We start the week with a hilarious essay from Julie Bindel, who recounts her days as a feminist activist in 1980s Britain. Explaining that hypochondria and performative disability are nothing new in these circles, Bindel puts the fragility of today’s activist movements into historical context.

Lesbian Fragility, Then and Now, Julie Bindel — Tragicomic obsession with disability has been part of militant lesbian culture since the Cold War.

Quillette’s Canadian editor, Jon Kay, has long covered the unmarked-graves story that gripped Canadian media and politics in the early 2020s. When the claims turned out to be unfounded (no remains have been exhumed), the press was slow to correct its reporting. In this long read, Jon explains the episode to international scholars: a story of how a moral panic can lead even the most experienced journalists to forgo their usual scepticism and due diligence.

Canada’s Unmarked-Graves Social Panic (2021–26): A Primer for Foreign Scholars
In a recent speech to American academics, Quillette’s Jon Kay explained how Canadians convinced themselves that 215 child corpses had been discovered in an old apple orchard.

Also New

• Other People’s Children, Corey Walker — Nikole Hannah-Jones put solidarity before her daughter’s education.
• Spells that Sell, Kevin Mims — John Updike, Alice Hoffman, and the golden age of “witch lit.”
• On Trauma-ism, Marilyn Simon — Catherine Liu’s new book makes some valuable points, but it misunderstands the trauma culture it critiques.
• Trauma and Terror, Michael Totten — watching the fifth season of ‘Fauda’ will be good for you, but it will also be bad for you.

If you missed it last week, cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker has written a carefully brilliant open letter explaining why he isn’t a doomer about artificial intelligence. Crucially, this doesn’t mean minimising or dismissing the threats—his point is that predictions of human extinction are more akin to religious prophecy than scientific prediction.

An Open Letter to Scott Alexander, Steven Pinker
The dangers of AI are real, but doomerism may be counterproductive.

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That's all from us this week.

A reminder that you can find some of our best essays narrated on Spotify.

If you'd like to write a response to one of our pieces, please send it in to [email protected]. And if you have a query about your membership please reach out: [email protected].

Warmly,
Claire