Maiden Mother Matriarch with Louise Perry

The internet subculture shaping the new world | Maiden Mother Matriarch 215

Just in the last few weeks, the issue of AI safety has suddenly broken into the political mainstream. What was once a fairly niche debate within the worlds of tech and ph

The chronic illness generation

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with The Telegraph’s Poppy Coburn about a piece she wrote recently on the rise of chronic illness among young women, a

The upside of anxiety | Maiden Mother Matriarch 214

A life without pain sounds wonderful. It would also be fatal. Pain feels bad because it has a job: measuring damage to your body and motivating you to protect it. Every o

What would it take to stop the boats?

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with Ed West about the nativist protests in Dover and Portsmouth, and how the British government might respond. Will t

When hunter-gatherers collide with modernity | Maiden Mother Matriarch 213

Aboriginal people have lived in Australia for at least 65,000 years, surviving as hunter gatherers. 250 years ago, the British arrived, bringing with them industrial mode

The spectre still haunting us

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, I spoke with Nina Power about the power of communism as an ideology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more informati

The Status Game | Maiden Mother Matriarch 212

You may think that you don't care about status. You may tell yourself that since you're not bothered about material displays of wealth, that means that you are above pett

Are mothers oppressed by their children?

In this bonus episode, Mary Harrington and I spoke about the public response to the Lindsay Clancy murder case. Be warned, there are some dark themes discussed. Hosted on

Against Heteropessimism | Maiden Mother Matriarch 211

There is a certain kind of caricature of women that pops up in cultural commentary right now. Modern women, we are told, are inundated with male attention at all times, a

Are young adults actually poor?

For this bonus episode, I spoke with Johann Kurtz about his viral essay 'Young adults are poor despite every metric which suggests otherwise', which was partly inspired b

The post-literate society | Maiden Mother Matriarch 210

Samuel Johnson was one of his history's great readers. He read constantly: while he walked, while he ate, while he socialised. He insisted that one ought to read for five

'Woke 1' was crazy. 'Woke 2' will be crazier.

In this bonus episode for paid subscribers, Rob Henderson and I discussed Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's comments on "woke 1" and the shift towards a new kind of progressive

Does populism end in disaster? | Maiden Mother Matriarch 209

Something called 'populism' is on the rise across much of the world. It's difficult to pin down exactly what the term means, but most of us have a sense that we know it w

Is it wrong to get botox?

In this bonus episode, I spoke to former radical feminist (well, sort of) Meghan Murphy about beauty treatments. How should feminists think about, for instance, botox? Ho

The children divorcing their parents | Maiden Mother Matriarch 208

Back in 2013, the Obama administration endorsed an ad campaign that came to be derisively known as the “pajama boy” campaign. “Pajama boy” was actually an adult man who e

English rebels

In this bonus episode, I spoke with Nina Power about the English village that is seeking independence from the UK in protest at a local asylum seeker accommodation centre

Children should read fairytales | Maiden Mother Matriarch 207

Humans love stories. Long before writing was developed, stories helped people to preserve knowledge, transmit moral ideas, warn against danger, and psychologically prepar

Louise & Helen review 'Obsession'

For this bonus episode I spoke with Helen Roy about the new cult horror movie ‘Obsession.’ Helen can found at Helen Roy Writes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for

In Defence of Stay-at-Home Parents | Maiden Mother Matriarch 206

Feminists have been arguing about the politics of homemaking for a long time. In her 1963 feminist classic, The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan famously compared the sub

The Lucky Country? | Maiden Mother Matriarch 205

I’ve just moved to Australia. I wrote a column about our move in the Wall Street Journal, which was also published in The Australian, but I haven’t otherwise spoken about