I decided to break this podcast into two episodes because I talked about two essays - last week’s, I Know What the Riot Is, and this week’s, Catch and Release. They’re inter-related essays about all the different things we’re going through in the states, so it made sense to talk about them together, but I split the talk into two 45-minute episodes because I thought that would be easier to digest. I think about your digestion, I’m a mom.
Sadly, I don’t think these topics are relevant only to those of us living in the U.S.
Part 1 is about what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship. Which might sound strange at first, because weren’t we talking about the government and the country? And yes, we were. We are. For many of us, waking up in this country right now is very much like waking up when you’re living inside an abusive relationship and you don’t feel safe. You’re told that what you’re seeing with your own eyes is not true. You push back, and you’re screamed at by people on the internet who don’t live where you live, but still want to tell you how things are.
The first 10 minutes is about my definition of healing. The rest is about how we’d really better start to understand what’s happening here. The threat is coming from inside the house. They want us yelling at each other so we don’t pay attention as they dismantle our democracy, sell off our public lands, gut Medicaid, kidnap our neighbors off the street, arrest our lawmakers when they try to intervene, and laugh at a politically-motivated assassination and assassination attempts (we’ll get to that in Part 2).
Thanks for your incredible comments under both essays, and under all the essays. You make me think more deeply about all these things. Sometimes you make me laugh out loud. The things you share often bring me to tears, make me know I’m not alone, and shape the podcasts every week. Thank you so much for being here.
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