Brute Reason

LATEST ARTICLES ( 570 )

• The Role of Allies in Queer Spaces

  Why do LGBTQ groups, events, and spaces often explicitly welcome allies–heterosexual, cisgender people who support LGBTQ people and their rights? Read more

  Posted on 19 September 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• I Still Feel Anxious About Communication Every Day

  I get asked a lot about how I set boundaries or communicate my feelings or do anything else in that constellation of terrifying interpersonal tasks. Read more

  Posted on 12 September 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• What’s the Appeal of Anonymous-Message Apps?

  When the latest anonymous-message app, Sarahah, was hitting my newsfeed–everyone seemed to have an account–I initially felt that same mixture of revulsion and... Read more

  Posted on 11 September 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Creating Something Entirely New: Queerness in Steven Universe’s “The Answer”

  

  After two years of not liking Steven Universe, I recently gave it another shot and discovered that I suddenly really like it. (More on that in another post,... Read more

  Posted on 31 August 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Polyamory 201: “Monogamous for the Right Person”

  When it comes to relationships, I usually try to let myself rely on my gut feelings a little more than I do in other situations. Read more

  Posted on 29 August 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “How Can You Be Both an Atheist and Jewish?”

  I get this question so often (especially online) that now you get an entire blog post just on this topic!So, here’s how.1) Judaism is a religion, but being... Read more

  Posted on 25 August 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Canaries in Coal Mines: Early Warning Signs of Abuse

  

  Yes, I’m still alive and writing! I’ve spent the past few months enjoying life with medication for my sleep disorder and focusing on stuff like hiking,... Read more

  Posted on 16 May 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Polyamory 201: Cultivating Jealousy

  The idea that jealousy stems from personal insecurities rather than the actions of the person you’re jealous towards is a common introductory polyamory mantra. Read more

  Posted on 29 January 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• “You’re the Reason Trump Got Elected!”

  

  [Content note: high sodium]Existing around other progressives right now often feels like being back in elementary school. “You’re the reason Trump got... Read more

  Posted on 13 January 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• The Intersection of Guess Culture and Sex is Rape Culture

  [Content note: sexual violence]In discussions about “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” a Christmas song in which a man persistently pressures a woman to stay at his... Read more

  Posted on 08 January 2017 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• (Self-)Care in the Age of Trump

  

  Over the past few years, the social justice and nonprofit spheres have been gradually building an awareness of the necessity of self-care for anyone who... Read more

  Posted on 04 January 2017 SOCIETY

• “Hypocrisy” is Often Just Tribalism

  

  There’s been a lot of left-wing hand-wringing (say that five times fast) about alleged Republican/Trumpist “hypocrisy” lately. They mock our safe spaces, but... Read more

  Posted on 28 December 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Trump’s Mental Health Diagnosis is Irrelevant

  Donald Trump’s mental health diagnosis, if he even has one, is almost entirely irrelevant to any of the questions we are trying to answer about our future and i... Read more

  Posted on 19 December 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Niceness and Kindness

  When deciding how to act, I find it helpful to distinguish between niceness and kindness.To most people, those are probably synonymous; Merriam-Webster uses... Read more

  Posted on 16 December 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• The Importance of Naming Bigotry

  Over and over again this conversation happens:“Anyone who voted for Trump is racist and sexist.”“Well, you’re never going to convince them of anything if you... Read more

  Posted on 13 December 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Yes, We Did Fail to Empathize with Conservatives

  Just not in the way you think.One of the worst developments of this election season–after, that is, the fact that we’ve elected a proto-fascist sexual predator... Read more

  Posted on 11 December 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• The Danger–and Necessity–of Normalizing Our New Political Reality

  A lot of folks have been asking, “How do we protect our own emotional health without normalizing what’s going on?”They’re speaking to the tension between being... Read more

  Posted on 22 November 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• Things Will Neither Be as Good as You Hope, Nor as Bad as You Fear

  

  I. ComfortAs the days went by and nothing anyone said could comfort me, I realized I would have to comfort myself.This is what I would’ve liked to hear in the... Read more

  Posted on 18 November 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• If You Voted for Trump Today

  , I will continue to treat you with the basic respect and dignity that I believe all human beings deserve, even if you don’t believe the same. Read more

  Posted on 08 November 2016 SOCIETY, WOMEN'S ISSUES

• How Should We Respond to Passive Communication?

  [CN: probably skip this one if you think passive communication/Guess Culture is good/acceptable/necessary.]One of my biggest interpersonal struggles is... Read more

  Posted on 04 November 2016 WOMEN'S ISSUES