Let's we be specific
Let's we be specific
“Yeah, so we’re doing it on Saturday, and that’s basically it. We’re all good.” This was in a meeting for a volunteer thing I’m doing tomorrow, from the dude in charge of coordinating it.
Meeting facilitator: “Does anyone have any questions?” And silence, like everyone was ready to move on.
Until I said, “Um, yeah. How do we sign up? We talked about coordinating rides, is that happening? Are there any supplies we need to bring, and have we assigned people to get them?” I had nothing but questions.
I actually really like this dude, but he has this habit of vaguery that drives me insane. We’ll be planning something, and he just smiles and is like, “Yeah, that shouldn’t be a problem. It’s all good. We’ll experiment. It’ll be chill.”
And I just want to shout, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, DUDE?!! What is chill? What shouldn’t be a problem? Okay, we’ll experiment, I love experimenting, but what is the experiment? What are you specifically saying?
I’ve noticed this vagueness trend all week. Mostly in reality TV, which makes sense. Vagueness leads to the misunderstandings that give you that drama! But once you notice how terrible people are at specifying exactly what they mean in any given situation, you see it everywhere.
I still have to talk to this dude, give him my gripe without being a dickhead about it.
But holy shit, world, I’m begging you, please start saying things other than “vibes.”
Got a response to something here? Want to join my weekly workshops for storytelling or kickstarting your creative practice? Reply or comment, and I’ll hit you back.
THIS IS MY PODCAST, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE
Skyler Higley (Conan, The Onion) is a Black dude adopted by white parents and raised Mormon. He’s not Mormon anymore, and we talk a lot about losing the window through which he saw the world as a kid. We also talk a lot about comedy, including his really fun new mixtape project, SALTWATER, which is an organic blend of his comedy (live and in-studio) with his buddy Nicholas James’ music. You should check it out!
Here’s a music video from it:
And here’s the podcast! Listen to it. Subscribe to it. Review it. Join the Patreon! In that order, probably.
MOOD BOARD
Do good while doing yoga! Tomorrow morning, Hope (IYKYK) is leading a 75-minute session of “movement, breath, restorative postures, and… a guided deep relaxation” to benefit the Chicago Torture Justice Center, an organization that helps survivors of police violence with emergency housing, prescriptions, groceries, funeral expenses, and in-person social services. RSVP here for the yoga class, which is entirely donation-based.
Donate to CTJC. I donated $10 to their Love-a-Thon for Justice, and they’re also collecting donations for their Survivor Relief/Repair Fund. You can probably match or double my contribution? Let me know how much you donate to either campaign, and I’ll report our total next week.
“Don't Say You ‘Can’t Imagine’ the Grief of Those Who Have Lost Loved Ones. Ask Them to Tell You Their Stories”: Here’s your weekly reminder the pandemic isn’t over and that one of the hardest parts of grieving is when people stop showing up.
This editorial about the Chicago Reader shows how threats to independent journalism can come from inside the house.
There’s a thing where type 1 diabetics shit on type 2 diabetics because type 2 is seen as the result of individual choices whereas type 1 just appears one day. I started even the most recent version of Dave Maher Coma Show with a joke shitting on type 2s. I’ve learned more, and future versions of the show won’t have that joke. Anyway, here’s a thread explaining the fallacy in this thinking (a fallacy I subscribed to up until a couple years ago!):
Another diabetes thing. Here’s a longer piece about the insulin fuckery that’s happening in Congress right now. No matter what you hear, the “Affordable Insulin Now” or whatever bill is a COPAY CAP, not a PRICE CAP. Which of course means drug manufacturers (corporations), patient “advocacy” organizations, and politicians do not care about poor/uninsured people. No exaggeration: they are making death.
MAY I PLAY YOU A SOUND?
I’ve heard too much good music this week to fit in one column, so I’m banking all the great Indian rap I heard for future weeks.
Syd’s new album, Broken Hearts Club, is fantastic tip to tail. Off-kilter, whispered R&B with echoes of Miguel and Frank Ocean. “CYBAH” is the opening track and the first of a three-song run of BANGERS that kick off the album. Slow-motion shimmering (like all good music), hard-hitting Prince drums, and an earnest-eyed chorus. Chef’s kiss shit.
Specifically,
DM