We Cannot Turn Away
Don't worry, I’ll keep this short.
We can’t not talk about talking with each other, whether or not we agree.
We can’t not talk about gun violence and policy.
We can’t not talk about controversial topics, or even settled topics that have been politicized or made controversial by people who don’t have our best interests at heart.
We can’t not talk about why one dead shooting victim gets more attention than other dead shooting victims.
We can’t not talk about learning lessons in grief and revenge from the Middle East.
We can’t not talk about learning lessons in accountability from Brazil.
We can’t not talk about what other people are trying to prevent us from talking about.
We can’t not do better.
_________________________
What topic/s of conversation have become so risky that they make you reluctant to engage? Drop me a line – I’m curious!
_________________________
Open-Source Learning is yours. Free. Get the white paper here. Use what works and customize whatever you need, however you want. I’m here to help.
_________________________
Curiosity is worth practicing. That’s how we get better at it. When it’s done particularly well, curiosity can be elevated to an art form. Curiosity makes life worth living. I am literally Curious AF. And now you can be too! Click HERE to unlock your free membership subscription.
Here is a taste of what I’m doing, reading, watching, and thinking about.
What I’m Reading (that most people are not) –
From 404 Media: “The Department of Justice has removed a study showing that white supremacist and far-right violence ‘continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism’ in the United States.” According to the National Institute of Justice review of data, which you can still read for the moment here on the Wayback Machine, “Militant, nationalistic, white supremacist violent extremism has increased in the United States. In fact, the number of far-right attacks continues to outpace all other types of terrorism and domestic violent extremism. Since 1990, far-right extremists have committed far more ideologically motivated homicides than far-left or radical Islamist extremists, including 227 events that took more than 520 lives.1 In this same period, far-left extremists committed 42 ideologically motivated attacks that took 78 lives.2 A recent threat assessment by the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security concluded that domestic violent extremists are an acute threat and highlighted a probability that COVID-19 pandemic-related stressors, long-standing ideological grievances related to immigration, and narratives surrounding electoral fraud will continue
to serve as a justification for violent actions.”
From the (gift article) NY Times: “The Department of Health and Human Services has pulled back a government report warning of a link between cancer and drinking even small amounts of alcohol, according to the authors of the research.” According to the federal analysis, even just one drink a day significantly increases the risk of liver cirrhosis, esophageal cancer, oral cancer and injuries of various kinds for both men and women. You can read the original study here – and if it’s gone by the time you click through, let me know and I’ll send you the copy I downloaded.
“Wait a second,” you might say, “If DHHS deleted that study, what are people going to use to shape the new U.S. Dietary Guidelines on alcohol consumption?” A competing report compiled by authors with financial ties to alcohol companies that essentially says, “Drink up, Johnny.”
What Else I’m Reading –
During the pandemic I moved to a working class neighborhood in the Southern California desert. One afternoon, I heard the tinkling of “It’s a Small World” coming down the street. Everyone who spent their childhood on Keswick Street in Van Nuys in the 1970s knows what that sound means. I grabbed some cash and told the kids to put on their masks. Together we went out to meet the ice cream truck.
In a world where everything seems so unnecessarily complicated, the ice cream truck is a nostalgic reminder of a simpler time.
Or so I thought.
According to Olivia Potts, author of 99 Problems: The Ice Cream Truck’s Surprising History, the ice cream truck is “A dynasty that has lasted over two centuries. It’s an industry that remains strong, with an uncanny ability to adapt to changing times. I am fascinated by its survival. After all, along with the long hours, the world of the ice cream van has been beset with accusations of adulteration, ulterior motives, and damage to children.
And even of murder.”
What I’m Watching –
Admittedly, it’s a little challenging to watch a show about domestic surveillance now that (NY Times gift article link) The N.Y.P.D. Is Teaching America How to Track Everyone Everyday Forever. And it’s a little weird to be watching a show that is based on a book that was made into a movie starring fellow Van Nuys native son Robert Redford, who died in real life while I was watching the show. But what I’m more interested in is how we’ve managed to cut time out of story. In 1974, James Grady wrote Six Days of the Condor. In 1975, Sydney Pollack directed Redford in Three Days of the Condor. The movie’s run time was 118 minutes. The version I’m watching is no days – just Condor – and the four hourlong episodes I’ve watched haven’t even gotten me halfway through Season One.
Quote I’m pondering –
The atmosphere in which we are living is suffocating; wherever you go there is whispering, plotting; everywhere there is blood lust, everywhere the stench of the informer, everywhere hatred, everywhere mutterings, everywhere groans....
Vladimir Meshchersky (quoted by Vladimir Lenin)
Thank you for reading! This publication is a lovingly cultivated, hand-rolled, barrel-aged, ad-free, AI-free, 100% organic, anti-algorithm, zero calorie, high protein, completely reader-supported publication that is not paid to endorse any political party, world religion, sports team, product or service. Please help keep it going by buying my book, hiring me to speak, or becoming a paid subscriber, which will also entitle you to upcoming web events, free consultations, discounted merchandise, and generally being the coolest person your friends know:
Best,
Know someone who is also Curious AF? Please share this edition with them!
David Preston
Educator & Author
Latest book: ACADEMY OF ONE
Header image: Curious AF logo. David Preston
Share Dialog
David Preston
