I Hate James Dobson

"The Strong-Willed Child" is the gift that keeps on giving. Like herpes. This episode, Jake and Brooke explore the ideologies that undergird this wretched text, as well as all of Dobson's work more broadly: obedience. There's a lot less spanking in this one, it's infuriating for different reasons!

Did you enjoy that break from Dobson? Thinking about how we can make the world a better place for everyone? That was nice, huh. Anyway, that's not what this episode is. Today Jake and Brooke are talking about perhaps THE Dobson book, "The Strong-Willed Child" and talking about what the hell Dobson means by "strong-willed". Check out "The Worst of All Possible Worlds": https://www.worstpossible.world/References:"Before you donate to Autism Speaks, Consider the Facts" from AutisticAdvocacy.org"Personality" from APA.org"The Autistic Horror of Don't Hug Me I'm Scared (season 1)" by Patricia Taxxon on Youtube"The Controversy Around ABA" from ChildMind.org"What are the Big 5 Personality Traits" from VeryWellMind.com"Why The Myers-Briggs test is totally meaningless" from Vox.com

Let's not talk about James Dobson, for once! After spending 3 long episodes talking about the plague known as "purity culture", today Jake and Brooke explore what an actually healthy model of relationships and sexuality can look like. Be ready to hear the words "penis and vagina" a bunch of times.Citations:Braun-Harvey, D., & Vigorito, M. A. (2015). Treating out of control sexual behavior: Rethinking Sex Addiction. https://openlibrary.org/books/OL30396741M/Treating_out_of_control_sexual_behaviorComprehensive sexuality education. (n.d.). https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/comprehensive-sexuality-educationGreen, P., Psy. D., & Penrod, J., LMFT. (n.d.). Sexual diversity, sex positivity, and kink.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5S

Today we are reading our first non-Dob book, though unfortunately his spirit remains with us. This book will help you not become a childless cat lady or whatever, because it wants to tell you the right way to have a relationship. I'm sure things all check out this time and there's nothing bad in this episode at all.Citations:Joshua Harris’s apology: https://joshharris.com/a-statement-on/No, kids weren’t starting to have sex earlier: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4011992/Van Der Wyngaard, J (Director). (2018). “I Survived I Kissed Dating Goodbye” [Film]. DOCSology.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5Shttps://uppbeat.io/t/yeti-music/ghost-pianoLicense code: 1NIGF906G7RB63JS

Let's get into it, what an absolute nightmare. On this episode, Jake and Brooke break down what exactly 'purity culture' even means, down to its rotten roots. Horrifying histories, awful anecdotes, and blood-boiling beliefs abound in this one.Citations (hyperlinks do not work on every platform)About the AIDS quiltAbstinence-Only-Until-Marriage Programs from Planned ParenthoodCan Antibiotics Affect My Birth Control? From Planned Parenthood by AttiaPurity Culture and Its Effect on Mental Health from VeryWellMind by John LoeppkyRickabaugh, T (2022), Leaving Church, Learning Love: Experiences of Queer Women in Purity Culture. University of Missouri.Sex and HIV Education (2023) from the Guttmacher InstituteThe FAQs: What You Should Know about Purity Culture from TheGospelCoalition by Joe CarterThe Flaw at the Center of Purity Culture from The Atlantic by Angie HongThe Impact of Christian Purity Culture is still being felt – including in Britian from TheConversation by Christabelle ThwaitesThe Racist Link Between Purity Culture and Christian Nationalism and Why It Matters In Elections from Reckon.news by Anna Beahm:What is Purity Culture from Lindakayklein.comWhy Nearly Every 2000s Disney Channel Star Wore a Purity Ring from Cracked.com by Carly TennesMusic from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5S

James Dobson does it again: he wrote another book that makes me want to crawl out of my skin and die. The hits really don't stop coming, huh. This time, we are reading the toxic sludge known as "Bringing Up Girls". This is the start of a series about Purity Culture, the Evangelical philosophy that says holding hands is basically the same as having an affair (and both will earn you a scarlet A). Hold on to your lunches because this gets downright disgusting.References:“An Ecological Approach to Obesity and Eating Disorders. Chapter 10: Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Men versus Women.”Randy Wilson’s Page on the FRC websiteThe Colorado law Dobson misconstrues so he can fear-monger about queer peopleFotF Media Commitment (previously Covenant)Why Abstinence Only Education suuuuucksDobson’s challengeLegkauskas, V., & Stankevičienė, D. (2009). Premarital sex and marital satisfaction of middle aged men and women: a study of married Lithuanian couples. Sex Roles, 60, 21-32.Legkauskas, V., & Jakovlevaitė, V. (2005). Rizikingo seksualinio studentų elgesio ir jų psichosocialinių savybių ryšys [Relationship between risky sex behaviors and psychosocial characteristics of students]. Psichologija, 32,35–46.Rochlen, A. B., McKelley, R. A., Suizzo, M. A., & Scaringi, V. (2008). Predictors of relationship satisfaction, psychological well-being, and life satisfaction among stay-at-home fathers. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 9(1), 17.Levenson, R. W., & Gottman, J. M. (1985). Physiological and affective predictors of change in relationship satisfaction. Journal of personality and social psychology, 49(1), 85.DeClaire, J., & Gottman, J. M. (2001). The relationship cure: A five-step guide for building better connections with family, friends, and lovers. Crown Publishers.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5S

Let's get personal! On this episode, Jake takes Brooke and Jordan through his experience becoming an Evangelical in order to understand how anyone could get sucked into Dobson's obvious lies. We talk about everything from AWANA to Adventures in Odyssey, from bell choirs to Christian rock bands, from racist chipmunks to youth group lock-ins.Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5S

Here's where things get interesting. In this episode, Jake and Brooke explore Bringing Up Boys from a cultural perspective, then do a deep dive into one of the most harmful chapters James Dobson has written - and that's saying something. There's stuff in this episode that will shock you, I promise. (Is it in bad taste to make a conversion therapy joke? No I'm gay, I can get away with it.)ReferencesUmberto Eco, "Eternal Fascism: Fourteen Ways of Looking at a Blackshirt," The New York Review of Books, June 22, 1995.Kruglanski, A. W., Szumowska, E., & Kopetz, C. (2021). The Psychology of Extremism. In The Psychology of Extremism (pp. 1-11). Routledge.Stone, Peter. “US ‘university’ Spreads Climate Lies and Receives Millions from Rightwing Donors.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 6 Sept. 2023, www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/06/prageru-climate-change-denier-republican-donors. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetterLicense code: 9OT2MTBHWWSRZP5S