Courtney Cantrell's COURT CAN WRITE
type: channel
description: see Court write. write, Court, write.
date: 2025-11-12T22:04:43Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
generator agent: https://wordpress.org/
items: just who the hell *is* my neighbor?
items: the very worst
items: on language, snobbery, and racism
items: let’s get dark for a bit, shall we?
items: when did we see you
items: finally, a new book announcement!; or: i am the worst businessperson
items: the Lack in my follow-up
items: the Lack in the Left
items: Protected: “i’m free! i’m free!” *immediately falls into hole*
items: Protected: on accepting grace

just who the hell *is* my neighbor?
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-11-12T22:02:09Z
subject: Church of the Contradiction
subject: boundaries
subject: collaborators
subject: communication
subject: compassion
subject: Donald Trump
subject: everything is political
subject: extremism
subject: fascism
subject: German
subject: human rights
subject: language
subject: MAGA
subject: math
subject: peace
subject: politics
subject: pyrotheology
subject: reconciliation
subject: relationships
subject: sado-populism
subject: the Good Samaritan
subject: Timothy Snyder
description: There’s a guy who lives across the street and one house over from me.I might be scared of him.I’m at least wary of him. I feel like a rabbit who’s not quite sure if the fellow creature beyond my burrow is a predator or not. I am upwind of him, and the sight and sound …
encoded: There’s a guy who lives across the street and one house over from me. I might be scared of him. I’m at least wary of him. I feel like a rabbit who’s not quite sure if the fellow creature beyond my burrow is a predator or not. I am upwind of him, and the sight and sound of him aren’t clear enough to give me an actionable understanding of him. I try not to let fear get to me. What do I really know about this man? He’s probably in his late 30s, maybe early 40s. He has a beard and short brown hair. He doesn’t wear glasses. He drives a loud pickup. He rents his home. He has an activity that takes him from his home every weekday morning at 7:10 — probably a job. He has a preteen son who visits occasionally, so I assume he has an ex-wife or ex-girlfriend. He has friends or acquaintances who occasionally visit him late at night. He rarely mows his lawn. Occasionally he will work on his pickup in his driveway in the middle of the night. Beyond that, he seems to keep to himself. He also flies a flag in front of his home, a flag associated with right-wing extremists and calls for “no quarter” given to the enemy. I often wonder: if he knew me and my family, would he consider us the enemy? These things I know and observe about my neighbor lead me to conclude that he is in accordance with the current highest power in the nation, a power which is actively eliminating its opposition. As of this writing, The Economist‘s tracker of US-Americans’ stance toward that highest power reports that 39% of US-Americans approve of that higher power. According to public opinion researcher Civiqs, approval 42%. Here in Oklahoma, says The Oklahoman, it was 56% in September. (Dated mid-October 2025, that Oklahoman article claims that Trump’s net rating had dropped. If I am mathing right, that month-ago net approval of -7 translates to 34% approval from Oklahomans. That seems low to me.) So. Whether it’s 39-42% of all my fellow citizens or 34% of my fellow Oklahomans — it works out to a goodly chun…

the very worst
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-11-03T04:30:46Z
subject: Courtney / Inspiration
subject: anxiety
subject: boundaries
subject: business
subject: capitalism
subject: counter-cultural
subject: depression
subject: Halloween
subject: health
subject: Julian of Norwich
subject: mental health
subject: nature
subject: not creating makes me crazy
subject: Paul Tillich
subject: peace
subject: practice makes progress
subject: pyrotheology
subject: Seasonal Affective Disorder
subject: The Babadook
subject: the human condition
subject: The Writing Life
description: So. I am truly, without a doubt, the Very Worst Self-Marketer. Why? Because my latest book has been out for weeks and I haven’t said anything. Prolly ’cause depression & anxiety have been getting the best of me. I haven’t been tending to The Babadook as I should. (ICYMI, “Babadook” is the name of my …
encoded: So. I am truly, without a doubt, the Very Worst Self-Marketer. Why? Because my latest book has been out for weeks and I haven’t said anything. Prolly ’cause depression & anxiety have been getting the best of me. I haven’t been tending to The Babadook as I should. (ICYMI, “Babadook” is the name of my mental illness, which worsens when I don’t set it a place at my table.) Can’t celebrate a book when the ooze and goo are cementing you to the pavement. October is usually my worst month, even though autumn is my favorite season. I just don’t get to enjoy it until Halloween arrives. Going into the darkness the eerie the creepy the weird (the evil) the ludicrous always pushes me through to the cozy waiting on the other side. On the other side, that good feeling never lasts…but I no longer expect it to. I nestle into the cozy and prepare as best I can to go dormant. Y’know, like every creature in the northern hemisphere other than the modern human. This is the season in which living counter to capitalism is most vital. Like the trees, the squirrels, the bees, and the snails, at this time of year we’re meant to slow down, stay safe, preserve energy and sustenance. This year-round go-go-go rise-and-grind hustle culture is antithetical to how we’re put together. I practice living intentionally counter to that. *Practice*. Because I’m not there yet. I never will be. But practice makes progress. In which progress means doing less. Doing smaller…. In the practice of going dormant along with nature (because there is no objective difference between nature and human; we are a part of her; we are her), progress means *not* the more of what our capitalist world violates us with. Progress = less. So I get through October, descending into darkness. Despairing, almost. But the only way out is through. And Halloween has come to mean THRESHOLD to me. The threshold is an invisible barrier thick as gelatin. Pushing through means pain and tired and tears and miserable and ache and loss and gr…

