Today’s GNR is going to be a little shorter than usual because I am away for work and my days are super full.
One of the things I did for work was attend some talks about research on prejudice and discrimination. Here are some things that I learned that I want to share with you.
1. A lot of the ideas that we have about prejudice and discrimination being wrong are really new. Really new — like started in the 1960s news. There was an enormous cultural shift that happened at that point where people started to see inequality as wrong — as something that should be avoided. People started to value the idea of equality — not just for the lucky few — but for everyone. As much as we take that idea for granted, it is a new one. Throughout most of history people did not believe in equality for all people. Did we get there in the 1960s? Nope. We still aren’t there yet. But we started to WANT to be there in the 1960s. This fight is so so young in the history of human beings. It is a newborn. When you despair that we haven’t gotten where we need to be remember this: we have just begun this.
2. People are getting less prejudiced and more open to others. Data collected over the last twenty years measuring the explicit (what people say they think) and the implicit (i.e. internal and closely held) attitudes of Americans shows that we are moving, every year, bit by bit, towards being less and less prejudiced. The steepest drops have come in attitudes towards different sexualities, but all kinds of prejudice have seen patterns of decreases. Think about that — every year we get better. Every year. When you despair that we haven’t gotten where we need to be remember this: every year we get better.
It is easy to despair. Heck, it is hard not to despair. Every victory that we have is glossed over and quickly forgotten so we can worry about the next task.
But things are improving. And smart and dedicated people all over the world are working on making this world a better place. Together, we can do just that!
Biden is a great president
Biden administration reverses Trump rule barring federally funded family planning clinics from abortion referrals
The Biden administration has revoked a Trump-era rule that had become a flash point in the abortion wars, saying Monday it would no longer bar clinics that receive federal family planning aid from advising people about ending their pregnancies.
The new rule for the half-century-old family planning program known as Title X will allow health centers to receive the federal funds even if they refer patients for abortions. It takes effect Nov. 8.
Historic increase in food stamp benefits starts in October
Food stamp recipients will see their monthly payments go up in October thanks to a major update to the program, even though a special pandemic boost has now expired.
Benefits will jump 27% above pre-pandemic levels, on average -- the largest increase in its history. The change stems from
a revision of the Thrifty Food Plan, which determines the benefit amounts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, the formal name for food stamps.
Biden becomes first president to issue proclamation marking Indigenous Peoples' Day
"The contributions that Indigenous peoples have made throughout history — in public service, entrepreneurship, scholarship, the arts, and countless other fields — are integral to our Nation, our culture, and our society," Biden wrote in the proclamation Friday. "Today, we acknowledge the significant sacrifices made by Native peoples to this country — and recognize their many ongoing contributions to our Nation."
Sometimes a little historical context can help
When the world actually solved an environmental crisis
In 1985, atmospheric scientists in Antarctica noticed something troubling. For decades, they’d been measuring the thickness of the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere, the layer of gas that deflects much of the sun’s radiation. Starting in the 1970s, it had started plummeting. By the mid-1980s, they observed that it was on track to be wiped out in the next few decades.
Their discovery was cause for worldwide alarm and unprecedented action. In short order, the international community marshaled its resources — scientific, economic, diplomatic — to mount a campaign to ban the chemical that caused the damage, chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), and to restore the ozone layer.
Fast-forward to today: The ozone is on the path to recovery, if not fully restored
the damage we wrought last century has been reversed. Even with the complications and caveats, the world’s response to the ozone crisis should be seen as an instructive, even inspiring, success story — one that can perhaps inform our response to the climate crisis
How Pittsburgh Rallied After Squirrel Hill Synagogue Attack
“This was a crime against adults in a community of adults who knew each other well. The kind of mutual support for the victim’s families relied on a specific character of grownups in a tight-knit neighborhood. The community that was attacked was tightly woven, and that is the exception in mass shootings.”
