October 3, 2026

NARNIA AMONG THE DEATHWORKS:

It was Carl Trueman who introduced me to the idea of a deathwork, though the concept is Philip Rieff’s. According to Rieff, a deathwork is an assault on something that is hallowed to an established culture. It isn’t a critique or argument that the culture is untrue, but a means of profaning something that is sacred in order to make it seem ridiculous or repulsive. Trueman summarizes it as “the act of using the sacred symbols of a previous era in order to subvert, and then destroy, their original significance and purpose.”

In The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self, Trueman uses the example of Andres Serrano’s repulsive 1987 photograph Piss Christ, which displayed a crucifix immersed in the artist’s urine. He says, “Serrano is not simply mocking the sacred order in this work of art; he has turned it into something dirty, disgusting, and vile… The sacramental is made into the excremental.” By putting a crucifix in urine, Serrano makes the holy an object of mockery.

* * * * * * * *

And that brings me to the forthcoming film adaptations of C.S. Lewis’s Narnia books.

Read the whole thing.

Posted at 8:45 am by Ed Driscoll

NOT ANTI-WAR, JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE: Trans rights better in Iran than Britain, say Green activists.

Transgender people have better rights in Iran than Britain, Green Party activists have claimed.

One member of the Greens for Palestine group, a Left-wing faction in the party, argued in a leaked WhatsApp message seen by The Telegraph that transphobia was “far worse” in Britain than in many Islamic countries.

The claim came ahead of the Green Party autumn conference in Brighton which began on Friday.

Animah Kosai, the membership officer of the Global Majority Greens pressure group, wrote: “You’d be quite surprised at how Iran, following Islamic teachings, is far more liberal when it comes to trans identity and abortions, compared to Texas, or, even culturally, the UK.”

The Iranian government recognised transgender individuals who had changed sex in the 1980s but trans people regularly face harassment and are regarded by officials as having a “disorder”.

In Britain, the Equality Act 2010 protects people from being fired from work, turned down for housing or harassed because they are gay, lesbian or transgender. Gender recognition certificates can be obtained by trans people who have changed their biological sex.

Homosexuality is a capital offence in Iran and gay and lesbian Iranians who are not put to death can face penalties including flogging and jail time. Many gay men in Iran have undergone forced sexual reassignment surgery.

Meanwhile, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps have chosen a side in the midterms: ‘From Death to America’ to ‘Vote Democrat:’ Iran’s IRGC Issues Midterms Endorsement. “As George Washington School of Law scholar and Fox News analyst Jonathan Turley noted, ‘It’s not a good sign when the IRGC shifts from ‘Death to America’ to ‘Vote Democratic.’”

To be fair, it’s tough to fault the IRGC for supporting the side that gave them their big break back in the day. Flashback: RIP Jimmy Carter, the American Chamberlain whose naïve foreign policy led Iran to become the world’s biggest sponsor of terror.

Posted at 8:14 am by Ed Driscoll

SPRINGTIME FOR TUCKER:

Posted at 7:45 am by Ed Driscoll

A FRIEND WHO LIVES IN BELGIUM AND TRAVELS TO PARIS FREQUENTLY SAYS THE SAME THING.

Posted at 7:30 am by Glenn Reynolds

DISPATCHES FROM THE EDUCATION APOCALYPSE:

Posted at 7:18 am by Ed Driscoll

October 2, 2026

OPEN THREAD: Ring in the weekend.

Posted at 9:30 pm by Glenn Reynolds

NECESSARY:

Posted at 9:28 pm by Glenn Reynolds

MAKES LINDSAY CLANCY LOOK LIKE A GOOD MOM: 911 call reveals concerns about well-being of 2 children found dead from starvation at home. “Authorities said May told detectives that she believed her children were dead because they did not eat. She reportedly told deputies that she knew that not feeding her children was neglectful and confirmed she had been the only one present at home and was the sole caregiver for the girls over the last few weeks.”

Posted at 8:46 pm by Glenn Reynolds

YES:

Posted at 5:46 pm by Stephen Green

CAPITALISM’S CRITICS HAVE NO IDEA HOW CAPITALISM WORKS…:

…which, come to think of it, is at least partly why they became critics.

Posted at 4:38 pm by Stephen Green