Airplane Mode with Liz Plank

Writing like this comes with real professional and personal risk. If you believe it's worth doing, please subscribe. Your support is what makes all of this possible. Can’t do this without you. Quick vibe check on American democracy: Mitch McConnell 84, seven terms, the Grim Reaper of the Senate, his words, not mine, was admitted to a hospital on June 14 and has not been seen by a single human eyeball since. His office won’t say why.

Writing like this takes time: the reading, the receipts, the staring at a wall composing zingers about men who think they’ve done the work. Paid subscriptions are what make that time possible. Free ones help too, and sharing this with your group chat is its own form of love. Thanks for being here. The bar for progressive men is underground, and this week it got a shovel. Graham Platner suspended his Senate campaign this week after a former partner accused him of rape.

Happy Fourth of July divas!! šŸ‡ŗšŸ‡ø Iā€™m Canadian, but I love this country enough to have chosen a career that mostly consists of thinking and writing about it. To celebrate, Iā€™m offering a Fourth of July discount on my newsletter. If youā€™ve been meaning to subscribe, Iā€™d love your support. Independent writing isnā€™t always the easiest job, and every subscription helps me keep doing it. Every four years, the world transforms into a sports bar. Every normal bar is taken over.

I write about masculinity so you feel less crazy and more vindicated. Subscribe. First, a huge announcement and honestly a bit of a pinch-me moment for us: Marc Maron is coming on Boy Problems, and we’re doing it live!! Marc has spent decades saying the things most comedians won’t, about relationships, masculinity, grief, addiction, and getting older.

This takes hours of reading, researching, and spiraling so you don’t have to. Subscribe if you appreciate having a professionally concerned friend in your inbox :) Okay, so I’ve been watching the World Cup like everyone else, which mostly means I’ve become a fake expert on 48 countries I maybe couldn’t have found on a map a month ago. I’m rooting for Côte d’Ivoire against Germany because some choices make themselves. And I’m basically spending every match day praying France doesn’t win.

I've spent years asking questions I'm probably not supposed to ask and occasionally making powerful people uncomfortable. It's cost me more than once, but it's also given me way too many stories, lessons, and rabbit holes to fit in an insta post. Come hang out in my newsletter. This weekend, taxpayer money funded a UFC fight on the White House lawn, and the single cultural artifact that event produced was Lindsey Graham providing overwhelming evidence for the gay allegations.

If you enjoy essays written by someone who spends an unreasonable amount of time thinking about these things so you don't have to, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Everyone says they’re concerned about Ariana Grande. I believe them. Looking at recent photos from her tour, it’s hard not to have a reaction. Ariana Grande doesn’t look merely thin. Her collarbones protrude sharply. Her ribs are visible. Her frame appears dramatically diminished.

This newsletter takes time, research, and a probably unhealthy number of tabs open at once. If you’re enjoying it, subscribing is the best way to support the work and keep it going! Modern therapy culture has made many women exceptionally skilled at understanding the men who hurt them. That’s what kept running through my mind watching the latest season of Couples Therapy. I used to love this show, but lately it’s started to feel almost unethical to watch.

brave! Writing about the rich and powerful isn't without risk and it takes a lot of time and research and a willingness to say the thing out loud. Your support is what makes that possible. If you're not subscribed yet, this is your sign. I need you in the room. Good news! Jeff Bezos has looked into poverty and the problem is actually you.

Writing about this moment takes time, research, and a willingness to say things out loud that are not always comfortable or safe to say. Your support is what makes that possible. Thank you for being here. I’m not doing well. And I don’t think you are either. Here is a partial list of things that have happened like very recently.