EPISODE · May 20, 2025 · 42 MIN
Snake Oil
from [Un]phased Unedited Podcast · host Lisa Ingarfield
The old idea of a "snake oil" salesman isn't hard to apply to several ideas that are floating in today's strange U.S. American landscape. Having a healthy distrust of those who use deception to promote fraudulent ideas has unfortunately become a norm. This week, the Drs discuss what they consider false advertisement: pro-family benefits and cuts to health and science research.Word of the Week [1:14]: Natalism: Depending on how the numbers are interpreted, birth rates can be used as a tool in global and national societies to spark alarm. Whether it is a tool of "good" or “bad” remains to be seen in the U.S. Phase 1 [2:36]: Baby Bonuses: The White House is on record encouraging women to have children, stay at home, and enjoy a proposed and paltry $5,000 cash payment as a benefit. Dr. Shaunna takes us back to review the fundamentalist Christian practice of "Quiverfull" families and how the decline in birth rate may not be so bad when considered in context.Phase 2 [21:40]: Deep Cuts: As DOGE continues to slash positions and budgets with very little consideration to the long-term damage, scientists and researchers are being eliminated overnight. Areas such as LGBTQIA+ health, anything related to gender, climate, and "woke" social behavioral and economic sciences are just a few areas that are caught in the chaos -- with no plans to restore or replace them.Mentioned in the ShowEffects of Age-specific Fertility Trends on Overall Fertility Trends: United States, 1990–2023 - CDCQuiver Full Documentary - YouTubeMAGA Natalism is doomed to fail - NYTBirthrate declined slightly in 2023 (report) - CDCThe Rise and Fall of the Trad Wife - The New YorkerIn Quiverfull Movement, Birth Control Is Shunned - NPR News (2009)Trump Administration Slashes Research Into L.G.B.T.Q. Health NYTWhat happens to health research when ‘women’ is a banned word? - The 19thGrowing number of federal health agencies are combing grants for taboo words, unnerving researchers – Stat NewsScientists reel as turmoil roils National Science Foundation - NPRTrump’s Cuts to Science Funding Could Hurt U.S. Economy, Study ShowsWill U.S. Science survive Trump 2.0 - NatureWomen’s Health Initiative, known for hormone therapy trials, to lose federal funding – Stat News
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What this episode covers
The old idea of a "snake oil" salesman isn't hard to apply to several ideas that are floating in today's strange U.S. American landscape. Having a healthy distrust of those who use deception to promote fraudulent ideas has unfortunately become a norm. This week, the Drs discuss what they consider false advertisement: pro-family benefits and cuts to health and science research. Word of the Week [1:14]: Natalism: Depending on how the numbers are interpreted, birth rates can be used as a tool in global and national societies to spark alarm. Whether it is a tool of "good" or “bad” remains to be seen in the U.S. Phase 1 [2:36]: Baby Bonuses: The White House is on record encouraging women to have children, stay at home, and enjoy a proposed and paltry $5,000 cash payment as a benefit. Dr. Shaunna takes us back to review the fundamentalist Christian practice of "Quiverfull" families and how the decline in birth rate may not be so bad when considered in context. Phase 2 [21:40]: Deep Cuts: As DOGE continues to slash positions and budgets with very little consideration to the long-term damage, scientists and researchers are being eliminated overnight. Areas such as LGBTQIA+ health, anything related to gender, climate, and "woke" social behavioral and economic sciences are just a few areas that are caught in the chaos -- with no plans to restore or replace them.
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Snake Oil
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