A Brief Detour on the State of Things Today

This site began by me researching the history of saved objects, and then it found its footing unearthing the stories of women forgotten by time. And it will remain that way.

But I’m taking a detour. Today, I’m battling a cold and I’ve lost my voice. These are physical realities, but they’re also metaphorical. I am sick of a lot that’s going on in the world right now, but I am not voiceless. None of us are unless we allow ourselves to be.

So today I’m going to write instead of speak. It’s my preferred medium anyway.

We’ve all spent the last few weeks being buffeted by an endless torrent of distractions in the news. Much of it is stupid. All of it is theater, and that is intentional. We are living in reality TV, only it’s not as much fun as Seattle in the mid-90s.

I’m no political analyst, but this isn’t about politics. At least, not in a traditional sense. Republican, Democrat, conservative, liberal: those words are quickly losing any useful meaning. Which is also intentional. And maybe that’s not the worst thing.

But some of what is happening are the worst things. Real people are losing real jobs. Real decisions that impact the entire country are being made – or at least heavily influenced – by an unelected, extremely rich private citizen; one who has made his motives and values quite clear. Real medical research is stalled, and the time lost cannot be made up. 

So many of the things that matter most to me are under attack: knowledge, reason, science, history, human decency, the reality of facts themselves. 

So what can we do?

Honestly, I don’t know. But there are some steps we can take right now:

Look to history. If you’re on this site, that’s probably not something I need to tell you. But learning from the past is critical. Sources can be taken down and data can be deleted (as we’ve recently seen). No one can take away your knowledge. Pay special attention to the time period from 1915-1945.

Some resources I love to help put history into context:

• The World: A Brief Introduction by Richard Haass

• Age of Anger by Pankaj Mishra

• Enlightenment Now by Stephen Pinker

• Rationality by Stephen Pinker

Protect the press. Facts matter. Access to information matters. Sign up for subscriptions, memberships or just donate to support the organizations that are committed to sharing facts. If you’re looking for ideas, here are few of the organizations I’ve started to support recently:

• The Economist

• The NYTimes

• The Guardian

• The Washington Post

• Snopes.com

Don’t fall prey to fear of “others”. Diversity in thought and experience matters, DEI doesn’t cause planes to crash, and immigrants aren’t raping and murdering your neighbors. Diversity isn’t about hiring quotas in corporate America. Quotas were always a (perhaps) well-intentioned bastardization of the point. 

Diversity is about ensuring more points of view, which add strength and complexity. Echo chambers, as we’ve all seen, are dangerous. And yes, unfortunately, diversity does need to be enforced. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from working on this blog, it’s that people in control don’t let others in “just because.”

Defend science and experts. I’m sorry, but not everyone’s opinion is equal. As much as I may pretend I’m a doctor, you should absolutely not take my medical advice over that of an actual doctor. Acknowledging that someone is an expert should not put someone else on the defensive; intelligence is not a zero-sum game (but BLM also never meant that white lives don’t matter, and we all know how that worked out). The rigor of science, with its credentials and peer reviews, is critical. Is it perfect? No. Do we need to protect it? More than ever. 

Understand economics. You don’t need to be an economist to intuitively know that no president explicitly controls the price of eggs or gas or anything else. Look to history to see who it is that tariffs really impact. Determine who the curtailed federal funding actually hurts. The economy is a complex system and the nuance matters. Help others realize this.

Economics is one of my favorite personal topics. If you’re looking for some accessible introductions, I would suggest:

• Freakonomics by Stephen Dubner & Steven Levitt (there’s also a podcast) 

• Predictably Irrational by Dan Ariely

• Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan

• The Price of Inequality by Joseph Stiglitz

And focus on what matters. Yes, baiting those you disagree with can be fun. I’ve done it a little in this very post. But it’s meant to distract us into petty fights. Don’t get distracted. Keep paying attention. Sift through the BS and try to find the things that are important.

I’ll get back to writing about vintage appliances soon. But for today, I want my voice heard.