On "No Kings" and Actually Doing Something

So there was a big ol' national "No Kings" rally this past weekend. And you know what? Some respect for people who showed up, marched, made signs, and wanted to be in solidarity with like-minded people who aren't ok with *gestures wildly* EVERYTHING happening in the United States right now. You wanted to stand up and be counted among those who are against authoritarianism, hate, and oppression. Cool. But real talk? I always find myself asking people who attend these mass protests the same questions.

What organizations had a hand in organizing your local protest? Did you get information from those orgs for how you can volunteer time, money, supplies, or other resources to their causes?

How many resource guides and informational pamphlets, booklets, or flyers did you get at the rally? Have you scanned those documents in and shared them with others?

Did you leave the "No Kings" rally with some idea of how you'd like to focus your time and energy for the next few months or year? Did you leave with a clear idea of something you can dive into right now, something tangible, that you can take action with today?

Now, when I ask questions like this, of course certain people *cough* people of pallor *cough* get agitated. Evidently, I'm a hater or "not down for the cause" when I ask people what their plans are post-flashy social media-worthy rally experience. But guess what? That's the actual purpose of a protest rally, dude.

Seriously.

The purpose of a protest rally is to gather in solidarity while learning about tangible ways you can actively engage in social activism and do your part in addressing human rights issues in your community.

You know, volunteering your time and energy and putting your skills to use on particular issues in your community.

You know, ACTUAL community organizing and engagement.

You know, not just spending 10 hours on a sign that'll sit in your closet gathering dust until the next "No Kings" rally where you'll rinse and repeat with no tangible actions taken on your part to be actively engaged in pursuing change.

But OK, I guess I'm a hater for expecting substance over style.

C'est la vie.

On Layoffs and Not Being OK

I have spent the better part of the last four years working with folx who are being laid off or getting laid off myself.

I know how it feels to support someone who is distraught, confused, uncertain of what their future holds. I know what it feels like to talk to an entire team or division about their positions being cut because of government funding or bad business decisions. I know how deflating and infuriating it feels to work with and participate in meetings with the senior executives and directors making the layoff decisions as they discuss human beings who are going to lose their livelihoods or even communities who are going to lose vital services as dollars and decimals. I know how it feels to speak up in those meetings, to advocate for some semblance of humanity in these proceedings, and to know right then and there that you will now be a shoo-in for the next round of layoffs after they use your humanity and empathy to lay off others. I know how it feels for someone to give you barely any notice and have the audacity to give you two weeks of pay with an expression on their face that is more about their discomfort with being the messenger than it is about how this news impacts you on multiple levels. It's draining. It's frustrating.

And with the current state of the country, I don't see it getting even remotely better anytime soon.

Hundreds of thousands of people are being laid off every month. Job creation has trickled to numbers that are nowhere close to meeting demand. Heavy times are here, and they're likely going to keep getting heavier. And that means that people you know are struggling - mentally, emotionally, physically, and financially struggling - and likely feel conditioned to tell you they're OK.

They're not OK.

And it's OK for them not to be OK right now.

But it's NOT OK for you to be like, "Well, they said they're OK" and never check in again because you're uncomfortable with reality.

To expect anyone who is carrying the weight of everything on their shoulders right now plus seeking employment to "be OK" is to display a lack of connection with humanity, empathy, and reality.

I say all of this to implore you to please check in on your friends and family who have been laid off and workin' their asses off to find a job. Check in from a place of love and compassion, not with a list of questions for them or links to a bunch of positions you found on Indeed. Give them space. Hear them. See them. Feel with them. Let them know that it's OK for them to not be OK. Let them know you will help them any way you can but not hound them about it every time you connect with them. Tap into how you've felt during your roughest workplace moments, your job losses, job losses that impacted you in your family or friends circle, to be present with friends and family who have been impacted by layoffs but DO NOT make it about yourself.

Show up the right way.

The world is heavy enough without those we think care about us adding to it.

On Ryan Walters, White Supremacy and its Beef With Education

So remember Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters? You might recall that yesterday Ryan announced that every Oklahoma high school will have a Turning Point USA chapter to "promote free speech, open engagement, dialogue about [U.S.] American greatness, a dialogue around [U.S.] American values." Oklahoma is 50th in the nation in education, but sure! Why not?

Well, this morning, during a news interview with a local news affiliate, Ryan abruptly announced he's resigning as the Superintendent of Schools to become the CEO of the Teacher Freedom Alliance. Who are they?

