Whew! I’m not sure if it’s the shortening nights or the approach of the spooky season or just the last vestiges of pandemic induced delirium, but my comments have been wild recently. They’re absolutely brimming with conversations that I can’t wait to share with you. But before we get to them, let’s discuss what I should write about next!
Three ideas have been rattling around my brain lately:
First, I’ve been toying with the idea of writing a piece looking back at the Afghanistan withdrawal. The news cycle seems to have grown completely bored with the subject, even though it was only a month and a half ago! So I’m wondering if it’s something that still holds any interest for you all. I’m also thinking about a piece on COVID vaccination mandates. And finally, with so much focus on trans issues after Dave Chapelle’s The Closer, I’m thinking about writing a piece about trans discourse in general.
I’ll probably only have time to write one (possibly two) of these with everything else I’m working on. So please let me know what you’d most like to see. And of course, if you have a better idea than these, I’m all ears.
In other news, work on a potential podcast continues, and I thought it would be great to hear who you’d like me to talk to. Obviously, I’m still a small-fry, so landing Oprah or Meghan Markle might be a little too ambitious, but please share a few of your favourite voices/writers on topics like racism, trans rights, politics, culture etc. I’m looking for a diverse range of viewpoints, so people who you suspect I might disagree with are very welcome too (possibly even preferred).
Hopefully, the resulting list will give us all some interesting people and perspectives to engage with.
As always, a huge thank you to all of you for your support. Both financial, and with your thoughtful and insightful comments. We’re building a fascinating community here. So those of you who haven’t weighed in yet, don’t be shy! See you in the comments!
The Afghanistan withdrawal meant/means something to Afghanistan war vets and thanks to the Déjà vu aspect, Vietnam war vets. Then of course people looking for political hay piled on. Americans have sound bite interest and memory. That ship may have sailed.
COVID vaccination mandates became a horrible thing by injecting politics into medicine. The old teaspoon of sewage into a bottle of fine wine giving us a bottle of sewage. I'm an example of an over 70 triple vaxed person opposed to mandates. I'll leave my reasons out but say that you might be just the person to write something worthwhile on that in the middle of all the
emotional hell fire and damnation we see now.
The trans thing is walking into a mine field. You might be up to it. Nobody wants to discuss, they want to preach. I'll get some popcorn out for that if you do it.
People I’d love to hear you talk with who are not quite Meghan Markle level:
The New Liberals podcast, Angel Eduardo
Free Black Thought, Erec Smith, Michael DC Bowen
Roderick Graham (would disagree on a lot)
Some stretch goals?: Chloe Valdary, Coleman Hughes, Kmele Foster, Thomas Chatterton Williams
I’d also just like to hear more about you as a person beyond your perspectives on racial justice issues. I don’t know much about you other than you are British (I think!) and Black and male.
There was someone on the radio yesterday (doctor? epidemiologist? and was it On the Media?) trying to make the point that the public should lower their expectations of Public Health and recognize that they can’t know everything. We’re all in the midst of an enormous experiment, was the idea. Except that the public does realize that. That feeling is what drives vaccine hesitancy, and instead of understanding that/expecting it/working with it, public health experts and doctors lectured us, saying we didn’t understand science, and calling us anti-vaxxers (my family is vaccinated, fwiw).
I have been interested in Public Health’s position here at the intersection of science and public relations (propaganda?). They manipulate the public but for the public good. How do they make decisions around that? What do they decide to admit and leave out?
The Afghanistan withdrawal meant/means something to Afghanistan war vets and thanks to the Déjà vu aspect, Vietnam war vets. Then of course people looking for political hay piled on. Americans have sound bite interest and memory. That ship may have sailed.
COVID vaccination mandates became a horrible thing by injecting politics into medicine. The old teaspoon of sewage into a bottle of fine wine giving us a bottle of sewage. I'm an example of an over 70 triple vaxed person opposed to mandates. I'll leave my reasons out but say that you might be just the person to write something worthwhile on that in the middle of all the
emotional hell fire and damnation we see now.
The trans thing is walking into a mine field. You might be up to it. Nobody wants to discuss, they want to preach. I'll get some popcorn out for that if you do it.
People I’d love to hear you talk with who are not quite Meghan Markle level:
The New Liberals podcast, Angel Eduardo
Free Black Thought, Erec Smith, Michael DC Bowen
Roderick Graham (would disagree on a lot)
Some stretch goals?: Chloe Valdary, Coleman Hughes, Kmele Foster, Thomas Chatterton Williams
I’d also just like to hear more about you as a person beyond your perspectives on racial justice issues. I don’t know much about you other than you are British (I think!) and Black and male.
The conversation around vaccines interests me.
There was someone on the radio yesterday (doctor? epidemiologist? and was it On the Media?) trying to make the point that the public should lower their expectations of Public Health and recognize that they can’t know everything. We’re all in the midst of an enormous experiment, was the idea. Except that the public does realize that. That feeling is what drives vaccine hesitancy, and instead of understanding that/expecting it/working with it, public health experts and doctors lectured us, saying we didn’t understand science, and calling us anti-vaxxers (my family is vaccinated, fwiw).
I have been interested in Public Health’s position here at the intersection of science and public relations (propaganda?). They manipulate the public but for the public good. How do they make decisions around that? What do they decide to admit and leave out?