Happy Saturday, dearest Community! We’ve made it through yet another week, and I’m here to offer you yet another delightful collection of Community writing.
It’s always interesting to me (at least) when themes emerge among any given week’s Picks. It doesn’t happen often, but this week it’s undeniable: Y’all told YOUR stories, in droves. With a few deviations into advice and conspiracy theory history, this week’s Picks center their writers in conversations about policy and the social contract, and they do it beautifully.
Obviously, we shouldn’t need first-person accounts to help us understand why we need better services and safety nets, but it sure does help to see the very real human impact of policies good and bad; what’s more, such stories help us see beyond our own circumstances, privileges, and struggles. They’re golden in that way.
That brings us to this week’s question.
As we plod towards the 2020 Democratic convention, where countless perspectives will be presented in powerful speeches designed to help people better understand platform planks that might not directly impact them, I’m curious to know this:
What’s a political issue (or policy) you didn’t fully comprehend until it was “humanized” for you? Is there a behavior or mindset whose damage you couldn’t quite see until you saw it through someone else’s eyes?
Furthermore, how did you respond once you learned these lessons?
This is a tough one, I know. As such, it only seems fair that I go first.
In my Ohio high school, during the late 1990s, there was a very offensive putdown that got thrown around constantly and carelessly: “That’s so gay.” I had gay friends, co-workers, and family members, but in my teenaged mind, raised on not a small amount of normalized bigotry, I simply did not connect the phrase with the members of the LGBTQ community who I knew and loved. Thus, I used it freely to mock bad movies, friends who declined party invites, pretty much anything.
Then, in college, I was assigned readings that, much like many of this week’s Picks, provided first-person accounts of how bias impacted people from all walks of life. One of them was written by a gay man, who explained that by using the phrase to mean “that’s so stupid,” or “that’s so boring,” or “that’s so lame (which is also problematic),” I was saying that being gay was stupid, boring, lame, or whatever other negative word I intended, and that was hurtful, especially coming from a straight woman.
I flinched when I read it in my dorm; I certainly didn’t mean it that way, said the voice in my head. But then I realized that my intentions didn’t matter as much as the impact, and I never said that shit again. Ever.
It was a remarkably simple choice for me.
Without further ado, here’s this week’s Picks!
Changing Your Name When Indigent and Genderqueer
By LoreleiHI
Most of us don’t get to choose our names, but for those who do, for those who must, it’s much, much harder than it needs to be.
Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
By Wee Mama
Stories from the Quakers, Sufi, and more lead us to ask these three question that are extremely useful guiding lights to minimize pie fights (and the like) as we gear up for 2020.
ER Doc 411: What is a heart attack, and how to treat it
By ERdoc in PA
The ER doctor is in, and this monthly series on medical emergencies is worth your time. This installment offers a remarkably accessible guide to responding to cardiac crisis.
The Incredible Beauty of the Average Person
By serendeputy
The kindness of strangers cannot be overestimated. Be a helper. Period.
I Went to the Dentist Today.
By KLWhite
Far too few American healthcare plans and conversations seem to focus on the very important world of dental care and health. Yet our teeth, and oral health, affect our quality of life in myriad ways.
Still Coming To America
By mulryan
This beautiful story about new citizens being welcomed into the American fabric will melt your cold, dead heart.
Pickle
By liberaltruthsayer
This heartfelt story about a mother’s love for her daughter will have you on the edge of your seat, and reaching for the Kleenex.
On the relation of conservative values and white privilege
By grobertson
This nation was built on white supremacy, and as demographics change, a terrifyingly large group of Americans are determined to preserve that oh-so-flawed and dangerous foundation.
How I Plan to Rate Candidates This Season
By Elwood Dowd
This might not be a comprehensive-enough list for everyone, but it sure is a great place to start.
Hidden History: The "QAnon" Conspiracy Theory
By Lenny Flank
As QAnon’s followers continue to increase and number and grow more adamant, it’s time to make sure we all know what we’re dealing with.
What I Learned From Knocking On 4,000+ Doors In 2018
By WA09 Progressive
From one of our youngest Community members, this story of civic duty in action will teach you a thing or two about a thing or two.
The Republican Party has become a cult
By Socialjusticeamerican
The devotion to Individual 1 has become an appalling norm for members of the right. If it looks familiar, that’s because we’ve been here before.
That’s it for this week, sweetest ones. Looking forward to this week’s discussion, and the lessons we each can take from the lessons others have learned.
As always, feel free to suggest diaries I may have missed in the comments! And if you’ve just read a gem, or want a little editing help for a piece you’re working on, drop me a Kosmail!
Thanks for being here.