The Teacher Freedom Alliance is a conservative nonprofit that says it assists educators “in their mission to develop free, moral, and upright American citizens.” What it actually does is target teachers unions who are aiming for inclusivity and equity in education while amplifying the voices of the hateful, racist bigots that teach and handle school administration in some areas of the country.

During his resignation announcement, Ryan happily proclaimed “We’re going to destroy the teachers unions. We have seen the teachers unions use money and power to corrupt our schools, to undermine our schools.”

Ryan then abruptly left the news studio, running from reporters as they tried to get some kind of timetable on when he made this decision, when he would be leaving his role as Superintendent, or if he felt destroying teachers unions across the country was a good idea. As you can see in the video, he had no additional comments at this time.

So, let's summarize: Ryan Walters sold out the Oklahoma educational system to Turning Point USA, giving a middle finger to thousands of children the state of Oklahoma are failing because learning doesn't matter when you can spend education funds to "combat woke", then bounced with no notice, lining his pockets by jumping to a hateful nonprofit where he can do the kind of damage he's done to students in Oklahoma on a national level.

Ryan is, for lack of a better term, a douche.

This situation saddens me. Children are hurt because of a ridiculous white supremacist bigot and a white supremacist nationalist agenda. Oklahomans voted for this man. He sold them on a vision of their state education system that decenters legitimate educational standards and amplifies their belief that their whiteness is in danger and needs to be protected at all costs. And the scariest thing?

Oklahoma ain't the only place in the United States with a Ryan.

(Somebody's) Lord help us all.

On Oklahoma, TPUSA in High School, and "Owning the Libs"

Oklahoma is 50th in the nation in education.

50th.

But today, Oklahoma Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters announced that every Oklahoma high school will have a Turning Point USA chapter to "promote free speech, open engagement, dialogue about [U.S.] American greatness, a dialogue around [U.S.] American values."

50th. In the nation. In education.

Their kids can't read and write. They aren't excelling. The Oklahoma Board of Education has historically put little funding into support programs or additional educational tools for Oklahoma students to try to turn this around. And now the little funds the Oklahoma Board of Education has, funds which will be lessened even more by all of the Federal budget cuts to education, will now be used to pay for Turning Point USA to have a propaganda wing in every high school in Oklahoma because we all know they aren't showing up for free.

50th.

These kids deserve much better than this.

But you know, "owning the libs," y'all.

On Tylenol, Charlatans, and Sheep

If you believe y'all's president, RFK, Jr. (a man that sounds like he eats a carton of lit cigarettes a day, staged a bear homicide in Central Park, spouts conspiracy theories, and has a dead brainworm in his head from eating suspicious meat), and Dr. Oz (a failed daytime talk show host who doesn't currently have a medical license that shills "miracle drugs" and was so unelectable that y'all's president had to give him a job) when they tell you, without proof, that autism is linked to acetaminophen usage during pregnancy?

I'mma go out on a limb and guess that you were takin' them horse pills at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Y'all's president literally told pregnant folx to, and I quote, "tough it out," ignore their doctors, and not use Tylenol (he had to start calling acetaminophen 'Tylenol' during the press conference because he couldn't pronounce acetaminophen) when they are experiencing fevers and pain during pregancy because, you know, lets endanger the mother and child with an uncontained fever.

Y'all's president also advocated for breaking up childhood vaccinations and pushing back the hepatitis B shot for newborns — a public health strategy that has brought the infection in children to the brink of elimination — to age 12 because, and I quote, "it’s too much liquid, too many different things are going into that baby.” Oh, and he also said hepatitis B was strictly an STI. I'll let you do with that what you will.

SIGH.

Autism is a natural part of human variation and genetics, but you know, why acknowledge facts when you can vilify and target millions of people?

This "medical advice" comes from a bunch of folx with zero credibility, no evidence, no studies, and no supporting research of any kind.

Nothing these folx said yesterday is valid.

This is just another rung on the ladder of this administration's concentrated attack on folx with autism.

This is just another rung on the ladder of this administration's mission to hurt as many people as possible.

But a whole bunch of y'all are still gonna champion this administration's destruction of all of us, ignore facts and science, and "do your part" by following directions, possibly doing medical harm to yourselves, and mistreating the folx in your life with autism by regurgitating this nonsense in their presence because that's what you think a "real (U.S.) American" would do, regardless of the facts presented to you.

Facepalm.