A Special Place in Hell

This is the second half of our extremely long interview with Simone and Malcolm Collins! (Part 1 can be found here.)

We discuss gene pools, spanking, why autists are overrepresented in the pro-natalism movement and recount their own love story and evolution into "techno-puritans." Finally, they answer the definitive parenting question: is the harm of screen time overblown?

Links

* Malcolm and Simone’s YT Channel Based Camp, Twitter, and Pronatalist Organization!

* Article in the Gaurdian (featuring That Slap).

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Pro-natalism advocates Malcolm and Simone Collins are here to lead us into the Handmaiden's Tale (or guide us away from it, depending on your view)! In Part One of this very long interview, the bespectacled iconoclasts share their thoughts on how modern society stacks the deck against fertility, especially those seeking to represent the U.S. in the fecundity Olympics (Malcolm and Simone are the parents of four children and hope to have nine more). They also assess the damage caused by the "trad wife" image, explain their views on spanking, caution against the progressive plot to Come For Your Kids, and expound on abortion. (You might be surprised!)In the upcoming Part Two (available NOW to paying members here), the Collinses discuss why autists are over-represented in the pro-natalism movement and recount their own love story and evolution into "techno-puritans." Finally, they answer the definitive parenting question: Is the harm of screen time overblown?

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Links

* Malcolm and Simone’s YT Channel Based Camp, Twitter, and Pronatalist Organization!

* Article in the Gaurdian (featuring That Slap).

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

The girlx enjoy a leisurely news day by discussing Saturday's assassination attempt on Trump followed by the announcement of his VP pick, J.D. Vance. The counterintuitive takes are flying! Are Trump rallies the ultimate experience in "touching grass?" Is Vance's political shift rooted solely in opportunism? Or does his conversion from Never Trumper to "actually I'm starting to like this guy" mirror the political journey of many disenchanted liberals?

Links

* Republican Party Platform

* Melania Trump’s statement

* President Biden’s statement

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This MEMBER ONLY episode is all about parenting, or at least, exceptionally bad parenting. First, they cover the explosive revelations of child abuse in an essay by the daughter of acclaimed writer Alice Munro, before moving onto another essay by Bridget Phetasy, in which she catalogs her own experience as a neglected child of divorce. Is no-fault divorce good for women, but bad for mothers?

Links

* My stepfather sexually abused me when I was a child. My mother, Alice Munro, chose to stay with him

* How divorce never ends

* Meghan's Substack post about Alice Munro

* Meghan’s Unspeakable conversation with Bridget Phetasy about divorce

Podcast production legend Andy Mills survived–and thrived–in the venerable halls of NPR and the New York Times, where he worked for Radiolab, co-creating The Daily as well as series like Rabbit Hole and Caliphate. More recently, he co-created groundbreaking podcast The Witch Trials of JK Rowling for The Free Press. Today, he’s living in the midwest and, along with his creative partner Matthew Boll, trying to build his own platform, one meticulously produced podcast at a time. Is he losing his mind? Or getting his soul back?Check out Andy and Mathew Boll's new podcast, the Reflector:

We need you, we love you. Do you love us???? (Subscribe please, this is degrading.)

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

The ladies bid a fulsome adieu to Pride Month and reflect on its most photogenic moments this year. They then enter a post-partum depression over Thursday's debate, the only treatment for which is heavy doses of copium. Then, an analysis at the most "mid" first lady in history, Dr. Jill Biden, and Meghan sheds white tears recalling her Twitter pile-on of a lifetime by Brave BIPOC Women. Finally, they cap off the episode with a discussion on the difficulties of being a progressive father Just Trying To Have It All.

Links

* First Lady Jill Biden on What’s at Stake in 2024

* Don’t Mess With PhDs

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

In this PAYWALLED EPISODE, the girlx/womxn practice self-harm by watching the Presidential debates from the nail-biting beginning to the eyeball-gouging end. Despite it all, Meghan feels strangely exhilarated by this rare moment of national unity (everyone agrees it was terrible). They speculate about what the Dems were thinking (is it 4D chess or classic incompetence?) Finally, they address some listener questions about their political allegiances. Are the masks finally coming off, revealing their true MAGA selves?

On this episode, the girlx/womxn discuss the "Main Character Energy" of GOP women, inspired by a new article by former guest Rebecca Traister. Are these tanned and toned patriot babes trying to have their cake and eat it too, or are they secretly spitting it out when no one's watching? What are normie feminists missing about the complexities of the cultural moment, and what is the appeal of guns + long hair? Also: a debate over the meaning of "butch." Finally, they discuss President Trump's interview on the All-In Podcast. Has Trump won the womxn over, or has he failed to close this deal?

Special Places require Special Work. Will you be our Special Savior, and support the pod?

Links

* How Did Republican Women End Up Like This?

* Trump on All-In Pod

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

In this episode, the girlx/womxn are slightly late to the party in discussing a long piece on Ibram Kendi's implosion, courageously subverting their audience's expectations in order to side, at least sympathize, with the BIPOC man. Was Kendi set up to fail? Did white people set him up to fail? Is this a (very meta) manifestation of the very white supremacy that the Center for Anti-Racist Research was set up to combat? (Yes, yes, and naturally). They then move on to narcissism in the Instagram-girl world. Is it just normal to treat every waking moment of your life like a scene from a movie? Is "boyfriend" just another word for key grip? Finally, a discussion on short hair on women--is it sexy and subversive, or just another way of turning into your mom?

A Special Place In Hell is a reader-supported publication, as we have yet to find our billionaire benefactor/sugar momala. Please step in and step up—we need you!

Links

* Ibram X. Kendi Faces a Reckoning of His Own (NYT)

* Your Boyfriend Isn't Your Camera Man (After Babel)

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 girlx/womxm listen and learn from award-winning adult film director and screenwriter, Jacky St. James. Jacky details what a day of shooting on a porn set really entails, the effect of "tube sites" on the industry, the wisdom of MILFs, and how cancel culture came for porn (proving that nothing really is sacred). The episode comes to completion with a discussion on the future: AI sexbots and how parents can teach kids about responsible consumption.

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Links

Jacky’s Website

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