It’s not so easy to keep up with the headlines the way I used to. This year I have been limiting my news intake to specific quantities and sources. One consequence of this self-care is that I feel a little less informed about what’s happening in the world. So I’m quite thankful when CC content includes some reportage, eye-witness accounts, or reflections on people’s immediate contexts. This week we have two new pieces that help me feel more updated and connected.
It’s one thing to hear about the patently cruel banning of trans people from military service. It’s another to read a profile of one devastated trans soldier written by one of her best friends. It’s one thing to be inundated by border-related fear-mongering, rumors, and conflicting data. It’s quite another (and much needed) to hear firsthand what life and policy are actually like at the US southern border.
Jon Mathieu Email me: Whose firsthand account of something has been particularly helpful to you? Click to schedule a Friday lunch chat with Jon Click to find Jon on (X/Twitter alternative) Bluesky
“To be shunned, excluded, and deemed unworthy—after giving her life to military service—felt like the ultimate betrayal. A president who had never fought in a war was excommunicating her.”
“I was kind of surprised to discover a Goethe quote about knowledge not being enough. For one thing, I grew up thinking this was a Bruce Lee quote, as does probably more than half the internet.”
