A new paper by a ‘nonspeaking cyborg kraken’ says society is oppressive because most people speak and hear
This week’s episode of Citation Needed is free to everyone! Every other episode is for supporters only, so if you enjoy this one and want to tune in next week, be sure to subscribe. Your support helps us keep producing the show and exposing the ideological rot in academia.In our first segment, we dig into a brand-new paper on “ableism” by activist Alice Wong. Instead of research, the journal published what amounts to a personal diary entry—laced with profanity—arguing that society is oppressive because most people communicate through speaking and hearing. The author describes herself as a “nonspeaking cyborg kraken” and insists that the “medical industrial complex” is an act of violence against her. We break it down and show how this kind of ideology turns lived experience into scholarship while demanding the impossible: that the basic norms of society be completely reoriented around fringe outliers.Then, in our second segment, we try something new: a lightning round of ridiculous abstracts published just in the last two weeks as theses or peer-reviewed papers. We can’t devote an entire episode to every one of them, but this rapid-fire tour shows just how common this unserious, ideological work has become in academia. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.citationneededpodcast.com/subscribe
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This sociologist says “reverse discrimination” is a paranoid myth. Here’s why he’s wrong.
This episode is free! I (Colin) am flying solo this week—Brad is away on last-minute travel—but this episode will still cover two big stories.A reminder: we paywall every other episode, so when Brad returns next week, that one will be for supporters only. If you want access to next week’s show (and double our content every month), make sure to subscribe today!In the first segment, I break down a recent article in The Conversation that dismisses concerns about “reverse discrimination” as a paranoid right-wing myth. I explain why that claim doesn’t hold up, pointing to very real DEI policies that explicitly exclude white and Asian applicants through job postings, grants, and hiring criteria.Plus, in the second segment, I discuss the tragic Minneapolis shooting carried out by a trans-identifying male, resulting in the death of 2 children and many more injured. I examine how mental illness, combined with dangerous activist narratives about a supposed “trans genocide,” creates a powder keg—and what this tragedy should teach us about the risks of separating vulnerable people from reality. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.citationneededpodcast.com/subscribe
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Cancer drugs and psychedelics convinced this man he’s a nonbinary grandmother named Leela
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.citationneededpodcast.comThis week’s episode is for supporters only—but you can gain access to it, along with every episode moving forward, by becoming a supporter of Citation Needed. Supporters get double the content and help us keep devoting our time to exposing the worst pseudoscience and cultural absurdities out there.
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Top journal Nature wants to decolonize science and replace it with ‘Indigenous’ mysticism
This week’s episode is free, but remember—because we paywall every other episode, if you want access to next week’s episode, you’ll need to become a supporter. Being a supporter gives you twice the content and helps us devote our time to tackling these stories with the right mix of humor and serious analysis.In our first segment, we break down the controversy over the Minnesota Vikings adding two men to their cheerleading squad—not in the traditional male stunt roles, but as pom-pom dancers alongside the women. Is this just another case of men taking spots from women, like we see in women’s sports? Or is it something different? Is allowing men to cross into this female-coded space a threat to womanhood? Or could it be part of the solution to helping gender-distressed youth?Plus, in our second segment, we turn to Nature, the world’s most prestigious scientific journal, which just published a paper calling for science to be “decolonized.” Written by eight Indigenous scholars, it proposes eight steps for academia to embrace “Indigenous ways of knowing” as equal to science—including everything from “data sovereignty” to returning stolen lands. We unpack what this really means, why it undermines universal standards of evidence, and how publishing pieces like this erodes trust in science itself. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.citationneededpodcast.com/subscribe
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New Fat Studies ‘research’ claims Ozempic is fueling oppression and fat genocide
This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.citationneededpodcast.comThis episode is for supporters only. Every other episode of Citation Needed is free, so you can tune in next week for a free one—and if you enjoy it and want access to every episode each week (that’s double the content), please consider becoming a paying subscriber. Your support helps us devote time to digging into these papers, articles, and news items…
Ireland