Category Archives: Politics

The Brilliance of Being Free: What the DuPonts Can Teach Us About Inequality

I recently took a tour of the Nemours Estate, and from the very first room, the docents kept repeating the same line: “The DuPonts were brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.” The first time they said it, they were talking about AI DuPont … Continue reading

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Stripped of Dignity: My Short Time on Food Stamps

I was on food stamps for a short while in my 25th year. A broken right hand made it impossible to do my job. I lost my income, and nobody would hire someone with a broken right hand. I couldn’t … Continue reading

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The Manufactured SNAP Crisis: A Nation’s Moral Reckoning

As the government shutdown drags on, nearly 42 million Americans are staring down an uncertain future. The Trump administration has announced it will not tap into emergency funds to maintain SNAP benefits beyond October, leaving millions without the food assistance … Continue reading

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From Personal Trauma to Systemic Abuse, the Antidote is the Same

The same dynamics I experienced as a child–unpredictable abuse, bystanders who froze, and systems that protected the abuser–are now playing out on a much larger scale in the world. In medical systems, the same patterns repeat. People suffer abuse, neglect, … Continue reading

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Charlie Kirk’s Philosophy: A Neurobiological Perspective

Charlie Kirk’s ideas are under debate, and many people use his words to promote political agendas or cultural narratives. My goal is to consider his philosophy from an objective neurobiological view and its implications for human well-being.  From an Interpersonal … Continue reading

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Conservatism’s War on Human Health

The current form of American so-called conservatism, particularly as it has evolved under Trumpism and aligned with far-right movements, is so biologically adverse in that it promotes conditions that undermine human nervous system regulation, relational safety, and social well-being. This … Continue reading

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Unhoused by Design: Trauma, Culture, and Survival

The Trump administration’s attacks on unhoused people have drawn intense controversy, and for good reason. Instead of addressing the structural causes of homelessness, like skyrocketing rents, stagnant wages, inaccessible healthcare, and systems that fail to support trauma recovery, the focus … Continue reading

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Why Hierarchy Is the Problem

Hierarchy creates the separation that promotes contempt, which is the breeding ground of cruelty. From an Interpersonal Neurobiology perspective, hierarchy disrupts the natural processes of connection, safety, and co-regulation that support human well-being. In relationships or systems where hierarchy dominates, … Continue reading

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The Patriarch’s Ledger: A Tale of Power and Estrangement

Several years ago, my brother told me that he intended to leave his multi-million dollar estate to my sister, me, and our female children, because he understood that women are at a disadvantage in this culture. It struck me as … Continue reading

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Hidden in Plain Sight: Predators, Power, and the Systems That Shelter Them

I didn’t set out to study the neurobiology of predators. I got there by surviving them. My interest in this work comes from a long history of being harmed by people in power, capped by what is known as “The … Continue reading

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