But it was not just Squirrel Hill’s reaction to the slaughter that made a difference; it was how the entire city, which the local newspaper referred to as “perhaps the least anti-Semitic city in the country,” dealt with the incident. A “Stronger Than Hate” graphic design that incorporated the Star of David and the Pittsburgh Steelers logo became the iconic image of the shooting and was even shared on Instagram by Steel City natives like Michael Keaton. Thousands of Pittsburghers showed up for a vigil honoring the victims arranged by students from a local high school. And on the day of one of the victim’s funerals, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette ran the first four words of the Jewish Mourner’s Kaddish, in Hebrew, at the top of its front page.
“One can’t quantify a city’s level of antisemitism,” says Oppenheimer, “but relative to other large cities, Pittsburgh is quite free of [it]. Pittsburgh has always had distinct ethnic neighborhoods, with respect among those neighborhoods, and there’s a strong civic culture that has been available to Jews and other groups.”
Smart people doing great things
A ‘Pacemaker for the Brain’: No Treatment Helped Her Depression — Until This
Sarah became the first participant in an unusual study of an experimental therapy. Now, her depression is so manageable that she’s taking data analysis classes, has moved to her own place and helps care for her mother, who suffered a fall.
“Within a few weeks, the suicidal thoughts just disappeared,” said Sarah, who asked to be identified by only her first name to protect her privacy. “Then it was just a gradual process where it was like my lens on the world changed.”
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco surgically implanted a battery-operated, matchbook-sized device in Sarah’s brain — a “pacemaker for the brain” some call it — calibrated to detect the neural activity pattern that occurs when she is becoming depressed. It then delivers pulses of electrical stimulation to stave off depression.
Twelve days after Sarah’s device was fully operational in August 2020, her score on a standard depression scale dropped to 14 from 33, and several months later, it fell below 10, essentially signaling remission, the researchers reported.
Sarah’s is the first documented case of personalizing a technique called deep brain stimulation to successfully treat depression. Much more research is needed before it’s clear how effective the approach could be and for how many patients. But several teams of scientists are now working on ways to essentially match the electrical stimulation to what happens in an individual patient’s brain.
tfg had a TERRIBLE week
Trump’s Sprawling Use of NDAs Now Threatens to Humiliate Him
For decades, Donald Trump has treasured non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements, using them to prevent staff and associates from divulging information about his political and corporate empires. But a recent court judgment has called into question just how iron-clad these agreements really are, potentially exposing Trump to many of the secrets he’s worked to keep private in all facets of his life.
But this ruling is notable for far more than its implications for Manigault. Namely, it could provide a precedent for MAGA defectors and other spurned associates who, intimidated by the vengefully litigious former president, have kept quiet about some of their inside knowledge.
“This is going to have a massive impact, and it’s because of the way Trump treats people when he’s done with them,” Manigault told The Daily Beast on Sunday, pointing to public humiliations such as getting fired by tweet.
“I really do feel that folks who have been mistreated or embarrassed, who certainly have information to share will go, ‘Hmm—well they haven’t heard this story,’” Manigault said. “There were so many people in the room when he was doing things that were so clearly unlawful, unethical, unhinged—whatever ‘un-’ you want to use—especially people in the White House. It’s not because they’re unloyal or don't care about the office or the country; it’s because of how he treated people.”
Court orders Trump to give a deposition in a lawsuit over Summer Zervos' sexual-assault claims before Christmas
- A New York State court said Donald Trump should give a deposition in Summer Zervos' lawsuit by December 23.
- Zervos sued Trump, accusing him of defamation after he denied her sexual assault accusation and called her a liar.
- The lawsuit stalled during Trump's presidency but is now moving forward.
Biden declines Trump request to withhold White House records from Jan. 6 committee
The White House on Friday formally blocked an attempt by former President Donald Trump to withhold documents from Congress related to the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol
Great legal news
On The Lighter Side
I usually list a whole bunch of actions you can take. But for today, maybe we can all focus on one thing. How about this:
Donate to Act Blue TODAY! We are losing our voter registration advantage SPECIFICALLY in states where they are making it hard to register voters (states we need). This is not a coincidence. We can’t let that happen. With hard work, we can turn this around!!! They may cheat but we can FIGHT!
Donate here: secure.actblue.com/…
I am so lucky and so proud to be in this with all of you 💙💚💛💜🧡🤎🤍✊✊🏻✊🏿✊🏽✊🏼✊🏾💙💚💛💜🧡🤎🤍