Hello there!
It's Saturday again and, strangely, it feels like I'm settling into a rhythm. I guess anything can become routine when you do it for a few weeks. As there starts to be more conversation about how and when to open the country back up, I've been thinking about how hard it is to get people to listen to scientists.
Over the past few years, I've spent a lot of time talking with researchers. I used to describe the problem by saying that, for most people, the only direct information they get from scientists is a report one year that says something like "eating eggs is good for you!" Then the next year, a different report comes out saying "eating eggs is bad for you!" and a lot of people conclude, "well, no one knows anything about eggs." (Or, if they're a vegan, "eating eggs is definitely bad for chickens.") But if they could talk to the scientists doing the research and understand the process, they'd be much more open to the idea that new data can change interpretations and that it's not as simple as "good for you" or "bad for you." I also think people would trust science more if scientists themselves were presented as people with passions and curiosity instead of just fact-checking robots.
Now, we're in this weird zone where some people are trusting the scientists to keep us safe and other people don't trust them at all (ironically, often because the measures they suggested successfully kept death/infection rates down so now some people think "it wasn't a big deal after all.") I don't know what my big conclusion is here, other than that we're in a tough time and I hope we will trust and listen to smarter people than me as we chart a way out of it. Also, try to make friends with a scientist or two.
Upcoming Events
LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, April 18th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! I'm hosting another edition of my Zoom game show where audience members from around the internet compete for prizes with celebrity guests. Link
- TOMORROW Sunday, April 19th at noon p.m. PT / 3 p.m. ET
A DIY QUARANTINE HAIRCUT PARTY. I need a haircut. Maybe you need a haircut too. Let’s cut our hair together under the guidance of a professional hair stylist (who we can also help recoup some of their lost income). Whether you’re cutting your own hair, a partner’s hair, or having your hair cut by a partner, we’ll all get some pro tips, laugh, and hopefully make it through so we’re more stylishly DIY and less of an Edward Scissorhands / Sweeney Todd situation. Link
This week’s list
GREAT:
I always love reading Austin Kleon's writing about creativity. He has a way of managing to be inspiring while also completely accessible and down to earth. This week, he talked about the pressure to make good art and how he's encouraging himself to "make bad art too." As he says, "don’t listen to people who remind you that Shakespeare wrote King Lear during a plague— we’re living in King Lear!" Forget good or bad. Just make something. Make it for yourself. Make Bad Art
FUNNY:
Jackie Kashian is one of the great standup comics of our time. You may have seen her on tour with Maria Bamford. Or maybe you listen to her podcast, The Dork Forest. She's got the killer punchlines and the warm, calming demeanor I want from my quarantine comedy. And, since she's currently preparing to record an album, you can even tune in to one of her livestreams. (She's doing them regularly but you'll need to sign up for her mailing list or follow her on Twitter to get the links.) In the meantime, watch this great video of her standup from Live from Here: Jackie Kashian
INTERESTING:
C.J. Chivers is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has written about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. His latest piece is about onions in Rhode Island. And it's incredible. Chivers tells the story of how planting simple vegetable gardens has brought together his small town. I love it so much. When Life Gives You Quarantine, Plant Potatoes
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Stay safe, stay healthy, and take care of each other,
Chris