Caitlin Flanagan on the ‘Cornell 7’ and the Battle of the Sexes. Plus…

Welcome back to The Weekend Press! Today, Maddy Kearns has two drinks with the commonsense congresswoman who’s constantly in trouble with her own party. Suzy Weiss calls a Taylor Swift expert to explain what’s gone wrong with Swift’s new songs. And more!

But first: What was Jane Doe looking for?

With all eyes on Ithaca, New York, this week, where the scandal unfolding over rape allegations on Cornell University’s campus has set the country ablaze, we turned to Caitlin Flanagan to help us make sense of the story.

Why did Jane Doe go to a fraternity house at 11 p.m. to join several men for sex? Why were the Cornell 7, as they are now infamously called, so quick to head to Chi Phi when they heard there was “free” sex to be had? Why wasn’t anyone in their fraternity willing to say: Enough, and help Jane Doe back to her dorm?

“In all of my long life, I’ve never seen the sexes pitched against each other at this level of contempt, and it’s a frightening thing,” writes Caitlin. “There is a very large number of men who hate women and an equally large number of women who hate men.”

And then there are the fraternities, which “stand for everything that campus chic stands against,” says Caitlin. “And in particular, they stand against all that is holy to a majority of college women.”

But through it all, one confounding fact remains: Year after year, young women of all political stripes flock to fraternity parties without fail. And bad things happen. Why do they keep going? Read Caitlin’s essay for answers.

Madeleine Kearns • Two Drinks

Congresswoman Marie Gluesenkamp Perez is the only Democrat currently representing a district that’s voted for Donald Trump in the last three elections. And she’s constantly in trouble with her party for voting with the GOP, on everything from ICE to lobstermen. Not that she minds. In a D.C. dive bar, she tells Maddy Kearns, “It’s generally bad for democracy when we’re like, ‘There is one way to be a Democrat.’ ” Over two pints of IPA, they talked about the challenges of bringing up a kid in rural America, why she’s sick of talking about sex-segregating sports, how speaking publicly about her miscarriages made her feel “naked,” and why “campaigning is such a pain in the ass.”

Michele McAloon • Things Worth Remembering

This week, Netflix released a television adaptation of John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” more than 70 years after the novel it’s based on was published. Based on the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, this 20th-century epic has stood the test of time because “sibling relationships are some of the most important and complicated in our lives,” writes Michele McAloon. She’s currently moderating a discussion of the novel for our Free Press Book Club, and in today’s Things Worth Remembering, McAloon reflects on how its meaning, for her, has evolved over the years. “Some 45 years after I first read ‘East of Eden,’ I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother,” she writes. “As the pages turn, I feel humility and an aching familiarity within my own life.”

Last week, newly married global superstar Taylor Swift released four new songs—with rhymes like “Now I’m wearing white, so hate all you like”—and the world immediately ripped them to shreds. On this week’s episode of Second Thought, Suzy and Dan called up Swift scholar Matthew Jordan to explain what went wrong, and whether the queen of heartbreak can make good music now that she’s with the love of her life. “It’s the equivalent of when a fat comedian loses weight,” Dan says. “Can you still be funny?” Click below to watch the episode, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, Suzy wrote about how Sydney Sweeney’s potential conversion could be the biggest gain for the Jewish people since Marilyn Monroe; Kat Rosenfield cautioned that we shouldn’t rush to conclusions about the “Cornell 7”; and “mom of the year” Erika Alvarez told the whole story of her husband, whom the internet tried to cancel . . .

A new batch of ads from single Free Pressers is live on our site! Click here to meet a lonely man in the Lone Star State; a piano man between New York and Miami; or a Boston woman who prides herself on her independence (both personal and political). Your special someone could be just one email away! If you’d like to take a chance at Free Press love, write a paragraph that defines you, including your age, where you live, and what you’re looking for, and send it over to [email protected].

How should you spend the rest of your weekend? We asked our editorial assistant Evan Gardner for his recommendations . . .

🎵Listen . . .to Taylor Swift’s album Reputation. As Suzy mentioned, we all need a palate cleanser after the new releases—and this 2017 project does exactly that. At the time it was heavily criticized, but the album has aged better than any of her others; it’s filled with heavy brooding, savage shots at her exes, and the kind of pounding bass you can feel in your toes. In short, it’s a relic of the last time she pushed the boundaries, and dared to be disliked—and proof that only she could bring Ed Sheeran and the rapper Future together onto the same song.

📺Watch . . . Billions. As someone who went to a college with an open curriculum (and knows his weaknesses), I’ve avoided math like the plague, but this financial thriller makes you feel strong enough to crunch numbers with the best of them. In the year of its 10th anniversary, I highly suggest you watch this show for a glimpse at the upper echelon of hedge-fund life; but even if workplace dramas aren’t for you, the yearslong psychological warfare between its two protagonists is enough to make anyone grip the edge of their seat.

🍎Eat . . . apple butter. As Americans, we naturally give apple pie all the hype this time of year; but whether you’ve picked them yourself or just stopped at the grocery store, making this delicious compote is one of the best things you can do with your apples. Throw it on a slice of toast, in your bowl of oatmeal, or even just eat it with a spoon; it makes everything taste like the best part of fall, and doubles as a portable snack.

That’s all, folks! Have a great weekend.

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