on language, snobbery, and racism
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-10-30T21:24:41Z
subject: Courtney / Language
subject: books
subject: classism
subject: Darmstadt
subject: descriptivist
subject: English
subject: Foreign Languages
subject: Georg-Büchner-Schule
subject: German
subject: German schooling
subject: grammar
subject: growing up
subject: International Phonetic Alphabet
subject: language
subject: nerdery
subject: prescriptivist
subject: racism
subject: the sin of certainty
subject: the work
description: This post is brought to you by Somebody Was Grammatically Wrong On The Internet. I’m gonna try to keep this short <– this is my caveat emptor concerning the fact that I am not going to cover all the bases in this little essay. Essaylet. Whatevs. Anyway, I’m warning you, Gentle Constant Reader, not to …
encoded: This post is brought to you by Somebody Was Grammatically Wrong On The Internet. I’m gonna try to keep this short <– this is my caveat emptor concerning the fact that I am not going to cover all the bases in this little essay. Essaylet. Whatevs. Anyway, I’m warning you, Gentle Constant Reader, not to expect a War & Peace treatment from this trifold pamphlet. Many moons ago, back in the Dark Ages when the ice was on the ground, I was a 17-year-old US-American growing up in Germany. I spoke English at home and German at school, and my life was a hodgepodge of weird. (Still is, but that’s another story and shall be told another time.) One day, as my English/Lit/Humanities/Journalism/Drama-teacher mom was driving me somewheres, I told her an anecdote from my day about an uncomfortable encounter with I-don’t-remember-who. Of my perception of that person, I said to my mom, “I didn’t know how to gauge their reaction.” I was being very serious. My mother, who is not given to giggling, giggled. I had read the word “gauge” many a time, as I had already been a book nerd for longer than I could remember. I had also heard the word “gauge,” as I was hearing English spoken around me on a daily basis. I had not, however, connected the word spelled g-a-u-g-e with the word that, when spoken, rhymes with “cage.” Therefore, as I related to my mother this anecdote of an uncomfortable encounter, I pronounced “gauge” to rhyme with “dodge,” thereby eliciting her giggle-ing. At 17, I was, of course, monstrously offended — and pretty damn mortified at having made such an error. After all, I wasn’t known as “The Walking English Dictionary” at school for nothin’. I was also a grammar and pronunciation prescriptivist, although I didn’t know to call myself that yet. I also, however, already had a pretty well-developed sense of self-deprecating humor, so it didn’t take long for me to let it go and laugh at myself. About “gauge,” anyway. I stayed picky for probably another decade but eventually mo…

