Growing up, there were two phrases my dad always said to me. One was anytime I left the house, he'd say "Make good choices!" I always assumed that was mostly about contraception. The other one was "life is about mess management." In other words, things aren't always going to be smooth or easy or good. Life is about how you clean up the messes and make things better. And, boy, there are messes all around right now. It's easy to be overwhelmed by how much is broken and unjust and idiotic and infuriating. But I'm trying my best to remember that my job is to help manage the mess. For too long, a lot of us have ignored the structural issues and assumed someone else was going to clean them up for us. For once, I hope we can all do our part to mop up a little bit.
Upcoming Events
LIVESTREAMS:
- TODAY Saturday, May 30th at 2 p.m. PT / 5 p.m. ET
COME ON DOWN, YOU'RE ALREADY HERE! It's Saturday so it's time for my Zoom game show. Today's show features two of the funniest Second City alums I know, Carley Moseley and Maria Randazzo. Watch as audience members from around the globe share talents, show us their homes, and compete in games like "Name That Bean!" Link
AROUND THE INTERNET:
- CELEBRITY SUBSTITUTE: New episodes of this YouTube original series I helped produce are coming out every week. In the most recent episode, Terry Crews shows off his (truly impressive) skills as a visual artist. Link
- COURT WATCH: If you're looking for ways to get involved in reforming the system, my public defender friends recommend finding a court watch program in your city. It's a concrete way you can educate yourself about the way things work in practice, not on TV, and also move the legal system towards accountability. Here are programs in NYC, Boston, and LA, but there are many more, often doing some form of work even during the pandemic.
- THE MARSHALL PROJECT: Another excellent resource for award-winning criminal justice reform information and reporting.
This week’s list
GREAT:
Josie Duffy Rice (no relation) co-hosts the Justice in America podcast. She's a journalist and lawyer and one of the smartest people writing about America's criminal justice system. Hers is an important voice to listen to in this moment. Here's a particularly thought-provoking idea from her: "Many people in America already exist in a world where police and prisons do not exist."
FUNNY:
Policing in America is, without a doubt, one of the least funny topics imaginable. Tragic, broken, complicated, sure... but funny? Only Wyatt Cenac could face the harsh realities and still find a way to make you laugh. One of the highlights of my career was getting to work with him on Problem Areas. I'm still so impressed with the nuance and humor he was able to give to a topic many public figures avoid like the plague. How could we fix policing? You can watch the full first season of the show on HBO, which covers ten different attempts to answer that question, or you can watch this short clip that Wyatt put up on Instagram. Or both!
INTERESTING:
I have a card on my desk that says "Proceed as the way opens." It's a Quaker phrase I learned from a friend who grew up in that tradition. I'm not Quaker myself, but I've found that idea to be very helpful in scary and uncertain times. You may not know where you'll end up, but if you can figure out the right next step, well.. proceed and let the way open before you. It's almost always all we can do. Bianca Giaever has a photo essay in the NYT about Quaker meetings in the age of Zoom and whether it's possible to find stillness and spirituality online. Like the card on my desk, it's something I'll be thinking about for years to come. And like everything Bianca makes, I love it. Can You Gather With God Over Zoom?
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Take care of each other,
Chris