In a mere three months, the Trump administration has arrested legal residents, stripped them of their status, accused them of being members of transnational gangs, and sent them to a prison labor camp in a foreign country. Upon scrutiny, many of these cases reveal a disturbing pattern: many of those deported have no criminal record, […]
Category: Opinion
Posted inOpinion
I Went to an Abortion Conference. It Made Me Want to Be a Mother
This week I’m celebrating seven years married to my husband and we still have no children. We’re happily married and very much enjoy not having parenting responsibilities, but it’s a part of life that we both want. We thought for sure by now, in our mid 30s, we’d at least have a toddler, but as […]
Posted inCulture
Elon Musk Was Mercilessly Trolled on Video Game Livestream, Then He Rage Quit
If there is one dark joy these days, it’s still being able to laugh at the world’s richest man, who consistently exhibits the aura of a divorced dad showing up at the skate park. Over the weekend, zillionaire Elon Musk, who has reportedly been using AI to spy on the few federal workers he’s allowed […]
Posted inOpinion
Secretive Natalism Conference in Austin Offered Matchmaking for Lonely Eugenicists, Bigoted Race Science Enthusiasts
Once upon a time, in the 1920s, the State Fair of Texas hosted “Fitter Family” contests that graded entrants on physical appearance, health, behavior, and intelligence. The winners, according to the eugenicist judges, were most likely to produce offspring deemed genetically superior — and were “invariably white with western and northern European heritage.” The 1925 […]
Posted inOpinion
Why You Should Care About Trump’s Attacks on Lawyers
Editor’s note: The views and opinions presented by guest contributors to The Barbed Wire do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the company, the newsroom, its staff, advisers, or advertisers. Late last week, the White House issued a memo ordering the attorney general to seek disciplinary action against attorneys whose conduct “appears to […]
Posted inCulture
Free Tallboys & Cowboys on Horseback: Urban Legends We Tell SXSW Visitors About Old Austin
Let us tell you a tale, youngster, of an Austin ruled by crushed tallboys, pink hair at Barton Creek, and Butthole Surfers songs blasting from FM car radios — long before Lime scooters were invented. Once upon a time, migas tacos used to cost just $.99 and include a free Lone Star, delivered by a […]
Posted inOpinion
Take from the Poor, Give to the Rich: Why School Vouchers Are a Scam
Ah, school vouchers. They’re like a coupon for 30% off, but only if the discount is covered by swiping your neighbor’s wallet. Texas is back at it again, folks. Last month, our state senate passed Senate Bill 2, which proposes giving families $10,000 in public funds per year, per student, through what Gov. Greg Abbott […]
Posted inCulture
Does Gen Z Even Know SXSW Is a Music Festival? Does it Matter?
Texas hasn’t gotten its due as a major piece in the complex puzzle of American art. We’re here to rectify that. Every three weeks, H. Drew Blackburn will conduct a thoroughly scientific analysis of the 254 integral (one for every county) books, movies, tv shows, albums, podcasts, songs, and magazine articles — you name it […]
Posted inCulture
I’m in Love with a Dead Man
Last month, I went to my homegirl’s wedding. We’ve been cool since high school, and the wedding was in our old stomping grounds: the south-eastside of Fort Worth. Aside from a few folks here and there, the reception was all-Black — chopped and screwed music flowed from crackling speakers to our nostalgic ears. The DJ […]
Posted inTexana
The True Legacy of Black Cowboys
Texas hasn’t gotten its due as a major piece in the complex puzzle of American art. We’re here to rectify that. Every three weeks, H. Drew Blackburn will conduct a thoroughly scientific analysis of the 254 integral (one for every county) books, movies, tv shows, albums, podcasts, songs, and magazine articles — you name it […]