and also, you the listener. Links An Utterly Misleading Book About Rural America by Tyler Austin HarperTwitter/X thread by Hussein Aboubakr Mansour A Son Speaks Out, Moses Farrow on Woody Allen and Mia Farrow This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com On this live-streamed (and members-only) episode, the girls/women ponder the merits of yet another titillating essay by Pulitzer Prize winner and aspiring female Andrea Long Chu, who argues that transition should be understood and accepted as a matter of choice, of a “freedom of sex”. Has Chu finally gone too far? Or is this a preview of our glorious genderf*ck future?Then, Sarah finally reveals her misogynoir, appalling Meghan, who is still reeling from her last encounter with Intersectionality Twitter. Finally, they discuss yet another essay by Grazie Sophia Christie, a rising star in the personal essay genre (so say we). Is petty female envy the reason women will not take us to Mars? Did you know? Paying subscribers get bonus episodes AND unedited livestream videos! You read that right: For only $7/month, you can witness a more authentic version of us, feeling closer to your she-ros than ever before. Is this the beginning of a true (parasocial) love? Subscribe to find out. Links Freedom of Sex The moral case for letting trans kids change their bodies My Beautiful Friend

On this very long episode, the girls/women discuss the recent New York Magazine piece on Andrew Huberman’s allegedly womanizing ways. Meghan defends the magazine fact-checking process, but Sarah finds the whole thing disgusting. They both agree that attempting to optimize your poops is psychotic, unless of course it is done in the name of Science. They then move on to age gaps in dating, and whether Sarah is trash for dressing for the Male Gaze. Our little Special Place is supported entirely by listeners. Help us keep it going by becoming a paying subscriber, and get access to bonus episodes and the comment community! Links New York Magazine: Andrew Huberman’s Mechanisms of Control The Cut: The Case for Marrying an Older Man This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This week, the girls/women are joined by writer Larissa Phillips, and the three discuss her recent essay in which she recounts her violent rape in the early 90s. Larissa shares her thoughts on the helpfulness of “trauma” discourse on recovery, the #metoo era, and the tension between personal responsibility and public trust. They also touch on Larissa’s work in adult literacy, a subject Sarah finds especially interesting, as she’s still learning how to read. Relevant Links Larissa’s Essay in Quillette After Rape: A Guide for the Tormented by Celeste Marcus On Not Being A Victim by Mary Gaitskill, Harper’s Magazine, March 1994 Know someone who would love this episode? Gift a paid subscription! This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

On this episode, the girls/women bicker about the value of human life. Maybe fewer humans is better for humanity? Or maybe population collapse will send us spiraling into extinction, which would be terrible for our subscription growth. Is there anything we can do to stop the ongoing panda-fication of our youth? Or will the kids just happily lay around eating bamboo, never reproducing, but always looking cute. Paying subscribers get most episodes early, plus bonus episodes just for them. Links Ezra Klein Podcast: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/19/opinion/ezra-klein-podcast-jennifer-sciubba.html?smid=url-shareQuit Your Job on Palladium: https://www.palladiummag.com/2022/01/06/quit-your-job/ This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

Inexplicably, the girls/women are graced by the Edward R. Murrow of YouTube punditry, the lovely Ana Kasparian, executive producer and co-host of the long-running political commentary show The Young Turks. Ana guides us through the old and new media landscapes and shares the alarming experience at the root of her heterodox awakening. The girls/women share their frustrations with the Left (a first!) and wonder whether friendships discourage intellectual honesty (except the one with their new bestie Ana of course!!!). Finally, the hosts receive some tips on improving their grift. Know someone who would love this episode? Gift a paid subscription! Housekeeping 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

Become a member if you want full access to all episodes. On this episode, the girls/women are joined by Mia Hughes, author of the groundbreaking report based on files released from the internal messaging forum of the leading authority of transgender healthcare (“WPATH”). The report confirms some of the worst fears of critics of the gender movement—the files reveal widespread disregard for medical ethics and patient outcomes or overall well-being. Mia guides us through the evolution of WPATH, its peculiar membership, and what makes this a particularly challenging scandal to address. Links: The WPATH Files: Pseudoscientific surgical and hormonal experiments on children, adolescents, and vulnerable adults Know someone who would love this episode? Gift a paid subscription! Housekeeping 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com The girlx/womxn discuss an essay on Women’s Bodies. Is there no end to the misery of being female? Or are men more oppressed, first and foremost by their boners? They then move on to moralizing about Kids These Days™. Have smart phones made an entire generation basically learning disabled? Or is it the hormones in the water? (And here we thought zoomer TikToks were incomprehensible because we are old — or, in the case of Sarah, old-adjacent.) Relevant Links “How Feminism Ends” by Ginevra DavisReddit Post on Students and Falling Standards HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok.

