The Swamp

The Swamp examines the crazy but true world of Politics. Discover its history, corruption, politicians, activists, and more.

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Stories in The Swamp that you’ll love, handpicked by our team.

Pretty Privilege vs. Pretty Punishment
There is a popular conversation around pretty privilege…the idea that attractive people are given advantages, kindness, and opportunities simply because of how they look. It’s a conversation I’ve had with friends, including one dear friend who experiences this privilege openly and comfortably. She’s treated gently. People assume good intent. Doors open easily for her.
By Cadmaabout a month ago in The Swamp
Wack Friday
Black Friday. We all obviously know what it is. As a kid, I'd see horror stories of people getting trampled to death in the doors of shopping centers. I didn't even understand what Black Friday was at the time or why everyone went so crazy about it. I didn't grow up with cable TV, so I really didn't have an insane amount of access to news or anything. The little I did see on the matter was enough to terrify me. My tiny child eyes sincerely thought these people were criminals robbing stores... and it was allowed. If the Purge was real and had already come out in the early 90's of my childhood, I would have thought Black Friday was the day it took place.
By Sara Wilson2 months ago in The Swamp
Dear Author
Today I read a Dear Abby column that really bugged me. It was about a woman whose best friend of thirty years abruptly stopped speaking to her because of differing political beliefs. They supported opposing parties, and her friend ended their relationship over it. The writer was hurt, but she hoped that there would be a way to work things out. When the friend had a grandchild, she wrote her a text congratulating her. Her friend responded with a "Who's this?" Our writer was ravaged and wrote the Dear Abby letter, and Abby's response was rather lacking.
By Stephanie Van Orman3 months ago in The Swamp
Criticizing the Cultural Mosaic
In many western countries the promotion of cultural acceptance has become intertwined with the strong encouragement of groups and communities to maintain and cultivate their differences. Terminology such as the “Cultural Mosaic” in Canada, celebrates this mentality. The concept of the Cultural Mosaic, in which each culture remains distinct, and the pushing of individuals to maintain their “uniqueness” have become synonymous with the concept of multiculturalism, when in fact they are not.
By Marlena Guzowski3 months ago in The Swamp
Review of 'A House of Dynamite'
I grew up in a world in which Dr. Strangelove was a plausible movie, a world in which we lived with the Soviet Union, armed to the teeth with nuclear weapons, as were we, and our best chance that we wouldn't blow up the Earth, if not to smithereens, to an uninhabitable planet, was MAD -- the mutually assured destruction that a nuclear war would engender, which would stop we human beings from ever starting such a no-win war.
By Paul Levinson3 months ago in The Swamp
Capitalism Ate the Internet (and I'm Still Hungry)
The internet used to be stupid in the best way. We spent hours playing free minigames on sites that would give modern cybersecurity experts night terrors, their sleep paralysis demon in the corner asking, “What’s ‘Taters’, eh?”. (Boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew!) We watched pure stupidity to the tune of Charlie the Unicorn and Salad Fingers and Old Gregg. We thought we’d achieved the heights of comedy. And in some ways, we had.
By Autumn Stew3 months ago in The Swamp
How the turn tables
“Well. Well. Well. How the turn tables…” The awkward words uttered by Michael Scott. It’s a bastardized version of “how the tables have turned,” used to indicate a reversal or irony of a situation. And oh, how the tables have turned.
By Hayden Searcy4 months ago in The Swamp
PACO Calling TACO - 4
This conversation happened on Sunday, September 28, after Putin was briefed on the UN General Assembly sessions and Trump's post on Truth Social about "discussions with the Middle Eastern Community concerning Gaza."
By Lana V Lynx4 months ago in The Swamp

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