Brute Reason

LATEST ARTICLES ( 570 )

• Occasional Link Roundup

  Hello! It’s been quite a while since I last did one of these, so it’s going to be quite long and include some slightly-older links. Such is life.Speaking of... Read more

  Posted on 13 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• All Nonconsensual Sex is Sexual Assault: How We Categorize and Minimize Rape

  [Content note: sexual assault, statutory rape]People, as it turns out, really love to categorize sexual assault.They like to speculate about which ones are wors... Read more

  Posted on 12 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [guest Post] Thoughts on the Assumption of Good Faith

  Mitchell of Research to be Done wrote this post after he and I and some other friends had a great discussion about social justice and giving people the benefit... Read more

  Posted on 12 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• [repost] At The Edge Of The Known World: What It’s Like To Consider Suicide

  [Content note: depression and suicide]Today is World Suicide Prevention Day. I wrote this post for it a year ago, and I decided to repost it today because I... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• You Remember The Weirdest Little Things

  My routine begins with stripping off whatever uncomfortable, poorly-fitting clothes I was wearing to make myself presentable, and replacing them with athletic... Read more

  Posted on 10 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Herbal Abortions and Editorial Responsibility

  Content note: graphic descriptions of abortions and miscarriagesBeing both a feminist and a skeptic means walking the fine line of critiquing the way science an... Read more

  Posted on 05 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• The Oberlin Hate Crimes Are Not “Just Trolling”

  This past year, Oberlin College, generally known for being liberal and inclusive, had a series of bias incidents–or, more specifically, hate crimes. Read more

  Posted on 01 September 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Making the Normal Abnormal

  Much of progressive activism focuses on making things that seem weird, abnormal, and wrong to many people seem more ordinary, normal, and acceptable. Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• The Law is Not on Our Side

  [Content note: sexual harassment and assault]Many brave writers have described what happened to them when they reported gender-based threats and violence to... Read more

  Posted on 30 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• 812 Miles

  Mile 1Of all the car doors I’ve shut in my life, this one feels the most final.Mile 31I can finally breathe properly for the first time in days or weeks (I’m no... Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Flirting and Sexual Harassment: Not Actually the Same Thing

  I could do a whole series on harmful and irrational responses to sexual harassment claims. First we had the “but it’s a learning opportunity!” defense, and now... Read more

  Posted on 21 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Women Are Not “Mysterious”

  

  I came across this meme in my Facebook newsfeed (with criticism, thankfully):It was shared by the page “Engineer Memes,” which makes sense given the trope that... Read more

  Posted on 17 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• On Memories Of Former Homes

  The market is swarming with people on Friday afternoon. Tables covered with piles of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, bread, and household goods beckon as... Read more

  Posted on 16 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• How to Be a Responsible Devil’s Advocate

  Devil’s advocate is a tricky rhetorical strategy. On the one hand, it can be extremely useful for exposing the flaws in an argument, helping others clarify and... Read more

  Posted on 10 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• On Sexual Harassment and “Learning Opportunities”

  [Content note: sexual harassment]The skeptic/secular community is blowing up with the sadly-unsurprising news that at least one Big-Name Skeptic has been... Read more

  Posted on 08 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Strawmanning Rape Culture (Part Two)

  [Content note: sexual assault]In the first half of this post, I covered three strawman arguments against the concept of rape culture. Read that post first! Then... Read more

  Posted on 04 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Strawmanning Rape Culture (Part One)

  [Content note: sexual assault]Rape culture is a very difficult concept for many people to understand, perhaps because, like many sociological constructs, it... Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “They’re Your Friends/Family/Neighbors!”: On Activism and Appeals to Kinship

  This post may have more questions than answers. You have been warned!For a while I’ve been noticing a certain tension in activism of various kinds. Read more

  Posted on 03 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• There’s Nothing “Sad” About Online Sex

  Many pearls have been clutched over the actions or inactions of the various women involved in Anthony Weiner’s latest fall from grace (pearls that could’ve... Read more

  Posted on 01 August 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “How Do I Get My Partner To Try Polyamory?”

  The title of this post is one of the most common questions I’ve seen people ask, online and off, about polyamory. “I really want to try an open relationship... Read more

  Posted on 31 July 2013 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES