Who Are Heatwaves Harming Most? and Fox Host Accuses Biden of Not Solving Racism
Alice Cooper: Trans Is a Fad, Trump Vows to Jail Enemies, Women Surgeons' Patients Do Better, The Cadets Sing
Kareem’s Quote of the Day
“From one thing, know ten thousand things.”
The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
I’m trying out two new features in today’s newsletter. First, “Kareem’s Quote of the Day,” in which I share quotes that mean something to me. They could be from people I have known, such as Coach Wooden or Bruce Lee, to people from the past who I wish I’d known. They might be well-known or obscure. The quotes could be from novels, movies, speeches, poems, or song lyrics. They might be wise, or they might be whimsical.
I probably won’t explain them in the future, but I will say a few words about today’s selection since it’s my inaugural one. Miyamoto Musashi (c. 1584-1645) was a renowned Japanese swordsman who was undefeated in 61 duels. He was also a philosopher, teacher, and writer. The quote is really about how a single work of art can change one’s perception of the world. A painting of a landscape or a single person can reveal so much more than just the subject. Robert Frost’s poem “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” is, on the surface, about a person stopping to watch snow falling in the woods. But a closer examination shows us a person so beaten down by obligations and lack of joy that he questions whether he should continue to live. Sometimes I look at this newsletter as a kind of poem that focuses on small things in order to reveal a larger insight into life. And sometimes, I just want to inform and entertain.
My second feature is “Kareem’s History Bites.” (Yup, there’s a hint of sarcasm there.) I’ve been a history buff all my life, even having written several history books (Brothers in Arms: The Epic Story of the 761st Tank Battalion, World War II's Forgotten Heroes, On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance, What Color Is My World? The Lost History of African American Inventors). My goal with this feature is just to offer some small historical fact that makes you go, “Huh, that’s interesting.”
Add your voice to the Comments to let me know whether or not you enjoy these new features and should continue them.
Racism at heart of US failure to tackle deadly heatwaves, expert warns (The Guardian)
SUMMARY: Racism is at the heart of the American government’s failure to tackle the growing threat of deadly heatwaves, according to the author of an authoritative new book on the heating planet.
Jeff Goodell, an award winning climate journalist, told the Guardian that people of color - including millions of migrant workers who are bearing the brunt of record-breaking temperatures as farmhands, builders and delivery workers - are not guaranteed lifesaving measures like water and shade breaks because they are considered expendable.
…“To be blunt about it, the people most impacted by heat are not the kind of voting demographic that gets any politician nervous. They’re unsheltered people, poor people, agricultural and construction workers. People…seen as expendable. They’re not seen as humans who need to be protected. Racism is absolutely central to the government’s failure to protect vulnerable people.”
MY TAKE: When I was fourteen, I saw a low-budget British movie called The Day the Earth Caught Fire. Nuclear tests changed the Earth’s orbit, sending us closer to the sun. Temperatures rose, the water evaporated, and people died. The movie scared me.
Well, I’m scared again. We have seen the future—and it is HOT! Scientists predict that heatwaves will only get worse in the coming years (“Dangerous heat predicted to hit 3 times more often in future”). One study predicts that Chicago, which reached 103 degrees four times between 1979 and 1998, will hit that 103-degree mark 11 times a year by the end of this century.
Studies have found that the number of deaths caused by heat waves are vastly underestimated due to the method of determining death. Heat can cause a heart attack, but the death is then attributed to coronary disease rather than exposure to heat. Even so, deaths in the U.S. are fewer than in Europe, where last summer’s heat wave killed an estimated 62,000 people.
Air conditioning is not the answer. It accounts for almost 20% of the total electricity used in buildings. Together with the one billion single-room air-conditioning units worldwide, they are a major cause of the greenhouse gases that are warming the planet and creating more demand for air-conditioning. The snake eating its own tail.
The only question is: Who will bear the brunt of the hardships caused by extreme heat? As usual, the poor and the politically marginalized, which disproportionately includes People of Color, will get sick and die at a higher rate because they lack the political clout to matter. This is especially true in the current GOP campaign to disenfranchise the voters who would be most affected by the heat (“Republicans Unveil Sweeping Bill to Massively Suppress Voters Ahead of 2024”).
Equally troubling is the reluctance of the government to get involved due to old notions of “scientific” racism that suggested dark-skinned people are less affected by the heat. However, the truth is that between 2005 and 2015, emergency room visits for heat-related causes increased by 67% for African Americans, 63% for Hispanics, 53% for Asian Americans—and only 27% for Whites. One reason is that urban areas with large populations of People of Color have fewer trees and green spaces, higher poverty, and more crowding. POC also may not be able to afford air-conditioning units or the energy costs of running them.
Outside of urban areas are agricultural workers, which are comprised mostly of noncitizens (50%) and Latinx migrants (75%). Compared to other U.S.-based workers, they are about 20 times more likely to die from heat-related illnesses.
Additionally, well-documented healthcare differences between Black, Latinx, and indigenous communities mean that People of Color are more susceptible to the risks caused by extreme heat.
And yet, many Republicans refuse to address the issue. GOP presidential candidates Trump and Vivek Ramaswamy have declared climate change a hoax and anointed fossil fuels as our country’s savior. How can they make such an outrageously false and dangerous claim? Because Republicans agree. About 76% said that climate change won’t have a serious impact or only a minor impact on their communities.
Their communities. And to hell—literally—with the communities of others.