Listen, Learn, & Vote: Stuff I Liked on the Internet This Week (August 21st)

Another week and we’re still here! Here’s to that! And here’s to a virtual DNC that was actually surprisingly uplifting and hopeful and not glitchy or awkward, like I expected it to be.

Speaking of the election, a friend tipped me off to a helpful resource for those of us who’d like to unseat the Cheeto-in-Chief, Vote Save America has set up an “Adopt a State” program where you can volunteer to help organizers, volunteers, and candidates in the six key battleground states that will be most important to delivering a progressive majority in 2020. **It took me approximately 10 seconds to sign up, so hop to it!**

The Daily podcast from the New York Times is a mainstay in our household- it’s short, digestible, and full of “need to know” info. This week, they talked about the post office drama. Turns out, the biggest thing is getting your ballot in EARLY.

As we approach November, more and more people I know are expressing disillusionment at Trump voters. This is something I think about a lot, as there are some people I love dearly who love them some DonDon. So if you listen to anything this week, listen to Brené’s answer to the first question. Like what you hear? Keep listening. Brené Brown, an esteemed researcher, and former social worker is a national treasure. We need her now more than ever.

Looking for an interesting sit-on-the-couch/porch/patio weekend read? I really enjoyed (and related to!) this piece in The Atlantic. When I was in college, I dabbled in this type of thing. Now that I’m older, I’m fascinated by the type of person that leans more toward this type of information than fact-based truths…

Conspiracism maps onto some of our most basic brain functions. “Our minds work in particular ways that make us all receptive to conspiracy thinking,” says Rob Brotherton, a psychologist and the author of Suspicious Minds: Why We Believe Conspiracy Theories. “When something ambiguous happens in the world, we tend to think, Did somebody want that to happen? This tendency to think about intentions, or to see patterns, or confirmation bias—all of these influence not just the way we think about conspiracy theories, but the way we think about the world every day in a very mundane, very fundamental sense.” It’s tempting, he told me, to think of conspiracy theories as “a psychological aberration, some weird fringe thing, when in fact they’re an offshoot of how our minds work.”

I’m glad the New Yorker reminded me of this little blurb from Toni Morrison from a few years back. I needed it. You might too. (It’s a very short read.)

An Artist Per Day on Instagram is a great follow. Seeing as how much of the mainstream “art” we are exposed to these days seems to involve words/commands (“Gather” above a table, “Sleep” above a bed…yes, we know what to do) or big clocks, I think it’s nice to be reminded of the fact that really good art exists and much of it is accessible. (I also recommend just poking around on Art.com!)

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As a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., this post resonates with me because the narrative of Black Suffragists is often erased and disregarded in conversations about voting. Let it be known that the first public act of Delta Sigma Theta was participating in the Women’s Suffrage March in Washington D.C., on March 3, 1913. And we weren’t even allowed to march in front…in the back…last. BLACK WOMEN GOT YOU THE VOTE!!! Period. And last election, 53% of White women voted for an oppressive narcissist. Thanks. Repost from @femislay • So you want to celebrate the passage of the 19th amendment but you don’t want to celebrate the white feminist leaders held up as women’s rights icons despite their racist beliefs & practices? Lucky for you, I made this list of some black suffragists whose names you need to know. I really cannot encourage you enough though, to look at the additional readings slide & pick a resource and learn more about the lives and legacies of these incredible women. #19thAmendment #VotingRights #VoterSuppression #VotingRightsAct #WomensSuffrage #UniversalSuffrage #Suffragette #Suffragettes #RightToVote #SuffrageCentennial #WomensRights #Vote #BlackIcons

A post shared by Sydney Charles (@mssydchas) on Aug 19, 2020 at 9:51am PDT

White women in the US got the right to vote 100 years ago, but black women had to wait 50 years for their turn. They never taught us about that in school, nor most of these women. Take a look, learn something!

If I didn’t feel a strong moral obligation toward voting and the well-being of my country and the world, I’d honestly love to sleep until December. The stress! The anticipation! I picked a bad time to lay off the booze!

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Thanks to @pleonasmico for this amazing animation of an old episode. This is truly great.

A post shared by Tim Dillon (@timjdillon) on Aug 8, 2020 at 1:05pm PDT

I’m leaving you with this absurd idea for Coronavirus The Musical that had my hubs and I in stitches; particularly the line, “Heard about a pandemic!” We’ve been singing it all week.

We cry! We laugh! We endure!

Have a lovely weekend, wear a mask, do good things, and be good people.