Today in hell, the girls/women find themselves divided by a much-discussed personal essay in The Cut about divorce or near-divorce (or the dream of divorce?) Meghan stands up for creative license (even when suspended), while Sarah sips on some haterade. In moments, the girlxs’ differencex seem irreconcialable, but they eventually decide to stay together for the sake of the kids (aka paying subscribers). Plus: Meghan attends the premiere of film version The Coddling of The American Mind in a packed and anti-fragile theater in Beverly Hills. RELEVANT LINKS “The Lure of Divorce” by Emily Gould from The Cut. The Coddling of The American Mind Movie. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com Our episode with Sam Harris is for premium subscribers only. Free subscribers only get the first 50 minutes. Become a member if you want early access to all episodes and get access to the bonus-only episodes. Respected public intellectual and ultra-meditator Sam Harris makes another questionable career choice by joining us in our Special Place. Though he rarely broaches the subject of GEND*R, he willingly risks it all (especially considering our massive audience) and strides boldly across the minefield of explosive topics we lay out. He also shares his thoughts on audience capture, religion, cats, stoicism, and (naturally) Taylor Swift. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok.

In this first-of-its-kind livestream, the girls/women begin by discussing whether Taylor Swift is “mid,” as the males of Twitter proclaim. They decide that she’s still highly desirable (because if she isn’t, then what does that say about podcasters!?) Then, then ponder why young women appear to radicalizing into extreme leftist politics. Is it just about the vibes? Or are Women Going Their Own Way (WGTOW), now that the men have failed to launch? RELEVANT LINKS “A new global gender divide is emerging” from the Financial Times Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com This episode is for paid subscribers only. Become a member if you want early access to all episodes and get access to the bonus-only episodes. The girls/women discuss Kate Manne’s new book on fatphobia, Unshrinking, and its recent excerpt in The Cut.Also, who has done more for body positivity: feminists or the Kardashians? Are anorexic models the result of gay men controlling the fashion industry? And why did everyone start to get fat in the 1980s? Is it because food became laced with preservatives and endocrine disruptors? (Or do we blame working moms?) Finally, is nutrition a real science or a dark art? RELEVANT LINKS “Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia” by Kate Manne. Kate Manne’s book excerpt in The Cut. “Fat positivity is a fantasy” by Kat Rosenfield for Unherd. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok.

In this episode, a brief discussion on audience demographics. Then, a characteristically philosophical discussion on polyamory and how to find happiness despite being trapped in a crappy life. Lastly, a look at the groundbreaking NYT expose of problematic emails at the Claremont Institute. Finally, journalists do something useful. RELEVANT LINKS “‘America Is Under Attack’: Inside the Anti-D.E.I. Crusade” from the New York Times. “Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals” by Oliver Burkeman. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This week, the girlx compare notes about how they spent Martin Luther King Day, and Meghan recalls one of her first public speaking events. They then analyze the rise of Twitter trad bros advocating for stupid but hot stay-at-home wives, wonder if high IQ women have a “tall girl problem,” and marvel at how polyamorous people manage to “have it all.” RELEVANT LINKS “How a Polyamorous Mom Had ‘a Big Sexual Adventure’ and Found Herself,” from the New York Times. “Interested in Polyamory? Check Out These Places,” from the New York Times. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

Legendary radio host, comedian and Scarily Acute Observer of Human Behavior Adam Carolla visits the pod to discuss the girlx favorite question: has the entire world become feminized? It’s been 13 years since the publication of Adam’s stunningly prescient book In Fifty Years We’ll All Be Chicks. How did Adam get it so right, so early? Plus: Why did Adam and his Loveline co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky have a falling out with David Alan Grier? Why Adam is leaving California as soon as his kids finish high school? (And where is he going?) Finally, Adam gives Sarah and Meghan tips for podcasting success and explains why a career is nothing more than a bunch of hoses in a trough. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

Embattled Harvard president Claudine Gay is out. Who has the goods to replace her? And what are those goods, anyway? Then, why are business influencer bros telling lonely men to “wife up?” Does a traditional wife get you the best possible ROI? Or is the trad trend simply a new genre of porn? Plus, Meghan spots her 18-year-old self on YouTube! RELEVANT LINKS Claudine Gay’s Op-Ed for the New York Times. Kat Rosenfeld’s piece about Trad Wives on TikTok for Reason Magazine. Meghan’s piece about Mary McCarthy, The Group, and spotting her 18-year-old self on YouTube. Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit aspecialplace.substack.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit aspecialplace.substack.com Is the White House holiday video a Blank Panther psyop? Are “former progressive friends” who inch slightly to the center victims of the right-wing cult? And what does The Nutcracker have to do with Christmas anyway? Plus: Meghan comes clean about her tap dancing history. RELEVANT LINKS Dorrance Dance’s Nutcracker at the White House. What’s Driving Former Progressives to the Right? Get early access and bonus episodes? Upgrade your subscription. HOUSEKEEPING 💭 Follow Sarah’s Substack, “Hold That Thought.” ☕Follow Meghan’s other podcast, “The Unspeakable” 🥂 Join The Unspeakeasy, Meghan’s community for freethinking women. 🎥 Follow us on YouTube! ❌ And on the platform formerly known as Twitter. 📸 And Instagram. 🎵 And TikTok.