Webathon

If You Like Sex, Drugs, and/or Robots, Please Donate to Reason!

We also have monks.

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Of course Reason is going to hit you hard with all the news you can use about transportation policy and taxes, health care and regulation, criminal justice and foreign policy. But there's more to life than whatever is scrolling along the bottom of the screen at CNN. And since the magazine's very beginnings five decades ago, Reason has looked to culture, commerce, and civil society for meaning—and fun.

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In 2018, that means sex, drugs, and robots!

It's webathon week here at the magazine of free minds and free markets, and Reason readers know better than anyone why we do this: There ain't no such thing as a free website (or TANSTAAFW, I suppose). So please drop us some dollars so that we can buy more space in the series of tubes for our coverage of all the topics that really matter:

Sex

If you're looking for writing on sex work and sex policy that's both hard-headed and easy-to-read, look no farther than Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown, who has covered the national panic over sex trafficking with an attention to detail and a lack of hype you won't find anywhere else. Her exclusive interview with exiled Backpage.com founders Michael Lacey and James Larkin was one of this year's biggest hits. And she's keeping you up to date on the latest #thotaudit internet memes, too. She's got help as well from Contributing Editor Cathy Young, who reminds us that "No, Sex Wasn't Better for Women Under Socialism," and from sex worker and author Maggie McNeill.

And of course Reason has been all over the birth control beat since 1968. And we're still on it today, whether it's nuns who don't want to pay for it or women who do want to pay for it over-the-counter, we've got you covered. (So to speak!) Which brings us to…

Drugs

Everybody says libertarians are just Republicans who like to smoke pot. But that's not true. Sometimes we like to eat it or vape it, too! In all seriousness, way back when marijuana legalization was a kooky idea even in the most loosey-goosey dorm rooms, Reason was advocating for the freedom to choose what you put into your own body. Five decades later, we have powerhouse Senior Editor Jacob Sullum digging deep on the use of MDMA and marijuana to treat PTSD, the real causes of the opioid crisis, and much more. Associate Editor Mike Riggs is reporting on how to have a better body and also make your skin more fun to live in, via licit and illicit means. And of course Bartender in Chief Peter Suderman is always ready to discuss and dispense America's actual drug of choice: alcohol.

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retty soon, though, we're hoping our drinks will be mixed (and our sorrows will be listened to) by a Vegas bartender who is more machine than man. Which brings us to…

Robots

When it comes to robot coverage, nobody does it better than Reason Science Correspondent Ronald Bailey. In fact, the cover of the latest print magazine has some great, creepy Thomas Hobbes Meets Issac Asimov art for Bailey's awesome cover story about algorithims—which are just robots by another name!—and whether they're going to do a better job of governing than humans.

But if you're wondering whether the robots are going to take your job (probably, but it'll be OK!) or whether the robots will be opportunities for Ayn Rand puns (probably, but it'll be OK!), or whether the late Sen. John McCain can do the robot (probably, but it'll be OK!) we've got answers.

And while they're not quite ready for prime time, you better believe that once sex robots hit the shelves, Reason will have the best-informed, well-grounded commentary on the inevitable plans of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D–N.Y.) to ban them. Which brings us back to…sex.

Whew. In case that was all too confusing, I made a Venn Diagram to help you understand:

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Of course, Reason offers other great trios as well, such as the "Booze, Profit, and Prayer" featured in Stephanie Slade's latest feature about the capitalist monks who make Chartreuse liquor and Trappist beer. You could already read that story and many more if you were a subscriber, so why not get yourself a little gift this holiday season? And then consider giving a gift to support the work of Reason as well.

Don't forget to tune in at 1:00 p.m. eastern tomorrow for our very special live, webcast version of the Reason roundtable podcast, featuring not only the voices but the actual faces of Matt Welch, Nick Gillespie, Peter Suderman, and yours truly. We will be taking your questions about life, love, and the universe.