Also.Also.Also: Saying Goodbye to “The Internet’s Most Hellish Year”

For the last two days, I’ve had really luxurious lunches in the middle of the workday and also made time to watch a movie. If you have the opportunity, I really recommend it.


Saw This, Thought of You

The Internet’s Most Hellish Year. You know — I just really enjoy trend pieces like this, which go beyond a fun catchphrase (“Twitter is a hellsite,” for example) or famous meme (the dog sitting while the room is on fire), and digs into it some of the theoretical underpinnings. Like yes, let’s talk more about Dark Ages and circles of hell on their own merits, and not just in hyperbole.

There’s been a lot WNBA-related links in this round up, but that just tells you about our Autostraddle team genuine interests: From Grinch Nail Designs to Player Gift Swaps, WNBA Players Overseas Create Christmas Spirit

“The Cheesecake Factory’s legendary menu, explained.” How the Cheesecake Factory Became the Chain Restaurant of Millennial Dreams

“As a cultural document, Adulting sums up the anxiously self-reliant ethos of early-aughts millennials as accurately as the Whole Earth Catalog summed up the back-to-the-land fantasies of early 1970s boomers.” What We’ve Learned From a Decade of Adulting


Queer as in F*ck You

“We’re mindful of the fact you can’t go backwards. You say, ‘Oh, let’s get back to normal,’… We do understand that the normal we are referring to was what we were doing before February 17. We reminisce about certain things in the past. Still, we’re trying to make sure we’re not going backwards. For the most part, we’re eyes focused on what’s in store next for the both of us.”

If you’re going to read this beautiful People magazine profile on Brittney and Cherelle Griner, I hope you take my warning and grab some tissues first. Cherelle Griner on Wife Brittney’s Emotional Homecoming After Release from Russia: ‘We’re Holding on Tight’

Also, if you saw the #WeAreBG online this summer, you may have heard of the Wasserman Group and wondered who they were (I know, I wondered this a lot). In that case, I want to recommend this read. It taught me a lot: She Was a WNBA Super Agent. Then One of Her Clients Became a Political Prisoner in Russia. “Lindsay Kagawa Colas served as an important conduit in efforts to free Brittney Griner.”

From Sally: “Saw this story about a lady golfer who died and she won more titles than anyone else ever. Usually I would not click on a golf story, but I had a strong vibe she would be a lesbian, and sure enough she was!” (may she Rest In Peace) Kathy Whitworth, LPGA Record-Breaker, Dies Aged 83

We have a piece about the new Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody coming out later this week, but until then there is only one person I’d want to read about Whitney and it’s Danyel Smith, a venerable OG of Black music journalism who spoke with the Los Angeles Times last week: Whitewashing or Reclaiming? A New Whitney Houston Biopic Spotlights Musical Highs Over Personal Lows

Chef Renames Restaurant to Honor Nonbinary Child’s Transition. “‘I care about my kiddo and, you know, him being able to have a safe and happy life,’ says Dave Heide, owner of Ollie’s in Madison, Wisconsin.”

Spanish Lawmakers Approve Transgender Rights Bill

Whew this whole thread about abolition as a practice in the wake of the Tory Lanez verdict in the shooting case of Megan thee Stallion is a necessary read.


Political Snacks

The Great Big Medicare Rip-Off. “The government is leaving billions of dollars on the table. Here’s how to fix it.”

Politicians Whose Careers Didn’t Survive 2022

Donald Trump’s Final Campaign. “Inside Donald Trump’s sad, lonely, thirsty, broken, basically pretend run for reelection. (Which isn’t to say he can’t win.)”

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Carmen Phillips

Carmen Phillips is Autostraddle's former editor in chief. She began at Autostraddle in 2017 as a freelance team writer and worked her way up through the company, eventually becoming the EIC from 2021-2024. A Black Puerto Rican feminist writer with a PhD in American Studies from New York University, Carmen specializes in writing about Blackness, race, queerness, politics, culture, and the many ways we find community and connection with each other.  During her time at Autostraddle, Carmen focused on pop culture, TV and film reviews, criticism, interviews, and news analysis. She claims many past homes, but left the largest parts of her heart in Detroit, Brooklyn, and Buffalo, NY. And there were several years in her early 20s when she earnestly slept with a copy of James Baldwin’s “Fire Next Time” under her pillow. To reach out, you can find Carmen on Twitter, Instagram, or her website.

Carmen has written 716 articles for us.

2 Comments

  1. Scotland also passed Gender Recognition Reform, despite opposition from transphobes. The occasion was marked by a ‘gender critical’ transphobe flashing a merkin in Scottish parliament.

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