I really like how you focus on the good in small (as opposed to great) people. Individual goodness is achievable, goodness higher up the chain less so. Thanks for these clever pieces. I especially like the shorter ones, which I can take as aphorisms.
I feel homesick for Brooklyn when I read of your recent days. From Maine to Long Island for grad school in 1990, then Park Slope in ‘93, then Windsor Terrace a few years later until 2016. Life goes on. All the best, my friend.
Interesting comment about the "Karens". Seeing people who showed not a minuscule of empathy For any of these white women start hand wringing obsessively their concern about Kanye West and his mental health when he went on his anti-Semitic rants shows that the people vilifying these women might have been as come if not more so racist than they were. I mean I don't see a lot of people defending the Karen's rhetoric. I do see a lot of people defending Kanye's. People say Kanye ranted because he was mentally ill. Are all this people defending him mentally ill too?
I don't think Kanye got much grace at all. On Substack, @Mills Baker and @Freddie De Boer have both written about him in terms of the pop culture take on mental illness. De Boer's point is that the liberal compassion for the mentally ill has a definite limit. When Kanye is behaving in erratic ways, many mental health advocates will say things like, "Mental illness doesn't cause that kind of behavior." And they're wrong about that, of course. Mental illness can cause all kinds of distressing behavior. Kanye West was a universally respected and beloved artist until his manias helped lead him into some awful stuff. He's a pop culture pariah now. And Mills Baker half-facetiously notes that you can't call yourself mentally ill unless you've seriously fucked up your life.
My favourites are Romance Novel and I Send My Regrets....
Wondering if this attribution of superior spirituality is attributed to many other indigenous peoples? Indians and Māori for sure. Noble Savages & Dusky Maidens. Either protectors of the environment or early destroyers. Unasked for tropes. Do you get this?
I'm familiar with the old days of collections of car wrecks and cannibalising them for parts. Enjoy that in the story of mirroring between your white and Indian loves. She loves me/not. If you fall in love frequently, easily, it helps to be able to move on to the next delight and be assured you can handle the pain.
Yes, I think the romantic stereotypes about indigenous folks persist worldwide. I think one big change is that a significant number of elite Indians in the USA and Canada have also embraced those same stereotypes.
Though calling white women Karens is a racial slur itself, because it’s not about an ideology or crime, it’s about their race, something they can’t control, and also associating them with mental illness in a negative way perpetuates stigmas about mental illness.
I think our country, in general, has more compassion for the mentally ill than we have in the past but I've also found, among my political brethren on the left, that our compassion runs concurrent with our politics. Other Substack writers have posted about this phenomenon. I've often heard people on the left say and write things like "That's not what mental illness looks like" when speaking of disturbing behavior. But, as with everything else, mentally ill behavior exists on a spectrum. Mental illness can be so very, very ugly. And, as I stated in my little essay, it's easier for us to turn away from mentally ill people whose ugly behavior offends our politics. I think, perhaps, as I write in the essay, that it might be hurting your soul to extend your compassion to somebody you abhor. It hurts my soul when I try to extend my sympathy, too. Also, the next Presidentual election will be determined, as it has been for the last few cycles, by approximately 200,000 ordinary and boring white moderates in 6 swing states.
The consensus was that the male Karen was Kevin. Think Kevin from the show The Office. But I still think the whole thing is so problematic and divisive and is harmful to social harmony. It lacks compassion and segregates and demeans women.
Is there a POC equivalent to Karens? Don't kill the messenger but there's nothing in the abusive and often racist rants of these white women that's any worse than what I often see from POC.
Anybody who's taken public transportation anywhere in the USA has witnessed instances of Karen-like behavior from all across the racial/ethnic/gender spectrum. And I think that goes to my point that those behaviors are often a result of mental illness. But, as I write in my little essay, it's easier to vilify a disturbed white woman in khaki pants than a disturbed homeless person of whatever race.
There've been attempts to give troublesome men an equivalent moniker but it's still almost entirely about filming women behaving in disturbing ways. As somebody noted here in the comments, there is an element of misogyny to this cultural trend.
"I’m no singer. I can hear when the notes go wrong but I can’t vocalize them right." OMGoddess, I am so that kind of "singer" too! I adore music, and sing along in the car at the top of my lungs. But karaoke? No effing way. No matter how sacred the pep talk. I would not put that misery on anyone but myself.
A wonderful collection here; glad that I had an extra coffee on a Sunday. Embracing them all. Thank you for these.
Thanks!
Breath mint advice both wise and kind.
yes!
"what is the sound of one hand clapping?"..... depends upon the wind's velocity.
Rather than elaborate upon each of the allegedly tiny yet increasinly dense pieces - you may have noticed -
I share what you trigger in me -
I really like how you focus on the good in small (as opposed to great) people. Individual goodness is achievable, goodness higher up the chain less so. Thanks for these clever pieces. I especially like the shorter ones, which I can take as aphorisms.
I feel homesick for Brooklyn when I read of your recent days. From Maine to Long Island for grad school in 1990, then Park Slope in ‘93, then Windsor Terrace a few years later until 2016. Life goes on. All the best, my friend.
sherman you do more with less than anyone. these are 'illuminators" of the first order.
Thank you, Junot.
