Wade Wainio
Bio
Wade Wainio writes stuff for Pophorror.com, Vents Magazine and his podcast called Critical Wade Theory. He is also an artist, musician and college radio DJ for WMTU 91.9 FM Houghton.
Stories (78)
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Blaž Hrvat, A Medieval Croatian Serial Killer and the Harsh World of 15th-Century Justice
Serial killers have always been part of human history, and fear of strangers has always been with us. Yet many cases go largely unmentioned, even when the killers are just as ruthless as the infamous names we all know.
By Wade Wainio4 months ago in Criminal
Freedom in Tension: Between Anarchic Ideal and Fascistic Reality
The American anarchist and political economist Benjamin Tucker once called himself an adherent of “unterrified Jeffersonianism.” That phrase, half tongue-in-cheek and half serious, captures the contradiction at the heart of freedom: it is at once an ideal of perfection and a struggle against imperfection.
By Wade Wainio5 months ago in The Swamp
Trump’s ‘Anarchist Jurisdiction’ Talk Was Mostly Nonsense — But Could Such a Thing Exist?
On January 5, 2021, I wrote on my blog about a peculiar phrase that emerged during the Trump administration: "anarchist jurisdictions." It was used by the Department of Homeland Security to describe cities like Portland, Seattle, and New York — places that had seen protests in response to police brutality or simply didn’t align with Trump’s political narrative. The term, however, made little sense. Anarchism isn’t jurisdictional. It isn’t something defined or confined by government-sanctioned borders, laws, or frameworks. If anything, the concept of an "anarchist jurisdiction" is oxymoronic.
By Wade Wainio6 months ago in The Swamp
The Hopefuls: Gentrification and the Changing Face of Cities (and Even Some Small Towns)
In 1964, British sociologist Ruth Glass gave a name to a process reshaping urban life in ways both visible and invisible: gentrification. Writing in her book London: Aspects of Change, she described how working-class neighborhoods in London were being "invaded" by middle-class newcomers — both upper and lower — bringing with them rising rents, property speculation, and a cultural transformation that permanently altered the character of the communities they entered.
By Wade Wainio6 months ago in The Swamp
Gilles de Rais: A Tale of Valor and Horror
Gilles de Rais, also known by his noble title Gilles de Montmorency-Laval, was a French nobleman and a prominent military commander during the Hundred Years' War. His life is a stark contrast of military glory and dark, sinister deeds that have captivated historians and the public for centuries.
By Wade Wainio6 months ago in Criminal
Quirky Behaviors Caused By 'The System' and 10 Solutions
Please, allow me to go on some Andy Rooney-esque rants to explain some quirks to living under a rotten system (and if you wish to see the less rant-oriented "solutions" part of this text, just scroll down and you'll see the list).
By Wade Wainio7 months ago in The Swamp
Alice Kyteler: Ireland’s First Witch Trial and the Origins of European Witchcraft Persecution
In 1324, long before the infamous witch trials of Salem or Bamberg, a wealthy Irish noblewoman named Alice Kyteler became the central figure in one of Europe’s earliest recorded witchcraft trials. Her story is a revealing look at medieval attitudes toward power, gender, and fear of the occult.
By Wade Wainio8 months ago in Criminal
From Slavery to Genocide: The American Tradition of Hideous Moral Compromise
There are many differences between myself and a typical Republican. One of them: I do not shed a single tear if some monuments to General Robert E. Lee and other Confederate-era figures are being removed. Similarly, Gary Flowers, a black radio show host and civil rights activist, stated: "As a native of Richmond, I want to say that the head of the snake has been removed..."
By Wade Wainio10 months ago in The Swamp
Pedro Rodrigues Filho: The Chilling Tale of Brazil's Infamous Vigilante Serial Killer
Pedro Rodrigues Filho, infamously known as "Pedrinho Matador" or "Killer Petey," remains one of the most notorious figures in Brazil’s criminal history. Born on October 17, 1954, in Minas Gerais, Brazil, Rodrigues became infamous for his brutal acts of violence — crimes that were made unique by his most common choice of victims: other criminals.
By Wade Wainio11 months ago in Criminal
Powerful People Don't Live Forever: What's Implied When Influential People Die
When Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in 2020, it obviously had significant political implications. It's not like no one mentioned her poor health, but it still came as a surprise. After all, she had missed a Supreme Court argument, which was something she was not known for.
By Wade Wainioabout a year ago in The Swamp
10 Vampire (and Vampiric Creatures) Movies and TV Shows!
1. Nosferatu (1922) Count Orlok (Max Schreck) is a sinister man, or whatever it is, but despite this, there is something sad about the vampire-man. Orlok seems cursed, maybe even diseased — a theme elaborated upon more by Werner Herzog's re-telling of this tale in 1979 (more on that later). It's also fairly common knowledge that "Nosferatu" was almost a lost film, and not just due to random ravages of time. "Dracula" author Bram Stoker's heirs had successfully sued to have F. W. Murnau's film destroyed, but some copies sneakily survived, which is why we can still enjoy this movie today.
By Wade Wainioabout a year ago in Horror
