The systems are so big and we're so small
Hello friends! You likely signed up for this after reading one of my essays on Medium, my personal website, or seeing something on Twitter. I send this thing every few months, mostly a wrap-up of stuff I'm working on and thinking about — all ending with a sweet flag. See past issues here. Now, to the newsletter...
A group of people sweeps up a Philadelphia street after a night of protests and riots.
Can you believe this shit?
A friend of mine began a recent email with the above question, and I think it’s the only way to start any correspondence in 2020. Hello! Can you believe this shit?
In his book Goliath, Matt Stoller describes the division and unrest in modern America: “We are a sullen people,” he writes, "frustrated at unseen forces we cannot describe, squabbling among ourselves.”
I think we all know in our bones that dealing with 2020's pandemic, riots, and protests involves rethinking our systems, and thus, our relationship with each other.
We can't fix what's happening in other states and cities, but we can affect change in our house, with our friends, on our block, and in our communities. Shrinking my aperture in that way has been the only thing that makes me feel useful.
There's no happy ending here because, well, we're still living through it. I'm definitely still grappling with it all. Are you?
I'd love to hear your messy thoughts on all of THIS. Hit reply! More pen pals, less Zoom calls.
And now, hopefully, some interesting things to read:
Our remote future is going to suck:
One of the effects of COVID has been a massive spike in remote work. This has led to a widely held view that the future of work will not involve the office and that this is a net good for the average worker.
Well, I disagree. Remote work makes it easy for you to be minimized and outsourced. I wrote about the often unspoken downsides of working remote.
When to go for it:
I'm 33, and I've been having a recurring conversation with many of my friends, especially those that work in white-collar jobs: Is it worth it to "go for it"? Is it worth the trouble to double down on your career? And what is "enough"?
In part inspired by The Last Dance, I wrote about the dangers of not choosing: Your 30s are a time to go for it (or not)
Other updates:
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I'm teaching a college course! This fall I'll be teaching "New Media Literacy" at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. More to come, but I hope to share the full syllabus with you soon.
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Sadly, COVID has forced Pilcrow House to be on hiatus. Allison and I struggled whether to pivot to online programming, but it felt interacting through screens was counter to its mission. So, we'll sit on the sidelines and await the day we can gather in small, indoor spaces once again.
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I recently moved my personal site to Ghost and this newsletter to Buttondown. Main reasons: I wanted to support businesses that align with my values of an open web and owning your platform.
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Endorsement: I've also started using Brave + DuckDuckGo as my browser / search engine combo, respectively. Both are built around privacy and controlling your data. One thing I'm trying to be better at: supporting businesses that align with my values. Thats hard IRL, but digitally it's a bit more manageable.
Official newsletter flag (for now): The United States of America.
As our nation grapples with what comes next, I offer a return to something comfortable for the official newsletter flag. After sharing flags from around the world, it's time to honor Old Glory.
As any tourist in Philadelphia can tell you, the first flag was (allegedly) created by Betsy Ross at the request of General George Washington. It's 13 stars and stripes were in honor of our original colonies.
Any flag is a symbol of its nation, but perhaps none so much as this one. This flag is on the moon, though it hasn't been back in a long time. There was a time when this flag was updated often, but we've been stuck with this version for nearly 60 years.
Dear reader, may you (and all of us) be like the American flag: a steady presence in the name of justice and liberty, but always willing to adapt to meet any challenge.
--Sean