What J.D. Vance is really selling — and why we need to name it.

Are We The Body or The Virus by Christen Rodgers

Avoidant by Design explores the founding psychology of the United States through the lens of attachment theory. Blending personal narrative, historical reflection, and cultural critique, this essay examines how America’s fierce independence—while brave and necessary—was never metabolized into secure interdependence. From 1776 to modern capitalism, we trace how avoidant patterns shaped not just our politics but our architecture, values, and collective nervous system. It’s a call to evolve—not by rejecting our roots, but by maturing them. For anyone questioning the systems we’ve inherited and yearning for something more relational, beautiful, and whole—this piece is for you.

Part One: The Architecture of Avoidance

response to Doug Wilson's interview on CNN.

Doug Wilson, (aka Pastor D Biscuit) Triggers, and the 20% That Still Flinches

From Avocados to Amazon: Why the Word Everyone Fears Might Be the Guardrails We Need

What the fuck is socialism, really? We’ve been told it’s breadlines, dictators, and control. But what if it’s actually about worthiness, ecosystems, and the guardrails that keep life flowing?

In this piece, I pull from everyday life — avocados at $2.49, rent hikes, toothaches, baristas, poets, moms, janitors, farmers — to ask: so the fuck what? What does all this mean for us? And could socialism be less about safety nets for the desperate, and more about building an interdependent ecosystem where every role, every presence, every gift matters?

If you’re tired, if you’re curious, if you’ve ever wondered why your exhaustion feels like more than “just you” — this is an invitation to notice. To feel. To imagine worthiness as the foundation of our lives.

Substack.What the Fuck is Socialism

“Worthiness, You Old Hussy” is a fiery riff on America’s true origin story—not purity, but audacity. From Puritan shame to hustle culture, we’ve mistaken suffering for virtue. This piece calls bullshit, reclaims worthiness as our baseline, and dares us to imagine systems—housing, healthcare, work—built on that audacity instead of grind. Bold, irreverent, and deeply human, it’s an invitation to let worthiness become the floor, not the prize.

Worthiness, You Old Hussy: Audacity built this country. Masochism nearly broke it. Worthiness might just save it.

This episode explores the hidden patterns behind our obsession with hard work. What if “working harder” isn’t always truth, but a trauma-compulsion? I share how I’ve been learning to trust a third way—easeful participation—where creation flows without collapse or grind. Along the way, I reflect on synchronicity, resistance, and the mirrors that guide us forward.

Have You Mistaken Hard Work for Worth? Discovering the third way: easeful participation.

From Bootstraps to Belonging: Stop Gaslighting Ourselves
Why do we celebrate bootstraps and exceptionalism while ignoring equality, belonging, and nervous system safety? This essay explores how America has been gaslighting itself with scarcity and competition—and what it would mean to rebrand success around connection, abundance, and collective thriving. Featuring reflections on work, healthcare, food, housing, and tools for personal change, it’s both a critique and an invitation to value ourselves enough to demand systems that support us.

From Boot Straps to Belonging: Hey America, Maybe We Stop Gaslighting Ourselves

“Democratic Socialism? Well, why the f*ck not, Jim? A sharp, funny, and unapologetic look at America’s obsession with exceptionalism, hustle culture, and strip malls—and what it would mean to actually build systems that let everyone breathe.”

Democratic Socialism? Well, Why the F*ck Not, Jim?

In this episode, I explore the cracks and catalysts reshaping American politics. From Zohran Mamdani’s rising voice to Kamala’s cautious pivots, from Trump’s chaos as a four-alarm fire to the uncomfortable truths it exposed — this is about more than parties or policies. It’s about trust, belonging, and whether a country built on avoidance could ever say yes to reciprocity, support, or each other. The soil’s been tilled. The question is: what will we plant next?

NEW SERIES: “America, What Would It Take to Say Yes to Us?”

What happens when a nation built on “never again” faces its own trust issues? What Would It Take? (Part 2: America, an Avoidant Nation) explores how America’s avoidant wiring, born in 1776, still shapes our politics, economics, and collective capacity to build something better. It’s part history, part mirror — and a quiet invitation to grow up as a country.

What J.D. Vance is really selling — and why we need to name it.

christen rodgers