Published in The Arctic Circular·PinnedAlito Is Right, Roe V. Wade Does Need To Be OverturnedBut not now and not like this. The Conservative right is playing with fire. — Roe v. Wade is back. The legal equivalent of the Sharknado franchise, full of hot air, dangerous choices and somehow continuing for an implausibly lengthy period of time. …Abortion13 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·PinnedStop Calling Them Luxury Goods And Designer ProductsWhy not use the phrase ‘twat-tax’ like I do — All of us are consumers, we have to be. We have to buy things, we have to eat, we have to wear clothes and we have to co-exist with our fellow human beings. This is part of what it means to be a human and/or Penguin in the 21st Century. …Society8 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·PinnedI Watched Jurassic World: Dominion So You Don’t Have ToThe Jurassic Era lasted 56.3 million years, incidentally the same length of time I felt I’d been in the cinema — Since my friend Ashleigh got pregnant our once a month drinking meet ups haven’t been as much fun. Yesterday we hit a new low when she arranged for us both to go to the cinema to watch Jurassic World: Dominion. On our normal jaunts what we usually do is pretend…Jurassic World Dominion10 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·PinnedThe Person Behind The PenguinFive things you’re allowed to know about my identity and four things you’re not. — What constitutes your identity? If society is determined that we play identity politics then this is a question I feel compelled to ask. Who gets to define the parameters of who I am. What’s their agenda and why does it matter? Here are five things I think I have defined…Social Justice9 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·Jun 20‘A Tale Of Two Trials’ — No, Amber Heard Did Not Win In LondonThat’s not how the British legal system works (not even if Amber wants it to be true) — TThe Depp/Heard trial and subsequent outpouring has been interesting… an indication perhaps the world is dividing into populations of people who have pre-decided their position and look for strong evidence to support their world view. I have been involved in numerous debates for the last fortnight about the Depp v…Law10 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·Jun 16Can You Be Benign, Neutral And Transphobic All At Once?Some thoughts on being accused of transphobia-in-absentia by the progressive left. — A few weeks ago I threw myself back into the trans-debates with all the reckless abandon of a Penguin with opinions to share. My article was about a Trans-Man becoming pregnant, having a baby and complaining about being misgendered by medical staff. …LGBTQ7 min read
Published in Feedium·Jun 16Beast Mode Enabled: Don’t Overlook The Power Of Acoustic WritingIf you’re struggling to get your writing right, it might be that you’re in the wrong mode for your work. — I I have three main writing modes. For want of a decent listing structure we’ll call them ‘Argument’, ‘Flinging’ and ‘Creative’. Each of these writing styles requires a different mindset and a different style of engagement with the creative process. …Writing6 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·Jun 13Be As Offensive As You Can In The Comments — I Dare YouI want you to really really let me have it. Full on. No holds barred. We all need to go blue every once in a while. — I I want you to indulge me on this. When you get to the end of this article — and it’s going to be pretty short. I want you to go to town in the comments section. …Language4 min read
Published in The Arctic Circular·Jun 10The Two Reasons Everyone Is More Stupid Today Than YesterdaySomething is going wrong with the way we conceive the world and it’s time to find out why. — Your brain is a fragile squishy bundle of neurons packed in a crunchy outer shell. Like an M&M for apex predators. You have no idea how you think. You really don’t. A large percentage of what happens inside your mind happens without your awareness. It’s as baffling and obtuse to…Psychology10 min read
Published in Fuck Niches·Jun 9I Am Done With The Petty Minded Fascism Of AirportsYou do realise I could buy all the weapons I want from duty free? — Okay, so I was told off by a member of the Stansted Airport staff a few weekends ago causing my rage to burn white hot and fuel the conception of this article. My transgression? Not following the waddle-duck rope pattern around for twenty minutes even though the entire fucking thing…Travel5 min read