Militant Empathy

On Sex

In 1905 celebrated cocaine addict Sigmund Freud coined the term “psychic impotence” to describe a form of sexual disfunction he had observed in men who failed to realise their arousal because they viewed women in binary terms - either as saintly Madonnas who should not be sullied by their desires, or as sex crazed harlots with whom they should not debase themselves. It’s been some 120 years since the term Madonna-Whore complex was borne out of Freud’s theories, but I still have just a couple of things to say about it. In this feature length season finale episode I’m going to explore this binary stretching all the way back to biblical times - (yes, Biblical Times!). We’ll cover everything from Christian Creation myths, to the medical theories of the Ancient Greeks, the European Witch Hunts, Andrew Tate, the much beloved family friendly Disney classic, Pretty Woman, Trad Wives, and the very concept of demurité itself.

On Justice (ft chat about Jonah Hill, xQc & Sarah Schulman)

The term “justice” has suffixed a lot of political thought in the past decade - transformative justice, economic justice, social justice, environmental justice, reproductive justice, I could go on - but what do we actually mean by justice? And how far should we be willing to go to get it? In this episode, I’m going to take you on a bit of a rambling journey through a series of examples that I think open up some interesting ways of thinking about justice. We’ll be covering themes of ethical philosophy, cancel culture and, for some inexplicable reason, Jonah Hill and xQc. You can also expect lots of discussion of Sarah Schulman’s at times controversial book Conflict is Not Abuse - I hope you enjoy it, I really enjoyed making it.

On Police

Post-2020 it’s safe to say people’s views on “the police” as an institution have been… not so great. Every couple of years seems to herald in some new landmark investigation into police misconduct, and a rotating cast of government officials continue to make bold promises of “root and branch reform” every time a news story hits the headlines - but how did we actually get here? Why are the police like this? In this episode I will take a deep dive into the history of policing in Britain, specifically into the foundation of one of its leading forces: the Metropolitan Police. I’ll also take us into the present day and question the expanding role of the police in the realms of homelessness, mental illness and education.

Summer Break!

We'll be back with you in a couple of months with some BANGERS, sorry about the wait, but it will be worth it.

On Borders

Ever wondered what specifically happens to a person who gets the bubonic plague? Do you know specifically how bubonic plague is relates to the first forms of border control? Do you want to know? If so, then this episode is for you! If not, how does it feel to be a mentally healthy person? In this episode I take listeners through the history of borders and border control, paying particular attention to the history of British migration policy. Expect discussion of the plague (obviously), eugenics theory, Westphalian peace accords, Windrush migration and the Hostile Environment.