Quillette Cetera

Social scientist, Quillette contributor and Heterodox Academy member, Andrew Glover, joined me in September to talk about the current issues facing Australian universities when it comes to viewpoint diversity.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Julian McBride is a former US Marine who served in Afghanistan and then saw active warfare in Yemen while working for the United Nations. Now trained as a forensic anthropologist, he has taught Middle Eastern History at NYU and works as a military consultant and independent journalist.

After suffering PTSD, Julian found solace in art-therapy, which lead him to found a not-for-profit called the Reflections of War Initiative (ROW).

Julian joins me on the podcast to debunk some of the myths that Israel's detractors level at it, and tells me about his experiences seeing true genocides and war-crimes up close.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Just how much cronyism exists in Australia?

Is it true that younger generations are worse off economically than baby boomers?

Is home-ownership good metric for economic success?

Is there a perfect number of immigrants that Australia should allow in?

Why is Sydney's property market so expensive?

All these questions and more are answered in this episode with Dr. Cameron Murray, an economist specialising in property and urban development, environmental economics, rent-seeking and corruption.

His latest book is "Rigged: How networks of powerful mates rip off everyday Australians" and is available for purchase on Amazon.

His website: http://www.fresheconomicthinking.com

His Twitter: @drcameronmurray

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rob Brooks is an evolutionary biologist who focuses on the evolutionary consequences of sexual reproduction. His areas of interest include the evolution of mate choice, the costs of being attractive, sexual conflict, the reasons animals age, and the interconnectedness of sex, diet, obesity, and mortality. 

Leading a dynamic research group known as the SEX LAB, Rob collaborates with other researchers to explore the evolutionary and ecological implications of sexual reproduction. His work is primarily curiosity-driven and often funded by fundamental research programs like the ARC's Discovery program. Rob is motivated to study evolution because of its power to illuminate both nature and the human condition. Currently, he is especially interested in the interplay between evolution and economics, human life histories, sex differences in aging and longevity, the escalating obesity crisis, the relationship between evolution and equity feminism, the evolution of human physiques, the cultural role of Rock 'n' Roll, and the limitations of drawing moral conclusions from the natural world.

Rob's first book, "Sex, Genes & Rock 'n' Roll: How Evolution has Shaped the Modern World," received the 2012 Queensland Literary Award for Science Writing. He also writes a regular column for The Conversation called "Natural History of the Present," which explores how an evolutionary view can enrich our understanding of the modern world and the human experience. In recognition of his contributions to science communication, Rob was awarded the 2013 Eureka Prize for Communicating Science & Research.

His research primarily involves model organisms like guppies, field crickets, and mice, although he also has ongoing projects involving human subjects. Rob currently holds the position of Professor of Evolution and Director of the Evolution & Ecology Research Centre at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. The public is invited to participate in various studies led by his team.

Check out Rob Brooks' writing for Quillette here: https://quillette.com/author/rob/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zoe interviews Virginia Tapscott, a freelance journalist and mother of four from rural New South Wales, Australia. They discuss the concept of care feminism, which emphasizes the value and importance of women's care work, whether it is paid or unpaid. Care feminism is contrasted with dominant feminist rhetoric that sometimes aims to minimize or avoid care work altogether.

Additionally, they discuss Virginia's podcast, My Sister's Secrets, which explores the stories of Virginia and her late sister, Alex. Both were sexually abused by a family member during their infancy. They examine whether this abuse influenced Virginia's perception of men and her desire to have a family.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of Quillette Cetera, Zoe sits down with Christopher HF Mitchell and Jayan Nandagopan, two Australia-based artists whose show, The Marvellous Elephant Man Musical, is now showing at the Sydney Fringe Festival.

The absurdist dark comedy is a crowd favourite and the winner of the Adelaide Fringe 2023 Critics' Circle Award. However, its carefree gags have ruffled many feathers in politically correct circles, so much so that one activist asked that the public boycott the show or demand refunds for tickets already purchased.

We discuss cancel culture in the arts, the story of Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man), the ethics of casting people with different abilities, identity politics, and much more

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Claire and Zoe discuss how overblown the Luis Rubiales and Jenni Hermoso scandal was, and how much they enjoyed Heather Mac Donald's piece about it in Quillette.

Then they go on to discuss the Australian referendum on the Voice to Parliament and how impressed they were by Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's address to the National Press Club, where she made the controversial claim that colonisation had a "positive impact" on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As a Christian lesbian and non-woke artist, Melody Rachel has always felt isolated from the communities she gets grouped into. But as Melody shows, perhaps happiness comes from accepting your own identity as an individual, not from demanding acceptance as a member of an identity group.

Melody Rachel is a multifaceted artist from New Zealand who currently resides in Sydney. Melody hosts the enlightening "You Know I" podcast, where she delves into a myriad of thought-provoking topics—ranging from gender and religion to challenging ideological orthodoxy in the arts.

Melody is gearing up for her one-woman show "Demo" at the Sydney Fringe Festival. The show explores her complex feelings of alienation and polarization as she navigates through various communities—being a lesbian, a Christian, and an artist who thrives on challenging norms.

Melody's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Melodyrachelk

Melody's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@melodyrachel

Info about Melody's show at Sydney Fringe: https://sydneyfringe.com/events/demo/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do we live under a patriarchy? Should women boycott sex with men? What's the Nordic approach to prostitution? Is masculinity celebrated more than feminity?

We cover all that + more in this conversation with Holly Lawford-Smith, a philosopher and academic whose work primarily focuses on topics in political philosophy. Holly has been the subject of much public discussion and debate due to her views on various topics, most notably her advocacy for the protection of women’s sex-based rights and her criticism of self-identification laws for people who identify as trans.

She's also a Visiting Academic in the School of Law at the University of Reading, and a Network Member of the Open University #GenderCritical Research Network.

Check out her monthly contributions to Quillette: https://quillette.com/author/holly-lawford-smith/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Claire and I discuss a complaint lodged with the Australian Press Council concerning one of Claire's articles in The Australian. In her piece, Claire compares Australia's method of treating children with gender dysphoria to Finland's more nuanced approach, which neither affirms nor denies gender identities.

This raises the question: Has the Australian Press Council been influenced by trans advocacy groups like GLAAD? 

Towards the end of the episode, we examine the widespread tendency among both the Left and Right to romanticize the past. We argue that this inclination is not only irrational but can be countered by a thoughtful reading of history, which can provide valuable perspective on contemporary struggles.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices