Porn in Polite Company
In August 1984, Harper’s editor Lewis Lapham gathered a panel of literary types, feminists, civil libertarians, and professional pearl-clutchers to ask the eternal American question: what is pornography, and should somebody stop it?
Women Will Be Equal When Religion is Stripped of Its Veto Power
When it comes to equal rights, the left is as guilty as the right. A lot of the states that blocked the ERA may wear red hats now, but back in the ’70s and ’80s they were blue, run by Southern Democrats...
“Pin The Cock On The Feminist” Revisited (Or Happy Birthday Gloria Steinem!)
NEW YORK — On March 25, Gloria Steinem turns 91, which feels like as good an excuse as any to…
“Free Speech For Me, Shut The Fuck Up For You”
During the campaign and again at his second inauguration, Donald Trump wrapped himself in the First Amendment and sold the country his latest bill of goods about restoring free speech. He railed against “left-wing censorship,” promised to end the weaponization of government power, and declared that dissent would never again be punished. It was all theater. Not even good theater. More like shitty Pigeon Forge dinner-theater theater, all mugging and overacting, no substance, and an audience expected to clap on cue…
Modern Pleasure Myth Draws Seekers in Search of Fulfillment
NEW YORK — Cultural observers have begun treating “Double Penetration Paradise” as a destination rather than a metaphor, describing it as a modern pleasure myth akin to Narnia or Shangri-La. The place is said to exist beyond conventional restraint, defined less by location than by a shared belief that desire, pursued openly, leads somewhere meaningful.
Parental Warning Backfires in Viral Step-Family Scandal
SUBURBIA, USA — A new online video is going viral for showing a blended family unraveling after a routine parental warning backfires. In the video, a mother cautions her impulsive daughter, Gigi, to stay away from her new stepbrother, Juan, a moment that quickly reframes an otherwise ordinary household interaction as something forbidden.
Help a BIG BROTHER Out: Age Verification is Just Surveillance With Better PR
NEW YORK — Everyone keeps pretending Age Verification is about protecting kids, but a story out of The Rage makes it painfully clear what’s really being built. Discord flirted with an age-verification system powered by a startup called Persona, and what was marketed as a simple “prove you’re old enough” check turned out to be a sprawling surveillance apparatus. We’re not talking about glancing at a birthday. We’re talking about face scans, ID checks, device fingerprints, and a backend that quietly decides whether you’re a “risk” based on hundreds of signals you never agreed to think about.
Fido Ain’t Your Fuck Buddy
NEW YORK — You think your dog loves you? Of course he does — he’s happy you exist as long as you feed him and let him sit on the couch cushion you pretend is “yours.” But there are lines even your dumbass dog knows not to cross.
Experts Warn Daughter-Swapping Trend Blurs Family Boundaries
NEW YORK — Family therapists and moral commentators are expressing concern over what they describe as a growing “daughter-swapping” phenomenon, a controversial approach to step-family conflict resolution that critics say replaces boundaries with bold experimentation. Supporters insist the method forces honesty and emotional transparency, while detractors argue it represents a total collapse of judgment thinly disguised as personal growth.