Great-tailed Grackle photo: Sandrine Biziaux Scherson/Audubon Photography Awards
I’m not the guy to write about the shootings. I’m a guy who plumbs my own depths—fears, resentments, attempts at being better—hoping for overlap with you. But from that perspective, I’ll say this: I do have hope. Or “choose,” maybe. I choose hope. Because I believe it’s our moral imperative.
I don’t think hope is fuzzy. Here’s Mariame Kaba in We Do This ‘Til We Free Us:
Hope isn’t an emotion, you know? Hope is not optimism.
For the quote in context, I’ve included audio of me reading that chapter for a book club last year (so ignore the promo at the end).
I haven’t allowed myself to read every story, to learn the names of the dead in Buffalo and Uvalde. I’ve not been numb, just angry and fed up. Mind-boggled that “let’s not make this about politics” is still a talking point of the POLITICIANS. I thought they’d have come up with something even more craven by now.
I’m not the guy to write about the shootings, but that’s what I’m doing. Because we’re here, and I want you to stay here. With me. It’s hell, and I need you. With each breath, our lives are asking, “Will you fight?”
It’s not fair. It’s too much. But we have to hope. Not all the time, maybe not right in this moment, but we have to think on a bigger timeline than our lives, huddle together, and hope.
Here are better words than mine:
Welcome to Hell World: “A Comprehensible Tragedy” (Luke O’Neil)
Got a response to something here? Want to work with me? Reply or comment, and I’ll hit you back.
THIS IS MY PODCAST, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE
Dylan Rodriguez is an OG abolitionist scholar and activist. Talking to him was a righteous, serious, lively, and fun time. In retrospect, I think it’s accidentally a decent balm for this week, a reminder of why we fight our hell.
Content warning: copaganda, collectivity vs. individualism, Boyz II Men, academia, Geronimo Ji-Jaga, humility, rude baby.
MOOD BOARD
Here are places you can donate to survivors of the Buffalo and Uvalde shootings, as well as educate yourself about ongoing prevention efforts:
Uvalde Victims Relief Fund for medical expenses
Everytown for Gun Safety provides educational resources about gun violence (you can also donate to them, but I don’t feel comfortable right now suggesting donations to anything but direct relief to victims and their families).
Review key pieces of gun legislation currently moving through Congress listed on gun violence prevention group Brady United’s website.
We’re up to $910 for Chicago Abortion Fund’s Fund-A-Thon. It ends in just a few days, so donate now to get us to $1600 well ahead of time!
A palate cleanser: I’ve been loving these Desus & Mero interviews in the bodega, and I’ll watch anything with Jerrod Carmichael.
MAY I PLAY YOU A SOUND?
I can’t believe The Thermals’ The Body, the Blood, the Machine was released in 2006. A stripped down, three-chord punk concept album about a couple escaping a Christian fascist state feels as/more relevant now than the end of the Bush years. Funny how political art ages better than conventional wisdom would have us believe.
If you haven’t, you should listen to the whole record, but I picked “A Pillar of Salt” because of this line:
We run in the dark. WE RUN IN THE DAAARK!!
It’s dark, and we’ll need to run. Not necessarily away.
We don't think we’re special, sir, we know everybody is,
DM
Hope is the thing with talons