Hello everyone. Your Reader Advisor is back after a long hiatus. I wish I could be returning on a happier note but unfortunately that doesn’t really seem possible any more. After 49 people were simultaneously murdered last week for being themselves, I, like innumerable others, have been feeling a lot of feelings. In fact, sometimes I get the impression that the only time our country really collectively “feels” or expresses emotions is after a mass shooting or a mass sporting event. But these outpouring of emotions have become so routine that even politicians are calling into question our sincerity. So this week I offer an examination of how our collective expressions of grief (and love) are coming under new and important scrutiny.
Samantha Bee’s late night show “Full Frontal” on TBS is really the only one we should be watching right now. Her precise (and frankly educational) commentary is as rude, obscene, and unflinching as the cultural norms and engorged machismo she rails against. It’s like your high school sociology teacher is OVER IT and wants to shine some real life knowledge on your dumb stupid faces: “Love does not win unless we start loving each enough to fix our fucking problems.”
Moments of Silence (MOS) have never been so contested as they have been this week and for good reason. Once the observed pillar of public spirituality and collective mourning, these rituals are being confronted for their callous impotence; their silent resignation and refusal to protect the lives of future victims. I am pro-reflection as much as the next person but when introspection is not paired with action you are just indulging in a 49-second-body-count-zone-out session that lasts as long as it takes to do a body count. [via The Chicago Tribune]
Thoughts and Prayers (T and P), that mystical duo of telekinetic vibe-age, are also unsurprisingly ineffective at combating mass shootings: [via thoughtsandprayersthegame.com]
Here’s the Lieutenant Governor of Utah, Spencer Cox, speaking at a vigil for Orlando victims. If a Republican from Utah can figure his way to some genuine empathy then what is everyone else’s excuse?
If love really does conquer hate, we need to meet violence (which is the physical expression of hate) with progressive collective action (which might be the physical expression of love). Or hugs. Lots of really good hugs:
Thankfully Obama does not “weak tea” his hugs. [via The New York Times]
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, here is the contact info for our Philadelphia representatives. Give them a call. Send them an email. Do it today. Do it tomorrow.
