Micah's Read of the Week, Vol. 117
The origins of the litter box myth, Micah Recommends, New Yorker Cartoon of the Week, and more.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week. Happy Election Day.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting. Check out the archive of previous newsletters here.
Sorry, no newsletter last week. Life gets in the way sometimes. Battled a flu bug. But, we’re back. Thank you for your support.
How an urban myth about litter boxes in schools became a GOP talking point
At least 20 Republican politicians have claimed that schools are making accommodations for students who identify as cats. The school districts say these claims are untrue.
I know it’s election day, and you’ve probably made up your mind and I certainly won’t tell you how to vote. That being said, if there is an elected official on your ballet that pushed this conspiracy theory, they are simply not to be trusted. Either they are ignorant and unfit for service, or they are knowingly exploiting an easily-proven falsehood.
But again, it’s not my job to tell you who to vote for…
At a luncheon for Republican women in Mesa County, Colorado, last week, Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., warned that educators “are putting litter boxes in schools for people who identify as cats.”
To a person not steeped in the culture war battles over gender identity that have engulfed school districts nationwide, it’s the kind of claim that would sound bizarre and confusing — and, from high-profile GOP members, authoritative.
At least 20 conservative candidates and elected officials have claimed this year that K-12 schools are placing litter boxes on campus or making other accommodations for students who identify as cats, according to an NBC News review of public statements.
Every school district that has been named by those 20 politicians said either to NBC News or in public statements that these claims are untrue. There is no evidence that any school has deployed litter boxes for students to use because they identify as cats.
This insane claim has persisted despite the obvious. Who can we thank for throwing gas on this fire of stupidity? Joe Rogan, of course.
In an episode of Spotify’s “The Joe Rogan Experience”, host Joe Rogan told former U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard that a litter box was installed in a school that his friend’s wife worked at for a girl who “identifies as an animal.” A clip of the discussion quickly began to circulate on social media. Rogan did not name the school, and his publicist did not respond to a request for comment.
Seriously, fuck this guy.
This stupid hoax continues in the dumbest circles of the right because it contains two key wedge issues for conservatives: educational accommodations and gender nonconformity.
So some bozos out there believe this garbage. So what? Now, elected officials are parroting this trash, shamelessly exploiting the ignorant for political gain.
So, this rumor started somewhere before it got to Rogan. And unfortunately, the truth is even darker and sadder than you can imagine.
NBC News found one example of a school district keeping cat litter on campuses for students to use — but it had nothing to do with accommodating children who identify as animals.
The Jefferson County school district — where Columbine High School is located — has been stocking classrooms with small amounts of cat litter since 2017, but as part of “go buckets” that contain emergency supplies in case students are locked in a classroom during a shooting. The buckets also contain candy for diabetic students, a map of the school, flashlights, wet wipes and first aid items.
Vote.
Micah Recommends
“The Paddlefish Caviar Heist” Podcast
Big shouts to my friend Helen Hollyman for her new true crime podcast.
Warsaw, Missouri, is a small, rural town of just over 2,000 people. Locally it’s known as the “quiet end of the Lake of the Ozarks.” Very few realize that it’s the paddlefish capital of the world. But when a new group arrived driving flashy, imported cars and dropping hundreds of dollars on bait and tackle, the town became the setting for an undercover federal sting operation tasked with bringing down a suspected international caviar poaching ring.
The Guardian says: “Host and former truffle dealer Helen Hollyman is one fabulous storyteller, providing a podcast where “Parks and Rec meets The Wire”.
Check it out.
The “Letterman” YouTube channel
I’ve found it. The ultimate time suck. Highlighting classic clips, staff favorites, and groundbreaking bits, this is a late-night treasure trove. Be warned, this is a rabbit hole that can consume your entire day. Watch carefully.
The “Back Door Cover” Podcast
We are firing on all cylinders on my sports podcast, Back Door Cover. The Astros are World Series Champions, football is in full swing and hoops are underway. We’re bringing you tons of content each week. Subscribe here on iTunes and get new episodes when they are released.
“The Fighting Life” Substack
This is the first in a series of Substack appreciation posts where I’ll highlight a couple of pieces of writing I enjoy. I hope you enjoy as well.
It doesn’t matter what level of fight fan you may be, I promise you will enjoy this newsletter from MMA journalist Ben Fowlkes. Check out some of his recent work.
Wait, so was all that just so Mark Zuckerberg could go watch some dang UFC fights?
Because if that's what it was? Shutting out fans and media and turning a UFC event into a private party for one mega-rich dude? That's weird, man.
A few weeks back, the UFC hosted a fight card but banned all media and spectators. Very strange.
As of Monday morning, here’s what we know about this past Saturday’s UFC Fight Night event:
– As the event neared, word went out that no fans or media would be allowed into the UFC Apex.
– When asked why, UFC President Dana White made some jokes about wanting to give the hard-working MMA media the weekend off (the joke here was that he was pretending not to hate the MMA media with every fiber of his being – haha!), but offered no actual reasons for this pretty goddamn unusual move.