let’s get dark for a bit, shall we?
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-10-30T19:58:54Z
subject: Courtney / Random
subject: Bible
subject: childhood
subject: Christianity
subject: education
subject: everything is political
subject: freedom
subject: gun violence
subject: human rights
subject: politics
subject: religion
subject: Second Amendment
subject: Tanakh
subject: Torah
subject: United States of America
subject: US Constitution
description: I wrote this back in mid-September. I don’t know why I didn’t publish it then. It might be a poem. I don’t know that either. ____________________________________________________________________ Had a convo with Josh last week that altered my opinion of the USA. And by altered, I mean worsened. So. If, like me, you grew up immersed in …
encoded: I wrote this back in mid-September. I don’t know why I didn’t publish it then. It might be a poem. I don’t know that either. ____________________________________________________________________ Had a convo with Josh last week that altered my opinion of the USA. And by altered, I mean worsened. So. If, like me, you grew up immersed in conservative, evangelical, historically-Protestant Christianity, you’re familiar with the “Old Testament” scriptures (in Book of Leviticus [in Torah/Pentateuch], Book of Jeremiah [in Tanakh], Book of Kings [Tanakh; 1. & 2. Kings in Christian Bible]) referencing “Moloch.” In context, the ancient Israelites are being warned to stop sacrificing children either to a god named “Moloch” or in a ritual called “Moloch.” At any rate, these scriptures tell a story of an ancient people named “the People of ‘He Who Contends with God'” a people who had committed themselves to a certain way of being in the universe– but instead, in the story, murdered their own children in the hopes of gaining a benefit. Were they appeasing a god? Trying to protect themselves from the god’s wrath? Did they believe that they were releasing a transformative energy? Was the wheat just not growing well enough? Were the thunder and lightning of storms just too damn confusing and scary? Who knows. But in this story innocent children died in pain, in fear, in blood so that the adults, who stayed alive, could gain something. Dead children. Murdered children. For the preservation of a culture. For the preservation of a nation. For the preservation of a way of life. And now, approximately 4,000 years later, the United States of America, a nation accustomed to a certain way of life, faces a crisis of dead children. Murdered children. Today, in the great and glorious nation named “United States of America” (and, interestingly enough, “America” is a word descended of words meaning “struggle” and “king”), the ritual of Moloch is thriving. Since Columbine 1999, there have been at l…

when did we see you
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-09-15T02:51:26Z
subject: Courtney / Creativity
subject: but did you try leeches
subject: Christianity
subject: health
description: “When Did We See You” When I speak of my chronic illnesses or see others speaking of theirs and then I hear or read certain responses have you tried a liver cleansehave you tried colloidal silverhave you tried meditationhave you tried a vegan diethave you tried essential oilshave you tried yoga it sounds just like …
encoded: “When Did We See You” When I speak of my chronic illnesses or see others speaking of theirs and then I hear or read certain responses have you tried a liver cleanse have you tried colloidal silver have you tried meditation have you tried a vegan diet have you tried essential oils have you tried yoga it sounds just like certain people of my past people in Christian circles Christians who were fundamentalist saying you just don’t have enough faith.

finally, a new book announcement!; or: i am the worst businessperson
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-04-20T20:52:31Z
subject: Courtney / Writing
subject: a/theism
subject: Appetite for Antithesis
subject: atheism
subject: Atheism for Lent
subject: cats
subject: death of God theology
subject: dialectics
subject: nonfiction
subject: Peter Rollins
subject: philosophy
subject: theism
description: Recently, because of reasons, I have had occasion to give multiple people my business card (yes, I do actually have business cards! they are very old! but the info on them remains accurate! I think!). That being the case, and in view of the fact that this blog’s address is emblazoned (actually printed demurely) upon …
encoded: Recently, because of reasons, I have had occasion to give multiple people my business card (yes, I do actually have business cards! they are very old! but the info on them remains accurate! I think!). That being the case, and in view of the fact that this blog’s address is emblazoned (actually printed demurely) upon said business cards, I guess it doth behoove one to write something here about one’s most recent accomplishments and current activities. Well, that was unnecessarily mouthful-ish. ANYWAY, I have a new book out. ANNOUNCING <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="640" height="1024" src="https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-640x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-4694" style="width:342px;height:auto" srcset="https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-640x1024.jpg 640w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-188x300.jpg 188w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-768x1229.jpg 768w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-960x1536.jpg 960w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-1280x2048.jpg 1280w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final-800x1280.jpg 800w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/JPG-AfL-Front-Cover-Final.jpg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px" /> APPETITE FOR ANTITHESIS: (DE)KNOWING GOD IN A LENTEN PRACTICE is my first ever non-fiction tome. It’s based on the practice known as “Atheism for Lent,” brainchild of philosopher and radical theologian Dr. Peter Rollins. He kindly has allowed me to pick apart his baby and dress it up in all sorts of mismatched outfits of my choosing, and he also wrote the Foreword. The man is apparently infinitely forgiving. For a little more detail, here’s an excerpt from my Intro: In 2023, I participated in Atheism for Lent for the third time. Or mayb…

