Why Some Americans are so Eager to Join a Political Cult & VP Kamala Harris Makes History
Dick Cheney Calls Trump a "Coward," Mike Pence Disavows Trump, Oil Industry Sabotages Attempts to Protect the Environment, "The American Society of Magical Negroes" Is Terrific, The Animals Sing
What I’m Discussing Today:
Kareem’s Daily Quote: Muhammad Ali shares some simple wisdom about doing our part.
Dick Cheney calls Trump a ‘coward’ in ad for daughter’s reelection & Mike Pence says he will not endorse Donald Trump for president in 2024: Trump’s appeal is not about policies or politics, it’s about the irrational and desperate need of some Americans to belong to a cult.
VP Kamala Harris declares 'health crisis' in historic visit to abortion clinic in Minnesota: Hard to believe this is the first time a vice president (or president) has visited a women’s health clinic that performs abortions. At least it finally happened just when women need the support the most.
Oil industry has sought to block state backing for green tech since 1960s: Has there ever been an industry so committed to destroying the planet while pretending they are actually its guardians?
What I’m Watching: Guy Ritchie’s TV series The Gentlemen is better than his movie with the same title. The American Society of Magical Negroes is not just a funny rom-com satire, it also is pitch-perfect about how it feels to be Black in America.
Kareem’s Video Break: You’ve never seen cows this happy before. They actually dance. Someone bottle that joy and send me a case.
The Animals Sing “Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood”: This gruff song from the sixties amplifies why the bad-boy appeal of The Animals has endured.
Kareem’s Daily Quote
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.
Muhammad Ali
I generally don’t like quotes that come across as too self-righteous. This is an exception because I think there’s more nuance to the quote than first appears, and because Muhammad Ali, whom I knew personally for many decades, was one of the most humble men I’ve ever met.
Muhammad Ali was a fighter in and out of the ring. During the Vietnam War, he refused the draft even though he was promised he would be safe from any combat. The U.S. wanted a prominent Black athlete to give his stamp of approval to a war that many thought was racist because of who we were fighting and why, and because of the push to recruit young Black men to fight. He refused to be that poster boy. His stance cost him his career even though he was later vindicated by the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8-0 vote. That’s how he lived his whole life: Ignoring personal consequences to help others. He inspired millions across the world. I was one of those millions.
So many martyrs have sacrificed so much to nudge the needle of justice a degree ahead. It’s certainly admirable to volunteer at various charities or service organizations. But “service to others” isn’t always about the big gestures. For various legitimate reasons, not everyone can commit to that level of physical or financial service. That doesn’t mean there aren’t other ways to express that desire to serve.
The spirit of Ali’s quote is what’s important. Each person has to recognize they owe something to the community, whether that community is local, national, or even international. And that they need to sometimes do something to express that commitment, even if it’s inconvenient. That service can be as big as taking to the streets to protest or as small as occasionally looking in on an elderly neighbor to make sure they’re okay or having a lengthy and boring conversation with someone just because they need to talk because they’re lonely.
Social media has turned many people into thirsty faux celebrities needing a grand gesture to publicize their identities. Engagements need to be choreographed, filmed, and put on YouTube. We’re not really cleaning debris from a beach for the sake of the environment but for a photo opportunity for Instagram. Yet, there are thousands of people who quietly, without acknowledgment, spend a day off, or even an hour off, doing something necessary for others. The small, intimate gesture is as valuable to the community as the big, grand gesture, for both are about improving humanity. As poet John Donne said, we are all “a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” Any act that lifts one of us, lifts us all.