Friends,
As most of you know, I am disabled and cannot hold down a job. While I have been able to do some freelance work in the past, my various health challenges have prevented me from taking on very much work. This means that my only reliable income is from Canada Pension Plan - Disability, barely $1000 per month, which isn’t even enough to cover the average rent for a one bedroom apartment in Kitchener. I am grateful that my partner has a job that she loves and is good at; that said, as the cost of living increases, we’re often forced to make choices between needs, which is stressful, to say the least.
While I don’t necessarily rely on paid subscriptions to power my everyday living, the few dollars that come in every month mean that I can splurge on things that I might not otherwise be able to, like grabbing a donut and a bagel on my way to class or grabbing a bit with a buddy on cheap wing night.
Most importantly, however, your monthly contributions make me feel like I am contributing something important to the world around me. As a disabled person, I often struggle to understand my worth in a world that is moving far faster than I am. When I see those few dollars come in it makes me smile, because I know that there are others out there who are gaining some value from the pieces that I send out.
While about 75% of my work is available to both paid and unpaid subscribers, there are some pieces that are only available to paid subscribers. These include
Peter, What Are You Reading series:
Peter, What Are You Reading? № 8
I have been reading a lot about Medical Aid in Dying and other bioethical issues, so I wanted to take a bit of a brain break and read some other things. I realized that while I love heavy metal, I’ve never actually read much about the music, its (a)politics, or its culture. So I downloaded a couple of books that I thought might be interesting. The book
chapter-by-chapter book reviews of books like The Case for Christian Nationalism
The Case for Christian Nationalism: The Coercive Power of Cultural Christianity
In this chapter Wolfe leaves his mixed syllogisms behind to argue that Cultural Christianity would be a defining feature of a Christian Nation. Of course, he has a very specific conception of cultural Christianity in mind, one that is fairly narrow in its application, and, not surprisingly, relatively hostile to alternative conceptions of the good.
The Right to Sex - The Trouble with Porn
With false rape accusations out of the way, Srinivasan turns to a distinctly 21st century problem - pornography. It’s not that porn wasn’t around in the late 20th century - it was - but in the 21st century it has become ubiquitous, cheap, and easy to access. She titles her chapter “Talking with my students about Porn,” because for her, as a professor te…
as well as more personal essays like this piece on National Son’s Day.
National Sons Day
Today is National Sons Day. Some may get calls from their folks. I probably won't. But they will pray for my soul, I can almost guarantee that much. I am the only boy in my family, and the oldest of six kids. My parents had very specific expectations for me. I have met none of them.
So what do you think? Are you ready to become a paid subscriber today?
All FREE subscribers have access to Dinner Table Digests, and to any past content that has been pulled from behind Peter’s Support (Pay)Wall.
Content behind the paywall will include Special Edition Digests, rough drafts of essays, shorter, more personal essays, and acerbic social commentary.
Thank you so much for supporting my writing, with your eyeballs, your time, and your $5 bills. I am deeply grateful, and I appreciate any feedback you might have. Please feel free you leave a comment below, or, if you’d like to connect with me directly, you can email me at peter(at)peterthurley(dot).ca. You can also connect with me on Facebook or on Twitter.