The Will of the People
Some thoughts on you know what. And some good things to read. (#503)
Make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be.
That's what I want the Weekly Filet to help you with. And boi do we have some sense making and imagining to do.
I mean, seriously, AGAIN?
It was four o'clock in the morning in Switzerland, I couldn't sleep and grabbed my phone, hoping to get some comforting first numbers from the US that would let me sleep for another two hours. Well...
A couple of hours later, when there was already little doubt that Donald Trump would win the presidency, I saw this map and it really hit home.
This wasn’t a freak accident like the first time. Not a win enabled by an electoral system that distorts the will of the people. No, what‘s clarifying – and horrifying – about this election: a majority of American voters wants this man in power. They knew exactly who he is and what he's done. They heard what he wants to use the power of the office for – and went all for it.
All across the country, among almost all population groups, Trump fared significantly better than 4 years ago. That's what that map shows. That's what I still can't process.
So, make sense of what’s happening, and imagine what could be. I'll do my best to be helpful in the coming weeks, months, and beyond. Especially that second part – imagining how things could be different, and how we might get there – feels more important than ever. I'm glad if you're following along.
So, my recommendations this week:
1. Stop Pretending Trump Is Not Who We Are
That clarifying, horrifying realisation I described in my intro above...this commentary helped me make (some) sense of it. The author makes the case that Trump hasn't changed the country, but revealed it. Or, more precisely: «Trump has changed us by revealing how normal, how truly American, he is.» And echoing Kamala Harris' key message «We're not going back!», he concludes: «The tragedy is not that this election has taken us back, but that it shows how there are parts of America’s history that we’ve never fully gotten past.»
By
2. How Trump Will Change the World
A first overview of the potential geopolitical impact of Trumps re-election. One important factor which makes this term much riskier than the first: «The first time, U.S. allies reacted with a variety of hedging strategies. This time around, they are in a much weaker position owing to their own internal challenges and to the threats posed by Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.»
Peter D. Feaver
3. What Do Animals Understand About Death?
Kathryn Schulz is one of maybe a handful of writers that I will get me interested in any topic, no exceptions. Her latest piece is on comparative thanatology – the study of how different species respond to death. Count me in! And of course this turns out to be an extremely fascinating field of study – sometimes «at the intersection of love, death, and dinner», as Schulz writes. What's not to love!
Kathryn Schulz
4. Some thoughts on the real world by one who glimpsed it and fled
A commencement speech by the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, Bill Watterson. On nurturing creativity («If you indulge your natural curiosity, I think you'll find it functions as a sort of shock absorber for the bumpy road ahead.») and on staying true to your values when success offers you opportunities to trade them («It would have meant my purpose in writing was to sell things, not say things.»). It's from 1990, I only discovered it this week and it made my week slightly better than it would have been without it.
Bill Watterson: ‘Some thoughts on the real world by one who glimpsed it and fled’, Kenyon College - 1990
5. Many of us can save a child’s life, if we rely on the best data
Why picking the right charities to donate to makes a much bigger difference than most people think.
By: Max Roser
What else?
Instant-gratification links that make you go wow! or aha! the moment you click.
- Comfort sounds: Alicia Keys' Tiny Desk Concert
- Beautiful Bacteria: Mesmerizing Photomicroscopy of Earth’s Oldest Life-forms
- A hopeful chart: the cancer vaccine that works.
- Drones and Iceland are a good combo: Calming Waves on Black Sand.
- This week I learned that once upon a time, a meteorite the size of four Mount Everests hit Earth (no humans were harmed).
- I contributed to a first analysis of Trump's re-election, and wow, that visual we had to go with the story is quite something...
- Lexicographer Susie Dent never misses with these: «Word of the day is ‘recrudescence’ (17th century): the return of something terrible after a time of reprieve.»
Books for curious minds
Some new ones as I read them, some older ones that continue to inform how I look at the world and myself. More on my digital bookshelf.
A reminder that change is possible, even (and especially) in times when it seems hard not to lose hope. Buy it here.
A gem from the archive
The Weekly Filet archive offers more than 2500 hand-picked links since 2011. You can search by interests, explore collections, shuffle for a gem or check out my all-time favs.
The Builder. The Champion. The Collaborator. The Connector. The Energizer. The Companion. The Mind Opener. The Navigator. How to find them, and how to be such a friend to others. (If you can’t find a mind opener, the Weekly Filet will always be that friend to you.)
Eric Barker
That's it for this week. I'll be back next Friday, and I hope so will you.
— David
