[40/365] potluck orgy

[cosmolinguist]

I hardly slept at all last night. Usually I have the kind of insomnia where I wake up in the middle of the night. This time I had your classic can't-go-to-sleep insomnia and was awake until some time after four, maybe five. I woke up at 8:30 feeling like trash.

Mostly what I did while I was not sleeping was listen to episodes of You're Wrong About, a podcast L recommended to me at work. I really love it (though I am strategically skipping a lot of episodes, because like most things I like it involves learning about history, and ongoing situations, and is therefore often depressing.

This morning, on one of many episodes of it that mentions the satanic panic, I heard this bit and I realized two things: "An an actual orgy hosted by actual satanists...y'know most people identifying as satanists in the U.S. are pretty much secular humanists. And so it would be really nice. I can imagine going to a really nice satanist orgy in, like, Minnesota or something and before or after orgying you would have these side conversations about ballot initiatives."

1. This podcast may now be my favorite. (Not because of this quote generally, specifically because of the part about ballot initiatives; because one thing I have in common with the hosts of this is a deep love for very dull things that will bring about structural change instead of flashy attempts at individual solutions to systemic problems.)

2. If there was a satanic orgy in Minnesota where the side conversations were about ballot initiatives I would absolutely know a bunch of the people at that orgy. And I would be so sad I couldn't go.

Comments

[otter]

I would know some of those people, too. There probably was a time when I'd have been in attendance myself. I think you already know that the social group I lean towards in town is the goths, and some of them are satanists.

[cosmolinguist]

Yeah I wonder if the person said Minnesota because it actually has (as well as an unearned wholesome reputation) a pretty famous Satanic Temple organization, that I hear about doing cool stuff like offering to escort Muslims after "terrorist" attacks and whatnot.

I've never been to an orgy. Well I was once in a house where something orgy-like was probably taking place upstairs, but I was downstairs making tea and helping a friend through an anxiety attack by letting him talk about Doctor Who at me. Which also feels pretty wholesome. :)

[tarasacon]

Very wholesome!

[gender_euphoric]

Sarah and Michael are amazing!

[cosmolinguist]

They are! I think part of the reason I'm listening so much even though I normally have to be very careful with depressing stuff is that they seem so much like people I'd be friends with if I could.

[silveradept]

That is a delightful sentence and something fun to imagine. The podcast sounds familiar, like it has been recommended here and there.

[cosmolinguist]

It's mostly about how people my age grew up with things we were wrong about, and it's about nuance and systemic issues (like misogyny) and about the kind of journalism I think journalists would like to do, which is careful and slow and not forever novelty-seeking.

[momentsmusicaux]

Yup, satanists sound like rather rational and pleasant people!

[cosmolinguist]

They seem nice!

[tarasacon]

I don’t think I know enough people in Minnesota that I would know anyone, but it sounds like an excellent way to spend a day.

[cosmolinguist]

I know right!

[mrs_leroy_brown]

I'm sure that Satanic potluck orgy would have had an awkward moment when it transpired that there were 5 tater tot hotdishes....;)