Senior Writer & Editor @theFIREorg | Board Chair @fairforall_org | Advisor @ilvalues | Opinions my own | Be kind; we're all first drafts
Sep 27, 2023 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I committed to never lying (literally ever) over ten years ago now.
If my experience is any indication, I believe that if we all just stopped lying—cold turkey—things would get a whole lot worse for a little while, and then a whole lot better for the rest of our lives.
Contrary to popular belief (and that Ricky Gervais movie), not lying does not mean blurting out every thought that comes to mind when it comes to mind.
It also doesn't mean you *have* to tell people things you don't want to say. "I don't want to tell you" is not a lie.
Sep 1, 2021 • 4 tweets • 1 min read
For the record, since there is apparently confusion on this matter in some circles:
I *DO NOT* believe that *any* group is intellectually or morally inferior to any other.
I have *never* believed such a thing.
Ever.
That notion goes against *everything* I do believe.
The reason I wrote this piece back in March is because I am infuriated by the bigotry of low expectations.
I can't stand it when well-meaning people condescend to and hobble others the way many currently are. newsweek.com/why-calling-me…
Aug 21, 2021 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
@hakeemjefferson Imagine if a group of people decided to label some of the worst human behavior and ideas imaginable “Hakeeming.”
They tell you it’s not about the name Hakeem, but of course people named Hakeem are particularly susceptible.
Imagine how people might misuse or misinterpret that.
@hakeemjefferson And imagine, when these misuses and misinterpretations are brought to our attention, those whistleblowers are accused of Hakeeming even harder. Their resistance just shows how Hakeem they are.
Imagine how a 5 or 6-year-old kid named Hakeem might feel, amongst this madness.
Jul 3, 2021 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
@kmele, waxing eloquent on @wethefifth (#322), and beautifully outlining the need for #starmanning in our discourse:🧵
"It’s very hard for me to get excited about anything that accelerates and intensifies [political & ideological] conflicts rather than ratcheting them down..."
"I have very radical ideas about what society ought to look like and what government ought to do, and most people disagree with me on all of that. But one thing I know for sure is that I’m going to have to share the planet with other people who have different ideas..."
Jul 2, 2021 • 7 tweets • 6 min read
I had an awesome marathon of a conversation with @xavierbonilla87 and guests on his Converging Dialogues podcast.
I've always found it interesting and poetically apropos that "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" is the expression used to further the "self-made man/personal responsibility" concept of success, and to justify the level of adversity many have to deal with in order to succeed.
It's apropos because, physically speaking, it is fucking impossible to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. In fact, the phrase originated as a way to describe a "ludicrously far-fetched or impossible task."
@tenin0@roderickgraham@ConceptualDoc@IanAdAstra You seem to be misunderstanding Rod's position, and I don't think it's totally your fault. These terms often create confusion. I think that when Rod says that inequality is not justified, he only means "in a moral sense." That doesn't mean he's intending to limit other freedoms.
@tenin0@roderickgraham@ConceptualDoc@IanAdAstra I don't see how attempting to correct certain inequalities automatically means limiting the freedom of others, which seems to be your assumption. It is the mere recognition of a problem as a problem, and based on that recognition a conversation can be had about solutions.
Nov 12, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
Removed that tweet about suicide rates going up 200%, as it appears to be unsubstantiated.
Regardless, if you're feeling distraught or depressed, there are resources for you. Call 1-800-273-8255 (USA hotline)
The conversation I'm seeing regarding "sexual orientation" versus "sexual preference" is like the moral argument in religious circles focusing on whether homosexuality is chosen or innate.
In each case, both sides completely miss the more important, fundamental point. 1/
If memory serves, "sexual preference" and "sexual orientation" were interchangeable (up until yesterday, apparently) with little cause for uproar, despite everyone being at least casually aware that they refer to different things: Orientation ≈ innate; Preference ≈ choice. 2/
I’ll give you a moment to collect the bits of your mind that just exploded every which way.
This idea is ludicrous. Are babies either racist or antiracist? At what point does that happen? Immediately postpartum or sometime on the way home from the hospital?
@DrIbram@darth_leveon@MD_Ed_Memes And if it isn’t instant—if you see it in your heart to grant babies a few moments of peace before this nonsense ideology kicks in—then what are babies BEFORE they become either racist or antiracist?
"The perspective that is allowable in certain corners of the intelligentsia and broadcast television is one that says that blackness is some kind of congenital defect—some sort of seal of your societal proclivity toward failure and awfulness." (1/10)
"And it’s not your fault, but you are likely to fail absent the intervention of white people to save you, help you, redeem you, to speak out on your behalf.
It’s a perspective that says that the most important thing about you—and about anyone else, perhaps—is your race." (2/10)
