The Suburban Women Problem

Last month, Heather Cox Richardson appeared live at the City Club of Cleveland to speak about her new book, Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. With her was Katie Paris, the founder of Red Wine & Blue. 

As Heather reminds us, the past doesn't repeat itself; it rhymes. To understand today's political landscape, we must understand how we got here. This fascinating live chat between Heather and Katie explores the state of our democracy, how we got here, and what we do next.

The Suburban Women Problem will be back with regular episodes starting on Wednesday, April 17!

As Season 2 of The Cost of Extremism draws to a close, we're excited to bring you a final bonus episode. Today, we're joined by @JoJoFromJerz for an in-depth conversation about three stories that are particularly relevant today.

First, we have author Seyward Darby from episode 5, The Crunchy Mom to Alt-Right Pipeline. During our interview about white women’s role in the alt-right supremacy movement, Seyward discussed the historical portrayal of white women as martyrs. From literature to popular media, the image of the sacrificial white woman has been perpetuated through countless depictions, all in an attempt to recruit more followers into their white supremacy organizations.

Then we have Cherisse Scott, the founder and CEO of Sister Reach, a non-profit that supports the reproductive autonomy of their community through the framework of Reproductive Justice. In episode 1, Crisis Pregnancy Centers: An Anti-Abortion Healthcare Crisis, Cherisse highlighted the different ways Sister Reach has worked to meet people where they are in their advocacy work. 

Finally, we have Nic Stone from episode 2, The Growing Movement to Ban Books. As the New York Times Bestselling author of Dear Martin and other young adult books, Nic theorizes that the push to limit access to specific books originates from a fundamental lack of appreciation for reading among those advocating for bans.

Crunchy moms and trad wife online content may seem innocent, but when you take a closer look, you start to see evidence of white-power ideology and conservative radicalization. So what happens when you go so far left that you end up alt-right?

In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll take a deep dive into the crunchy mom to alt-right pipeline, its ties to extremism, and the role social media plays in the radicalization of women.

On college campuses across the country, Turning Point USA is radicalizing a new generation of conservative extremists in an attempt to mobilize young Republican voters and build an alt-right movement backed by billionaire donors and political insiders. These alt-right extremists are wrapped in a neat package, presented as polished frat boys wearing chinos and boat shoes, making them digestible for a wider audience and more dangerous than ever.

In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll examine why this radicalization occurs, the impact Turning Point USA has on American politics, and how we can end this movement before it’s too late.

Across the country, conservatives are looking to overhaul K-12 public education with right-wing curriculums that contain misleading and inaccurate claims about slavery, racism, immigration, and LGBTQ+ history. 

In this episode of The Cost of Extremism, we’ll take a deep dive into the impact these curriculums have on public education, the harm they inflict on our children, and where they could be heading next.