the Lack in my follow-up
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-04-14T16:50:00Z
subject: Courtney / Language
subject: etymology
subject: everything is political
subject: language
subject: Mastodon
subject: politics
subject: relationships
subject: responsibility
subject: Ryan Engley
subject: the commons
subject: the Lack
subject: the public
subject: the work
subject: Todd McGowan
subject: trauma
subject: vulgar
description: So, when last you left Your Heroine, she’d posted a thing about a McGowan-Engley podcast episode entitled “Euphemism.” If you haven’t read that thing, you should probably go do that now. And maybe even listen to said podcast episode, too. In fact, your best bet at maintaining serenity and sanity is probably just to skip …
encoded: So, when last you left Your Heroine, she’d posted a thing about a McGowan-Engley podcast episode entitled “Euphemism.” If you haven’t read that thing, you should probably go do that now. And maybe even listen to said podcast episode, too. In fact, your best bet at maintaining serenity and sanity is probably just to skip Your Heroine’s scribal meanderings and go crawl straight into the original horses’ mouths. Not that I’m calling Todd and Ryan horses. I’ve never met either of them, but from photos and vids online, I’ve never gained an impression of anything remotely equine about either of them. YMMV, of course, but I think that says more about your need for zoomorphizing people than it does about the two humans in question. I seem to have disgressed. Anyway, after my previous post, I listened to more of the episode, and I have a few thoughts to share. They might lack coherence, and they will most certainly lack length. I would apologize profusely, but I suspect that the latter will be of relief to most of you. I seem to be in self-deprecatory mode today. What a deal. Something struck me further about Todd’s description of how euphemism blunts trauma. He brings an example from his own life: the struggle of watching his mother succumb to Alzheimer’s disease. (Having lost a great-aunt and a grandmother to this horrific disease, and watching a relatively young aunt degenerate under it year after year for nearly the past decade, I find this example both fitting and a little too apt.) Todd talks about the necessity of giving over his mother’s living situation into the hands of a “memory care facility.” This term is, of course, the euphemism: this is not a facility where memories are cared for. The memories themselves will unavoidably continue to disintegrate; there is neither preservation of them nor prevention of their inevitable dissolution. A “memory care facility” is, then, a facility for caring for a person in their loss of memory. But we don’t call these institution…

the Lack in the Left
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-04-10T17:48:08Z
subject: Courtney / Language
subject: Embracing Alienation
subject: etymology
subject: everything is political
subject: German
subject: language
subject: politics
subject: Ryan Engley
subject: the Lack
subject: the public
subject: Todd McGowan
subject: Why Theory
description: I’ve been listening on occasion to the Why Theory podcast by Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley. I don’t always understand what they’re talking about — but at the very least, there’s never a dull moment with these two. This morning, I started the episode “Euphemism.” Full disclosure: I’ve only gotten about ten minutes in, because …
encoded: I’ve been listening on occasion to the Why Theory podcast by Todd McGowan and Ryan Engley. I don’t always understand what they’re talking about — but at the very least, there’s never a dull moment with these two. This morning, I started the episode “Euphemism.” Full disclosure: I’ve only gotten about ten minutes in, because their discussion sparked thoughts that I needed to write down. So, without further ado or adon’t…. In this episode, Todd and Ryan posit that “euphemism” is the new politics — not only of the USA, where it perhaps has a lampshade permanently attached to it, but of the entire world. The initial example they give is D.O.G.E (which, for the record, I refuse to refer to as anything but the letters D-O-G-E, because “doge” and the associated pronunciation are a fun but ridiculously silly meme and I am determined to be prescriptivist about how utterly inane and juvenile it is to name a governmental agency after it). <img decoding="async" width="800" height="450" src="https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dogememe.webp" alt="" class="wp-image-4679" srcset="https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dogememe.webp 800w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dogememe-300x169.webp 300w, https://courtcan.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/dogememe-768x432.webp 768w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /> *this* is doge Anywhich, Ryan and Todd state that the agency name “D.O.G.E.” is a euphemism for the agency’s destruction of the public. It’s been 30 minutes, so I don’t remember now if the guys use the word “destruction,” but that’s how my Swiss-cheese memory has chosen to retain the information. I’m connecting this with some of the things I’ve read in Todd’s Embracing Alienation (highly recommend!), in which he defines and discusses “the public” (especially in the book’s final chapter). Basically, in the public, you don’t get to make the rules. I don’t get to make the rules. For better or for worse, we all make the rules together, and…

Protected: “i’m free! i’m free!” *immediately falls into hole*
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-03-13T17:16:00Z
subject: Church of the Contradiction
subject: Courtney
subject: Courtney / Inspiration
subject: an existentialist chuckle
subject: authenticity
subject: communion
subject: death of God theology
subject: freedom
subject: God
subject: grace
subject: Paul Tillich
subject: Peter Rollins
subject: sin
subject: the human condition
subject: the Lack
subject: truth
description: There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
encoded: This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below. Password:

Protected: on accepting grace
type: item
creator: Courtney Cantrell
date: 2025-01-24T14:16:22Z
subject: Courtney / Random
description: There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
encoded: This content is password-protected. To view it, please enter the password below. Password: