Ill Conceived

Since its establishment in 1999, the organization Taglit-Birthright Israel has taken hundreds of thousands of young Jews on an all-expenses-paid trip to the Holy Land, encouraging them to settle down and have children in a country with the highest birth rate in the Western-aligned world. This week, June and Josh take a look at how Birthright functions, both as a natalist project and a backstop for The Most Moral Army In The World™ and its ongoing campaign of genocide against Palestine. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]*** EPISODE ART: Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire founder of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation. Before his death in 2021, Adelson was the single largest funder of Birthright Israel, contributing over $500 million alongside his wife Miriam. AUDIO CLIPS: 49:33 – Excerpt from an NPR article about the IDF sperm retrieval unit by Daniel Estrin SOURCES: What is Birthright Israel? Why Do Observant Jews Have So Many Kids? Israel’s Religiously Divided Society Debating Natalism: Israeli One-Woman Shows on Experiencing Childlessness Families of Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza are retreiving sperm from their bodies Questioning our 'Birthright' 15 year old thread on Birthright: Just got back from my Birthright trip. I want to share my experience with others because it did not match the promotional material. New data suggest Birthright effect on Jewish marriage, connection to Israel lasts up to 2 decades The Romance of Birthright Israel FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

It's Brit Week here on Ill Conceived and the subject is the born-again Christian, recently deposed Reform UK policy head, and long-time friend of J.D. Vance known as James Orr. From his meteoric ascendance at Cambridge University and Reform UK to his equally precipitous recent crashout (and probable crimes), Josh and June try to figure out how Orr's attempt at bringing American-style Christian nationalism to the UK failed in the short run and discuss what the longer-term project might look like. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]*** EPISODE ART: James Orr speaking at a convention in Phoenix, Arizona. AUDIO CLIPS: 24:22 – A church service at Holy Trinity Brompton from March 15, 2026 45:56 – James Orr talking about how governments can raise birthrates on John Anderson's podcast 50:22 – James Orr talking about the liberal concept of individual rights, also on John Anderson's podcast 54:59 – James Orr talking about the importance of a strong ethnic majority in a GB News interview SOURCES: “Two Reform officials step down after undercover donations report” by Ewan Somerville and Joe Pike (BBC, September 4, 2026) “Former student of suspended Reform official reopens bullying case against Cambridge University” by Ben Quinn and Rowena Mason (The Guardian, September 17, 2026) “James Orr and the gospel of the new British right” by Helen Warrell and Ramsay Hodgson (FT Magazine, September 3, 2026) “J. D. Vance is the future of MAGA” by James Orr (The Spectator, August 20, 2025) “Radical Islam, Depopulation & Identity Politics: The UK In Crisis” with James Orr (John Anderson Media, December 22, 2025) “Exclusive: Nigel Farage filmed undercover celebrating secret new foreign donations” (Channel 4, September 3, 2026) “James Orr on England's immigration crisis” (GB News, July 10, 2025) “Nigel Farage tells BBC he 'wasn't listening' during foreign donor talks filmed undercover” by Laura Kuenssburg (BBC, September 6, 2026) “The 'National Conservative' who grew up in Belgium — and won J.D. Vance’s ear” by Dylan Carter (The Brussels Times, June 22, 2025) “Meet JD Vance’s English philosopher king” by Peter Snowdon and Anne McElvoy (Politico, September 19, 2024) “James Orr: JD Vance is just a normal guy who likes his beers” by Robert Crampton (The Times, August 15, 2025) “Palantir Co-Founder Peter Thiel and Reform UK’s Cambridge University Recruitment Pipeline Project Revealed” by Nafeez Ahmed and Peter Jukes (Byline Times, July 9, 2026) “An English Benedict Option” by Rod Dreher (February 22, 2025) “What are the allegations Reform UK is facing on illegal donations as police launch probe” by Millie Cooke (The Independent, September 9, 2026) “The Burnham bounce: Is Labour gaining ground against Farage’s Reform?” by Edna Mohamed (Al Jazeera, September 30, 2026) “UK police widen criminal probe into Reform UK over new allegations” (Reuters, September 9, 2026) “Shock and Orr: Meet the Farage-Supporting ‘Philosopher King’ of British Authoritarianism” by Iain Overton (Byline Times, August 26, 2026) “Reform’s new ‘kingmaker’: The theologian friend of JD Vance” by Poppy Coburn (The Telegraph, October 19, 2025) “James Orr is Reform’s new Head of Policy” by James Heale (The Spectator, February 17, 2026) FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)

