Ill Conceived

When people obsessed with demographic shift are asked to give an example of a country that does it right, they often point to Israel, whose total fertility rate of 2.87 is the highest in the OECD. But why is Israel's fertility rate so much higher than its peers? This week, Josh and June dig into the history of the Israeli state to see how natalist ideals were embedded into its fabric even before its formal founding and learn how that ideology links to the forcible transfer and expulsion of its native Palestinian population.

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

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EPISODE ART: David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel. Before the state of Israel was established in 1948, Ben-Gurion was instrumental in building support for the concept of a Jewish state in Palestine and led the nascent settler movement known as the Yishuv in its transition to full governance.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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Vivek Ramaswamy, in his campaign to become governor of Ohio, has weaponized rival Democrat Amy Acton's mother to smear her in an October surprise that recalls some of the nastiest tendencies of natalism and the "parental rights" movement. We're talking about it, plus we read your letters about:

"Yeehaw!"

Since its establishment in 1999, the organization Taglit-Birthright Israel has taken hundreds of thousands of young Jews on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Holy Land, encouraging them to settle down and have children in a country with the highest birth rate in the Western-aligned world. This week, June and Josh take a look at how Birthright functions, both as a natalist project and a backstop for The Most Moral Army In The World™ and its ongoing campaign of genocide against Palestine.

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***

EPISODE ART: Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire founder of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Before his death in 2021, Adelson was the single largest funder of Birthright Israel, contributing over $500 million alongside his wife Miriam.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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The Financial Times has published an article that sees falling birthrates as a form of social contagion. We're talking about it, plus reading your letters from the World Famous Mailbag about:

Our babies stay winning!

It's Brit Week here on Ill Conceived and the subject is the born-again Christian, recently deposed Reform UK policy head, and long-time friend of J.D. Vance known as James Orr. From his meteoric ascendance at Cambridge University and Reform UK to his equally precipitous recent crashout (and probable crimes), Josh and June try to figure out how Orr's attempt at bringing American-style Christian nationalism to the UK failed in the short run and discuss what the longer-term project might look like.

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***

EPISODE ART: James Orr speaking at a convention in Phoenix, Arizona.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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A report from this past June found that South Korea's birthrate and marriage rate both appear to be on the rise. Slutcon has unveiled its full schedule and final lineup of presenters. We're talking about it all, plus reading your letters about:

Over the course of the past decade or so, South Korea has become a country where men and women occupy completely different political perspectives and landscapes. It's also one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world. This week, June and Josh look at how South Korea's history of patriarchy and male conscription have collided with a restive and extremely online female populace to create a massive breakdown in gender relations.

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. We also occasionally release other stuff, like this week's dramatic reading of part 2 of the Zootopia abortion comic. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***

EPISODE ART: Yoon Suk Yeol, the 13th president of South Korea. Yoon ran for president in 2022, winning an overwhelming share of the young male vote on an anti-feminist campaign that heavily emphasized young men's grievances. In 2024, with his popularity declining, Yoon attempted to self-coup by declaring martial law, leading the National Assembly to pass emergency impeachment and removal measures. In 2026 he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

We’re cooking up a super-sized serving of Ill Conceived goodness for next week, so in the meantime we decided to dig back into the World Famous Mailbag to read and answer the stuff you’ve been wondering about but we haven’t found space to cover on the main show or the B-sides, including:

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

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EPISODE ART: It's the pig.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

THIS IS A PREVIEW OF A BONUS B-SIDE EPISODE. For access to the full length version of this and every other biweekly bonus B-side, go to Patreon.com/illconceived

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If Nathan Cofnas is to be believed, he’s going to retain his position at Ghent University, in no small part thanks to a petition of support that was signed by nearly 1,000 academics. We’re talking about it, plus digging into the work of Bouke de Vries, a UGhent professor who brought Cofnas into the fold and has published scholarly work with a eugenicist/natalist bent. We’re also making music recs and reading your letters about:

Back in December 2025, when we talked about the book The Bell Curve, we kept running into the Human Diversity Foundation. This organization, which disseminates bunk pseudo-science through its journal Mankind Quarterly and its blog Aporia, has long been dedicated to advancing the white nationalist cause. This week, two news stories broke—one fairly minor and silly, the other devastating and tragic—that find a common thread in HDF, so Josh and June decided to finally do a full episode about this organization and its key figures.

***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!***

***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]***

EPISODE ART: Nathan Cofnas, a proponent of so-called scientific racism who was recently suspended from his doctoral program at Ghent University in Belgium. Cofnas, who is frequently cited in HDF publications and has appeared on their podcast numerous times, published an article to his blog alleging that recently appointed Cambridge professor Jason Arday, who was a black man, plagiarized his PhD dissertation. Though an investigation cleared Arday of the charges, the story gained overwhelming coverage in the British media. Arday was found dead on August 14.

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ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)