GOP Congressman Wants to Nuke Gaza & Shakira Claims Sons, 9 and 11, "Emasculated" by "Barbie"
Black Woman Gets 5 Years in Prison While White Man Gets Community Service for Same Crime, Mike Johnson Doesn't Understand Jesus, Fox News Lies About Easter Eggs, Lucas & Arthur Jussen Play Schubert
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: A common phrase reveals more than you might think.
Texas appeals court overturns voter fraud conviction for woman on probation: Black woman sentenced to five years in prison for mistakenly voting while on probation.
GOP official who claimed 2020 election was stolen voted illegally 9 times, judge rules: White man gets what amounts to a stern talking to for voting illegally 9 times.
‘My sons hated it’ … Shakira says Barbie film is ‘emasculating’: Shakira gets pretty much everything wrong in her comments about her sons and the movie.
Kareem’s Video Break: A little girl gives some tough love to a suitor.
Fox News Runs Wild With Two Very Dumb Easter Outrages: The man who is third in line to be President of the United States just humiliated himself over Easter eggs—and lack of knowledge about his religion.
Congressman rebuked for call to bomb Gaza ‘like Nagasaki and Hiroshima’: Why do Americans keep electing the dumbest kid in the classroom?
Lucas & Arthur Jussen Play Schubert: Fantasie in F Minor: This is my first classical piece to share, but I’m sure you’ll see why I still remember it after 36 years.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
You don’t know me!
Common phrase
In movies and TV dramas, there’s often a moment in a heated argument about taking moral responsibility when one of the people screams at the other with spittle flying, “You don’t know me!” (Variations include: “You don’t know where I come from!” “You don’t know what I’ve been through!” “You don’t know what I’m capable of!”) Then they run out of the room in an indignant huff. That’s a convenient way to end an argument for writers, but also for real people who are trying to grab the moral high ground by accusing the other of willful ignorance and insensitivity.
Before you think of using that phrase in a disagreement, give it some thought. It may not have the meaning or effect you think it does.
What people mean by “You don’t know me” is that they have a troubled past that the other person doesn’t know about. I try not to make assumptions about people having lived charmed or conflict-free lives because I am constantly surprised to discover the terrible things that people I know have suffered through. Yet, as sympathetic as I may be, that troubled past does not excuse whatever they say or do. Nor does it give them increased moral authority. While one’s past does provide context for a person’s actions, it’s not an exemption from logical arguments.
The other meaning of “You don’t know me” is that the person saying it is admitting that they sometimes have dark thoughts that surprise or even scare them. They don’t know themselves, so how can they be known by others? The implied meaning is “You don’t know what I’m capable of doing.” True, we don’t know what other people—or even ourselves—are capable of given the right incentives or pressures. Terrible things that may shock and disgust us. Comedian Larry Miller once observed, “If [women] knew what [men] were really thinking, they'd never stop slapping us.” Fair enough. But having dark thoughts doesn’t give credence to one’s argument.
Taking both those meanings into consideration, people are not as mysterious or unfathomable as they imagine themselves to be. We all want to think of ourselves as complex and layered, a puzzle box too complicated to unlock. To be easily deciphered makes us feel less valuable, less unique—just less.
Here’s my take: On the most basic level, we are interchangeable, sharing all the same daily anxieties and hopes with people who lived a thousand years ago. That’s good news. To be known by others is not like having your soul stolen by the camera. It’s not being diminished but being freed. It’s understanding each other’s needs and frailties, and therefore being more accepting and forgiving.
I’m relieved if you know me. Every time I write a Substack newsletter, I try to let you know me better. When I read your comments, I feel like I know you better. What I know is that the effort we make to know each other is one of humanity’s best traits.