Over the course of the past decade or so, South Korea has become a country where men and women occupy completely different political perspectives and landscapes. It's also one of the countries with the lowest fertility rates in the world. This week, June and Josh look at how South Korea's history of patriarchy and male conscription have collided with a restive and extremely online female populace to create a massive breakdown in gender relations. ***WANT MORE ILL CONCEIVED? Every other week, we release B-side supplements to the main episodes where we read your e-mail responses and discuss things further. We also occasionally release other stuff, like this week's dramatic reading of part 2 of the Zootopia abortion comic. Come check us out at Patreon.com/illconceived!*** ***WE WANT YOUR THOUGHTS FOR THE WORLD FAMOUS MAILBAG! Send an email with feedback about this week's episode to [email protected]*** EPISODE ART: Yoon Suk Yeol, the 13th president of South Korea. Yoon ran for president in 2022, winning an overwhelming share of the young male vote on an anti-feminist campaign that heavily emphasized young men's grievances. In 2024, with his popularity declining, Yoon attempted to self-coup by declaring martial law, leading the National Assembly to pass emergency impeachment and removal measures. In 2026 he was sentenced to life imprisonment. LINKS: Josh's episode of Informed Attraction about Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and The Last of Us AUDIO CLIPS: 39:04 – Michael Knowles and Katie Miller discussing how women now outnumber men in the American workforce on The Katie Miller Podcast SOURCES: National Geographic, Korea, and the 38th Parallel Country Studies: South Korea EQUAL EMPLOYMENT ACT The role of social solidarity in the rise and decline of the South Korean student movement in the 1970–1990s Why South Korea’s young men are turning conservative South Korea’s misogyny problem A new global gender divide is emerging Gender politics and right-wing politics clash in South Korea Megalia: Feminists of South Korea 4B movement Understanding antifeminist backlash in the South Korean context: Remnants of militarism and patriarchy 'Because women aren't wearing bikinis'? Gaming industry faces renewed 'feminism verification' controversy 'I got death threats when men thought I put feminist gesture in video game' The Fight Over Gender Equality in South Korea Anti-Gender Politics, Economic Insecurity, and Right-Wing Populism: The Rise of Modern Sexism among Young Men in South Korea Random murder in the middle of Gangnam Station: 'Women ignored me' "Not a 'random' crime, but a 'misogyny' crime"… Women in their 20s stage protest performance, lying on the ground Labor force by gender | South Korea | Male Boycotting Men? How the 4B Feminist Rebellion is Taking on Patriarchy What is South Korea's 4B movement and could it take off in the West? The Necessary Paradigm Shift for South Korea’s Ultra-Low Fertility I’ve Covered Women in the Workplace for 15 Years. Something Alarming Is Happening. Blowback Podcast: S3 Episode 1 - “Stop Me Before I Kill Again” FOLLOW THE SHOW: Website: illconceivedpodcast.com Bluesky: ‪@illconceivedpodcast.com Tumblr: @illconceivedpod FOLLOW JOSH: Website: joshboerman.com Bluesky: @bosh.worstpossible.world Other podcast: The Worst of All Possible Worlds Stream: Traditional Scrench FOLLOW JUNE: Bluesky: @junlper.beer Other podcast: Kill The Computer Writing: June's Substack ILL CONCEIVED THEME SONG BY: Caleb (Linktree / Bluesky)