Skilled Incompetence: Becoming love and joy

Informed Dissent — January 17, 2026News of the Week & Deep DiveThis week’s episode moves from state-level political turmoil to Supreme Court oral arguments, with a few unexpected cultural and intellectual detours along the way.Segment One — New Jersey at a CrossroadsWe open with the unfolding conflict inside New Jersey’s political and advocacy landscape, where a proposed “gender health care shield law” failed to pass before the close of the legislative session. That story, and the broader institutional turmoil at Garden State Equality, set the stage for a deeper conversation about how organizations respond to internal contradiction, external pressure, and reputational risk.Along the way, we take a few side roads:* What a zombie apocalypse in World War Z can teach us about cascading institutional failure.* Why Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring still matters when thinking about how societies respond to environmental and systemic risk.* Chris Argyris’ Overcoming Organizational Defenses and how organizations protect themselves from information they do not want to hear.* A brief discussion of Jennifer Bilek’s reporting on networked advocacy influence in the gender policy space.If you want the full written breakdown of the New Jersey story, we covered it here:Segment Two — Supreme Court Sports CasesIn the second half, returning guest Glenna Goldis lawyer and author of Bad Facts joins us for legal analysis of the two cases argued this week at the U.S. Supreme Court:* Little v. Hecox (Idaho)* West Virginia v. B.P.J.We unpack the constitutional questions before the Court, Title IX implications, standards of review, and what oral argument signals about where the justices may be headed. We also discuss how these cases fit into the wider national strategy around sex-based protections in law and sport. Closing ReflectionsAs always, we wrap by reflecting on the growing community around this show, the people showing up in real life at hearings and rallies, and the many listeners quietly processing complex family and cultural conflicts alongside us each week.If you enjoyed this episode, please like, subscribe, and share Informed Dissent. Independent media only works when listeners help build the audience and the impact.And as always — stay informed, and stay ready to dissent. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit informeddissentpodcast.substack.com/subscribe