The Flip Side

In the episode 72 hours, we find out Rose may have contracted AIDs during an emergency gallbladder surgery.

Rose: Why me, Blanche? I'm tired of pretending I feel okay so you won't say, 'Take it easy', and I'm tired of you saying 'Take it easy' because you're afraid I'm going to fall apart. Dammit, why is this happening to me? I mean, this isn't supposed to happen to people like me. You must've gone to bed with hundreds of men. All I had was one innocent operation. Blanche: Hey, wait a minute! Are you saying this should be me and not you? Rose: No! No, I'm just saying that I am a good person. Hell, I'm a goody-two-shoes! Blanche: AIDS is not a bad person's disease, Rose, it is not God punishin' people for their sins!

In Isn't it romantic? we find out Dorothy's childhood best friend is a lesbian who recently lost her partner. She confesses she has feelings for Rose. Rose turns her down but makes it clear that she still wants to be friends even though she doesn't return those feelings.

Sophia: Jean is a nice person. She happens to like girls instead of guys. Some people like cats instead of dogs.

Jean: Rose, about last night. I should never have said anything. Rose: You only said what you were feeling. Jean: It's just that this last year has been so difficult for me. Pat was the person I planned to spend the rest of my life with. And when she died, I just felt so terribly alone. Empty. I thought I could never care for anyone again. Until I met you. I just got very confused. I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable. Rose: Well, I have to admit that I don't understand these kinds of feelings. But if I did understand, if I were, you know, like you, I'd be very flattered and proud that you thought of me that way.

Ebbtide's Revenge gives us Phil's funeral, and Sophia addressing him wearing women's clothes.

Rose: So what if he was different? It's okay that you loved him. Sophia: I did love him. He was my son, my little boy. But every time I saw him I wondered what I did, what I said, when was the day I did whatever I did to make him the way he was. Angela Petrillo: What he was Sophia, was a good man.

Sister of the Bride, where Blanche's brother Clayton brings his boyfriend to town, because they're planning on getting married.

Blanche: Oh, look, I can accept the fact that he's gay, but why does he have to slip a ring on this guy's finger so the whole world will know? Sophia: Why did you marry George? Blanche: We loved each other. We wanted to make a lifetime commitment. Wanted everybody to know. Sophia: That's what Doug and Clayton want, too. Everyone wants someone to grow old with. And shouldn't everyone have that chance?

in cognitive science, there are a lot of different ways to think about reading. but the various models for the most part hinge on two specific processes: word recognition and comprehension. word recognition means the way people recognize and break down words, and comprehension means how people understand the words they read. some of the dominant literacy models in cognitive science include

The Simple View of Reading (Gough and Tumner 1986)

Scarborough's Rope (Scarborough 2001)

The Active View of Reading (Duke and Cartwright 2021)

all of these involve some combination/exploration of recognition and comprehension.

unfortunately! in the US starting the 90s, phonics instruction was increasingly abandoned in favor of the three-cueing method. basically, instead of learning how to break down the sound chunks (phonemes) that make up words, kids were encouraged to learn to read by looking at the pictures or guessing via context clues. so the word recognition aspect of reading took a big hit. many kids grew up with functional learning disabilities because of that style of instruction alone.

reading comprehension is also really, really culturally dependent. the way you understand (or whether you can understand) what you're reading relies on the body of background knowledge you have access to, which in turn depends on your socioeconomic position. there's also the matter of what kinds of knowledge and analysis are valued/prioritized by society. critical thinking is a key part of comprehension, and schools are actively invested in not facilitating that skill because their overall objective is to produce a compliant labor force that will ensure the reproduction of capitalism. critical thinking is emphasized in imperial core education only to the extent that it's absolutely necessary: for developing decision-making capacity for postindustrial knowledge workers, managerial types, politicians, lawyers, doctors, and so on.

so. basically. both recognition and comprehension are core to literacy development, and they've both been fucked with heavily in the US (and a lot of other countries). breaking the literacy crisis down this way also helps with figuring out how to fix it. teaching more kids phonics will help them decode words more effectively, but it won't help them comprehend new material. and when we talk about the "media literacy crisis" we're mostly talking about a comprehension problem, which can't be fixed just by having people read more. each issue needs targeted intervention.

so! recommended reading list:

my full essay on the literacy crisis, of course. there's more analysis of structural interventions that would actually work to address children's literacy issues.

the podcast Sold a Story by APM Reports. it has a lot of good information about the shift from phonics to three-cueing. the narrative is a little oversimplified and they weirdly keep praising the bush administration while ignoring how it contributed to the problem, but i still recommend the podcast for understanding the basic facts of the situation

Schooling in Capitalist America (1968) by Bowles and Gintis on how the US school system developed to meet the needs of the capitalist economy

So, my insurance has been trying to not cover my SNRI because it is new on the market and no generic available yet, so pricey.

I apply for a refill and the request gets locked for review. Again. For the 3rd time.

This time I call and immediately ask to speak to the actual doctor making these clinical decisions. Very politely. Must be a slow day because they allow it.

ME: [Teacher voice] I'm calling in regards to the SNRI you have placed a lock on. Why was this decision made?

DOC: Well, there are dozens of other medications on the market in that tier, and far cheaper for you and [insurer]. We have sent a request to your doctor to consider alternatives.

ME: I am aware of that. So, can you do me a HUGE favor and look up my prescription history really quickly and tell me how many SSRIs and SNRIs were only filled once in 2022 for me, showing they were poorly tolerated?

DOC: It looks like eight.

ME: Great job! Now, can you please look at my genetic test for psychiatric drug tolerance and tell me how many medications are listed in the safe category?

DOC: Two.

ME: Awesome! Now, can you tell me what type that other drug is that I'm not taking?

DOC: Yeah, totally, it's an MAOI.

ME: That's correct, you're really knowledgeable! Should I be taking something as dangerous as an MAOI with my other medications, or even just in general?

DOC: It's contraindicated for sure.

ME: It is! So true! So, last question since you've been incredibly smart and helpful. Is it less expensive for [insurer] to pay out for the medication knowing they already get a huge manufacturer discount anyway, or is it more expensive for them to pay for me to need potentially long-term inpatient psychiatric care?

DOC: I'll clear the code, ma'am and flag it as medically necessary. I'm sorry about this.

ME: I appreciate you SO MUCH. You have a great day now.