– Media were still allowed at various fight week events (so they could help promote the event that they weren’t allowed to cover in person). During one media day interview, headliner Mackenzie Dern said she’d been told that the reason for the Apex closure was that Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had rented the whole thing for the night.
– Over on his Twitter, White immediately denied this, calling the Zuckerberg rumor “total bullshit.”
– Then fight night came and, whaddaya know, there’s Zuckerberg and his wife sitting front row. Follow-up social media posts suggest they brought at least a few Facebook executives with them, giving the whole thing sort of a company party vibe.
So. In conclusion? Maybe White didn’t technically lie when he said Zuckerberg hadn’t rented out the Apex. Maybe the UFC just let him take it over for free, with no money changing hands. If that’s the case I suppose my question then becomes: does that make this shit any less weird? Because, let’s be real here, the shit seems pretty weird right about now.
(Lol yeah, no, the mega-wealthy guy enjoying the private fight night is totally all of us. Just your typical everyman kind of experience right there.)
Mostly, though? It’s just weird. Doing all this so one rich guy can watch a fight in person without the rest of us plebes around. And being so proud of it all. As if we’re supposed to be excited that Zuckerberg is an MMA fan – just like us! Even though every single aspect of his appearance there makes it clear how entirely unlike us he really is. Which, maybe, was the whole point after all.
Here’s the first piece that caught my eye from Fowlkes: What's going on with Chuck Liddell? (Or: Why we aren't ready to have difficult conversations about the long-term costs of a legendary MMA career):
The UFC hall of famer's ex-wife says he's showing signs of brain trauma. So why does it seem like we'd all rather pretend that never happens with our aging heroes?
Sounds like things may not be going so well for the big homie Chuck Liddell. The UFC hall of famer and former champ popped up in the news last year when he was arrested for domestic battery. Liddell later claimed he was the victim and not perpetrator, and no charges were filed. A few days after the incident, he filed for divorce. Now he and his ex-wife Heidi Liddell are in a custody battle for their two children, and during a court-ordered interview and evaluation Ms. Liddell made some very disturbing claims with some pretty major MMA-specific ramifications.
“When asked if she had any specific concerns about Mr. Liddell, with respect to his physical health, Ms. Liddell replied, ‘Yes, he’s been knocked out many times and has CTE. He can’t remember stuff and gets stuck on speech. He’s going to have dementia or Alzheimer’s. He has terrible sleep apnea.’ With regard to Mr. Liddell’s mental health, Ms. Liddell expressed concern regarding Mr. Liddell’s depression, his constantly needing to escape through drugs and alcohol, and his impulsivity.”
Obviously, the accusations of an ex-spouse in the heat of a custody battle are a long, long way from a medical evaluation. In general, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) can only really be diagnosed by dissecting the brain after death – not by someone’s ex-wife saying he’s acting weird.
And yet, can we be real with each other here? If you’re looking at Liddell for hints of signs and symptoms that might suggest he’s suffering some consequences from a career’s worth of head trauma, they’ve been there for a while. I remember doing a phone interview with him back in 2012 – about two years after UFC President Dana White had essentially forced him to retire from fighting and used a do-nothing job with the UFC to keep on the payroll and out of the cage – and I remember being shocked by how bad he sounded. He slurred his words. He repeated himself. He kept searching for words that he couldn’t seem to remember. A lot of the interview was pretty much unintelligible. I remember hanging up and, in some weird attempt to make myself feel better about the whole thing, saying something along the lines of: Well who knows, maybe he’s just drunk at 10 a.m.!
There’s no cure for CTE, if that is in fact what this is. Its effects can be mitigated somewhat, but only with medical help. Without that type of intervention, it usually only gets worse. What’s weird is that, as a community, MMA doesn’t seem to know how to react to this. You didn’t even see very many MMA outlets picking up this story about Liddell this week. It’s a possibility that this is a story the major outlets don’t want to touch until they absolutely have to because the implications of it make us all so comfortable.
Well, that’s enough to make me uncomfortable. Fowkles continues:
What’s really wild is that Liddell probably represents one of the better potential outcomes. He’s still one of the most famous fighters in UFC history. The company still seems to care about him. He’s got money and resources and could conceivably get some help to deal with this. That all gives him better odds than probably 95 percent or more of all the people who have ever fought in the UFC. Remember, as bad as some of the stories about retired NFL players have been, those were people with a players association and a pension. MMA fighters have none of that. It stands to reason that there will be more Liddells to come, only without Liddell’s name, money, and resources to help them when they need it.
Laser Wolf Brooklyn
Caitlin and I ate there last week. It was excellent. Big shouts to my wife for securing the rezzie exactly 21 days before our visit, as is required.
Here’s the deal. You pick your skewer, and all meals are prix fixe and include an unbelievable salatim platter, which is an assortment of Israeli salads and dips. You also get an excellent soft-serve ice cream with tahini caramel. I’ve been thinking about that dessert for a week now.
New Yorker Cartoon of the Week
Did Micah practice yoga this weekend?
Not this past weekend. Wouldn’t be prudent with the flu. But, the weekend prior I hit two classes at Y7 yoga in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. They both killed me.
That’s 40 in-person weekend classes in 44 weeks this year. Time to get busy.
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