Very edgy thinking stuff here. Fits the times. I'm ready for a more "no holes barred" approach to interpreting our contemporary world.
Thanks!
Your kick shins comment reminded me of a Bloom County cartoon where Opus says “moon ‘em and run!” Thanks for your thoughtful prose.
I love Opus! Thanks!
Magnificent. Thanks. 🙏🏼
Thank you, DeeDee.
Interesting comment about the "Karens". Seeing people who showed not a minuscule of empathy For any of these white women start hand wringing obsessively their concern about Kanye West and his mental health when he went on his anti-Semitic rants shows that the people vilifying these women might have been as come if not more so racist than they were. I mean I don't see a lot of people defending the Karen's rhetoric. I do see a lot of people defending Kanye's. People say Kanye ranted because he was mentally ill. Are all this people defending him mentally ill too?
I don't think Kanye got much grace at all. On Substack, @Mills Baker and @Freddie De Boer have both written about him in terms of the pop culture take on mental illness. De Boer's point is that the liberal compassion for the mentally ill has a definite limit. When Kanye is behaving in erratic ways, many mental health advocates will say things like, "Mental illness doesn't cause that kind of behavior." And they're wrong about that, of course. Mental illness can cause all kinds of distressing behavior. Kanye West was a universally respected and beloved artist until his manias helped lead him into some awful stuff. He's a pop culture pariah now. And Mills Baker half-facetiously notes that you can't call yourself mentally ill unless you've seriously fucked up your life.
My favourites are Romance Novel and I Send My Regrets....
Wondering if this attribution of superior spirituality is attributed to many other indigenous peoples? Indians and Māori for sure. Noble Savages & Dusky Maidens. Either protectors of the environment or early destroyers. Unasked for tropes. Do you get this?
I'm familiar with the old days of collections of car wrecks and cannibalising them for parts. Enjoy that in the story of mirroring between your white and Indian loves. She loves me/not. If you fall in love frequently, easily, it helps to be able to move on to the next delight and be assured you can handle the pain.
I greet my romantic ghosts with warmth.
Yes, I think the romantic stereotypes about indigenous folks persist worldwide. I think one big change is that a significant number of elite Indians in the USA and Canada have also embraced those same stereotypes.
Fat and handsome. Yes. I feel this. Really weeds the wrong people out.
Hahahahaha
Though calling white women Karens is a racial slur itself, because it’s not about an ideology or crime, it’s about their race, something they can’t control, and also associating them with mental illness in a negative way perpetuates stigmas about mental illness.
Also, Karen’s control the next election.
I think our country, in general, has more compassion for the mentally ill than we have in the past but I've also found, among my political brethren on the left, that our compassion runs concurrent with our politics. Other Substack writers have posted about this phenomenon. I've often heard people on the left say and write things like "That's not what mental illness looks like" when speaking of disturbing behavior. But, as with everything else, mentally ill behavior exists on a spectrum. Mental illness can be so very, very ugly. And, as I stated in my little essay, it's easier for us to turn away from mentally ill people whose ugly behavior offends our politics. I think, perhaps, as I write in the essay, that it might be hurting your soul to extend your compassion to somebody you abhor. It hurts my soul when I try to extend my sympathy, too. Also, the next Presidentual election will be determined, as it has been for the last few cycles, by approximately 200,000 ordinary and boring white moderates in 6 swing states.
Is there a male equivalent to Karens? I'm uneasy about the stereotyping.
I actually did a thread about this a while back on X. You can see the names people suggested: https://x.com/charlotte_dune/status/1645759773873168385?s=46
The consensus was that the male Karen was Kevin. Think Kevin from the show The Office. But I still think the whole thing is so problematic and divisive and is harmful to social harmony. It lacks compassion and segregates and demeans women.
I left Twitter in 2016 so can't read the suggestions but I just did an Internet search and found that "Ken" is one of them.
That was suggested but “a Ken” has come to mean a white guy who is a 10, since the Barbie movie.
A common name like Karen has become taboo. I wonder how many new babies are being named Karen? I'd bet its usage has plummeted.
Is there a POC equivalent to Karens? Don't kill the messenger but there's nothing in the abusive and often racist rants of these white women that's any worse than what I often see from POC.
Anybody who's taken public transportation anywhere in the USA has witnessed instances of Karen-like behavior from all across the racial/ethnic/gender spectrum. And I think that goes to my point that those behaviors are often a result of mental illness. But, as I write in my little essay, it's easier to vilify a disturbed white woman in khaki pants than a disturbed homeless person of whatever race.
There've been attempts to give troublesome men an equivalent moniker but it's still almost entirely about filming women behaving in disturbing ways. As somebody noted here in the comments, there is an element of misogyny to this cultural trend.
"I’m no singer. I can hear when the notes go wrong but I can’t vocalize them right." OMGoddess, I am so that kind of "singer" too! I adore music, and sing along in the car at the top of my lungs. But karaoke? No effing way. No matter how sacred the pep talk. I would not put that misery on anyone but myself.
Yup!
three minutes well-spent reading; epiphany kept me grinning all day
Thank you!
Abundant truths may reside in tiny essays.
Thank you.
On a artistic roll my friend? can we say " drop the mic" educational, entertaining and informative, Bravo
Thank you, Bill!