Did Trump Just Take the First Steps Toward Civil War? & Backlash for NYT Essay Speculating on Taylor Swift’s Sexuality
25 Historians Explain Why Trump Constitutionally Can't Run, Missouri Republican Wants Duels in Legislature, Lechery on Reality TV, Sexism on Book Covers, Nature Astounds Again, Melanie Sings
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Popeye the Sailor lays down a lesson in embracing change rather than stubbornly refusing to evolve.
Trump Calls for ‘All Willing States’ to Deploy National Guard Troops to Texas: The man with no scruples would push toward a civil war if it made him money and gave him power.
US historians sign brief to support Colorado’s removal of Trump from the ballot: Twenty-five historians explain why the U.S. Constitution rejects his candidacy.
Missouri GOP Lawmaker Floats Rule Change to Bring Back Duels: Yes, you read that right.
New York Times faces backlash for essay speculating on Taylor Swift’s sexuality: When journalism sinks to exploitation, we all suffer the consequences.
Kareem’s Petty Media Gripes: Reality lechery is as unacceptable from women as it is from men and book covers reveal gender discrepancy.
What I’m Watching: Television: Love on the Spectrum and Dance Life are two docuseries you will want to binge for their emotional intensity and insights into humanity.
Kareem’s Video Break: Today, you will be amazed by this strange creature. You’ll see it but still won’t believe it.
Melanie Sings “Brand New Key”: Folk-pop singer-songwriter Melanie passed away last week. This song celebrates her light-hearted side.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam.
Popeye the Sailor
There’s a lot of profound wisdom to be learned from cartoon characters. My previous philosophical mentors were Linus from Peanuts (“I love mankind…it’s people I can’t stand.”) and Pogo (“We have met the enemy and he is us.”). Today, we examine the spinach-guzzling sage Popeye.
There’s danger in that quote. It’s tempting to interpret it as a smug and defiant manifesto of irrational stubbornness, like Buck Owens when he said, “I am who I am, I am what I am, I do what I do and I ain't never gonna do it any different. I don't care who likes it and who don't.” It’s odd to me that people making this kind of claim think that they are coming off as strong and purposeful when in reality they’re revealing themselves to be closed-minded and afraid of change. It’s an admission of weakness of intellect, and character to announce you’ll never change, no matter what happens or what evidence you’re shown.
“I yam what I yam and that's all what I yam” doesn’t have to be about the sad life of being intractable. It can also be a meditation on how what “I yam” is always in flux. The old saying, “You can never step in the same river twice” is about how we have to accept changes around us as well as changes within ourselves. The river is constantly moving—like life around us—and our bodies and minds are always changing. Our bodies change on a cellular level so that every cell has been replaced again and again. It’s like this metaphysical riddle: If you buy an ax but six months later replace the handle, then six months after that replace the ax head, is it the same ax you bought? Plus, our minds are constantly taking in new information, whether consciously or unconsciously, and that affects the brain, which is the core of who we yam.
You know how uncomfortable a grown adult gets when their parent waxes on about how they used to change their diaper. That’s because they are no longer that person and have no connection to that memory. I have a whole catalog of cringe-worthy memories of things I did or said that I wish I hadn’t. I’m glad I’m no longer those guys.
I’m not the same guy who scored all those points in the NBA. Not the same guy who attended the Cleveland Summit. Not the same guy who played for Coach Wooden. I occupy the same space that he did, but I’m a different man. Those experiences helped make me who I am today, but tomorrow I’ll be a different man.
I yam what I yam, not what I was.