Welcome back to Lucid, and hello to all new subscribers! This week's essay will publish tomorrow due to a change of topic. The Democratic victories in Ohio and Virginia speak to the popular rejection of GOP extremism and to a popular will to protect reproductive rights. These victories will spur far-right Christian nationalists and other kinds of extremists to double down on their use of threat and corruption to see their agendas prevail. But we can defeat them!
My essay will be about authoritarian gender politics, which for a century have advanced a triad of ideologies and practices: misogyny, hypermasculinity, and homophobia. These work together to devastating effect, especially in situations where voting against them is no longer possible. All the more reason to mobilize where we still have the right to protest and exercise our voting rights to protect bodily autonomy and support communities targeted for persecution.
In the meantime, some Lucid news and business:
I am pleased to report that Lucid is now read in 50 states and 145 countries. Thank you to everyone for helping to build this community of knowledge and solidarity over the past two and a half years. It's more important than ever to have our minds clear from the fog of disinformation and hatred so we can stay united and keep our priorities in order.
There will be no Q&A next Friday, Nov. 10. I will be in Sarasota, FL to speak to veterans and democracy groups on Veterans Day (Nov. 11) at 6pmET on “Fascism at Our Doorstep —and What to Expect Next.” Here is a link to use for the livestream and to get instructions on how to arrange to attend in person if you are in the Sarasota area.
In lieu of our Friday meeting, please email your questions to contact.ruthbenghiat@gmail.com and I will answer some of them in a post this weekend.
Our next Q&A will take place on Friday, Nov. 17, 1-2pmET. Thomas Warrick will be our guest. He is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Future of DHS Project at the Atlantic Council. He headed up postwar planning for Iraq at the State Department, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary for Counterterrorism Policy at the Department of Homeland Security (2007-2019).
A reminder that these informative and supportive gatherings (and bonus content beyond the main weekly essay) are only for paying subscribers. If you'd like to join us, you can sign up as paid or upgrade here:
Did you know that the Lucid home page now has a Support tab? Many of your questions about subscriptions, payments, links for Q&As, and policies can be answered there. If you run into trouble, please direct all questions to me at contact.ruthbenghiat@gmail.com.
Finally, as I was editing this post, I received an email from the audiobook publisher of Strongmen informing me that as of today the audiobook is available at a 60% discount. Here is the link to take advantage of that for yourself or as a gift.
Finally, here is a photograph of the Hudson Valley taken in early fall. The sky, the trees in transition, the swamp-like pond and the earth all work in harmony.
Until tomorrow, stay well and stay lucid.
Thank you for everything you're doing with Lucid. When I stumbled onto your Substack and attended your Zoom meetings I was immediately impressed with your ability to write, and communicate, your research. I also enjoy your calm, measured approach (I'm very tired of ranting and raging in most situations), the fact that you do not stray much outside of your field of expertise (humility is important) and that you respect your subscribers.
Ruth: Thank you for all you are doing! I am thrilled with the growth/ success of Lucid! The international service and comradeship is necessary! The photo is relaxingly noroushing!