In July 2020, New York’s Montgomery County jail was involved in a horrific court case that claimed they were starving their prisoners. The jail had been feeding its inmates around 1,700 calories a day. The recommended daily calorie intake of the average American adult male is at least 2000 calories a day! Those with religious and medical dietary restrictions weren’t given food appropriate for their needs either, further depriving them of much-needed calories. Inmates’ hair fell out and their gums bled because of this arguably “cruel and unusual punishment”! Read full article here
Culture
The Priest in the Arena
The phrase “man in the arena” has been popularized in recent years, but a lesser known, more dangerous archetype is the “priest in the arena”. This figure is responsible for a process called theocratic capture, where an institution surrenders to a cult demanding unaccountable authority, fueled by claims to privileged knowledge. These cults often target powerful institutions and attempt to monopolize conversations with scaremongering tactics and hostile treatment of allies. It is important to identify and stop theocratic capture before it can gain control. Read full article here
Merv
May 29, 2023
