Hey there,
It's Saturday but also, somehow, it's still Tuesday?
If there's one thing I've learned this year, it's that I have no clue what will happen next. As for the election, I'm so sad and disappointed that it wasn't a landslide. I'm struggling to wrap my head around how that's possible. But I'm feeling optimistic about some big wins on the local level and that our country, across party lines, seems to be moving away from putting people in jail for nonviolent drug crimes.
I wish we had gotten quicker, more decisive results, but the wait has created the a vacuum that comedians are perfectly suited to fill. Here are a few of the election bits that have made me laugh the most: Dracula, CNN's map, Fivey Fox and pretty much everything on The Onion.
Upcoming Events
LIVESTREAMS
- Wednesday, November 18th at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET
HIDDEN EXPERT. I’m hosting another edition of this storytelling series for LabX and the National Academy of Sciences. More info here.
This week’s list
GREAT:
As a way of decompressing after a full day of anxiety-refreshing the news, I like to read product reviews. Anything that's both extremely low stakes and very decisive. Do I have any interest in or need for a leaf blower? Absolutely not. But it calms me to know there is a conclusive best option. After doing a little research on the best portable electric blanket, gifts to buy a woodworker, and how to clean the glasses that I do not wear, I'm finally ready to go to sleep. Occasionally, though, I stumble across an article that is too good to not share. This article about the hilariously extreme process of certifying bear-proof containers is amazing and I love everything about it. These Bears Have a Job, and It's Destroying Coolers
FUNNY:
Janelle James is one of the funniest human beings on the planet. Janelle is also extremely cool. Why a naturally cool person would get into comedy is beyond me, but we are lucky to have her. She's a standup who tours with Chris Rock and Amy Schumer, she took over the Eugene Mirman Comedy Festival, and everything she posts makes me laugh. Here's a great bit from her Netflix special about her son getting a little bit of his own money for the first time. How Life Slapped Janelle James’s Son In The Face
INTERESTING:
It's crystal clear that one of the biggest issues of the next four years, regardless of the outcome of this election, is going to be dealing with the extreme polarization in America. There are millions of angry, frustrated people out there. Figuring out how to de-radicalize and bring people into the fold is going to be crucial to our survival. Sometimes I wonder if it's even possible to change someone's mind or if people are just too entrenched. But Daryl Davis has spent years talking to people at the extreme end of the spectrum and actually winning them over. He's proof that it is possible and replicable. It just takes time and hard work. How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes. More on Daryl here. (For more scientific research that aligns with his approach, here's a roundup, a related article on "deep canvassing" for marriage equality, and a peer-reviewed paper on reducing transphobia.)
Ok, thanks for reading! If you're enjoying these emails, please forward to a friend or spread the word. If someone forwarded you this email but you're not yet on the list, you can subscribe here.
Slowly counting my vote totals,
Chris