#217: Samantha, White Nationalist

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Happy Thursday, loyal readers, and thank you for reading this week’s issue of The Highlighter. Today’s edition focuses on race and health. The first two articles — a profile of a white nationalist and an account of the Crazy Horse memorial — offer well-written portrayals of the dark and complex contours of American culture. They’re both worthy of your time. If you’re more interested in food and health, you’ll enjoy pieces on the history of cooking and the dangers of sugary beverages. Go ahead: It’s time to read!

+ Your generous responses to last month’s Loyal Reader Survey confirmed the strength of our reading community. You are serious, dedicated readers who appreciate well-written, thought-provoking articles on race, education, and culture. In addition, you value that the articles come from a variety of publications and provide perspectives you wouldn’t typically come across. Most important, you believe that reading helps us learn about our world, builds our empathy, and makes us better people. I believe that, too. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Over the next few weeks, I’ll let you know my next steps for the newsletter based on your suggestions.

+ Question of the Week: Which article has most impacted you this year, and why? Email me or leave me a voicemail.

Samantha, White Nationalist

Before Samantha joined the alt-right and became a white nationalist, she grew up in New Jersey and Florida, worked at Chipotle, and volunteered for the Obama campaign. Then Samantha met Richie, who cooked and danced and played the guitar. She fell in love. At first it didn’t matter that Richie quoted 4chan and made anti-Semitic remarks. But when he began arguing for racial purification and announced, “I’m a fascist,” that was too much. Samantha left Richie — that is, until she decided to look into some of his beliefs, to find out where he had gone wrong. Five days later, after watching YouTube videos and reading articles online, Samantha changed her mind: She wanted to become an advocate for the white race, too.

In this excellent chapter from Antisocial, Andrew Marantz (#115, #134) emphasizes that “there is no formula that can predict exactly who will succumb to fascism and who will not.” He adds: “We would like to imagine that, in the current year, the United States has developed a moral vocabulary that is robust and widespread enough to inoculate almost all of us against raw bigotry and malign propaganda. We would like to imagine that, but it would be wishful thinking.” (35 min)

Who Speaks for Crazy Horse?

Down the highway road from Mt. Rushmore, in the Black Hills of South Dakota, the world’s largest monument commemorates the life of Tasunke Witko, best known as Crazy Horse. But the reality is complicated and controversial. In this outstanding article, Brooke Jarvis tells the story of the memorial, arguing that “sites of theft and genocide have become monuments to patriotism, a symbol of resistance has become a source of revenue, and old stories of broken promises and appropriation recur.” (25 min)

The Instant Pot Understands The History Of Cooking As Women’s Labor

Truth is elusive in this challenging time of division, but one thing remains for certain: If you own an Instant Pot, you love it. So does food writer Bee Wilson, who argues that few kitchen appliances respect women as primary food preparers. At the root is “our collective failure to see the work of cooking as something important, and skilled, and worthy of our respect.” Unless, of course, it’s out at a restaurant, and the chef is a man. (23 min)

+ Want more from Ms. Wilson? Here and here!

The All-Out War On Sugary Beverages

Given my love of my mom’s cookies, I’ll never avoid sugar altogether. But arguably the best health decision I’ve ever made was when I decided, nearly 20 years ago, to stop drinking Coca-Cola cold turkey. Therefore it makes me happy that more and more cities and countries around the world are taxing sugary beverages. The jury is out about whether these efforts will lead to decreases in diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, but it’s a step in the right direction. (18 min)

+ Fruit juice has a lot of sugar, too. So do smoothies.

There’s no more of this week’s newsletter. 😢 Don’t be forlorn: Another one is coming very soon. In the meantime, use the thumbs below to tell me what you thought. Also, let’s please welcome this week’s four new subscribers, including Dave, Mara, and Ray. I hope that you find the newsletter a welcome addition to your Thursday email inbox.

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#216: The Apology Letter

In the years after killing a man, John J. Lennon felt remorse and wanted to express his sorrow to his victim’s family. But his lawyer and priest told him no. It’s never a good idea to say you’re sorry. In this first-person essay, Mr. Lennon describes his process of exploring his guilt and making amends for the crime he committed. It’s not a simple, easy road. Only when he discovers writing — first through a creative writing program, and then through New York’s Apology Letter Bank — does Mr. Lennon truly consider his audience, deepen his introspection, and take responsibility for his actions.

#215: Walking While Black

Growing up in Jamaica, Garnette Cadogan loved to walk. The streets, filled with adventure, offered safety from his abusive stepfather. He writes, “Unlike at home, I could be myself without fear of bodily harm. Walking became so regular and familiar that the way home became home.”

When Mr. Cadogan moves to New Orleans to attend college, however, his love for walking quickly changes. People cross the street when he approaches; white women clutch their bags; young white men trade a nervous hello for safety. “What no one had told me was that I was the one who would be considered a threat,” he writes. After run-ins with the police, Mr. Cardogan finds himself thickening his accent, donning khakis, and employing other cop-proof survival tactics.

But years later, when Mr. Cadogan moves to New York — ostensibly a walker’s paradise — even those efforts, which tear at his dignity, are not enough. He writes, “Walking—the simple, monotonous act of placing one foot before the other to prevent falling—turns out not to be so simple if you’re Black.”

#214: Las Marthas

At first glance, this outstanding article is about a fancy high-society debutante ball and pageant, in which young women dress up in expensive 100-pound dresses and announce their presence to the world via curtsy, while celebrating colonial times and the life of first lady Martha Washington.

But peel back the onion and you’ll discover complex twists and turns that are quintessentially American. Like how the pageant got started by upper-class white families but most of the girls now are Mexican American. Like how the dresses sometimes cost more than the per-capita income of Laredo. Like how the festival values unity and friendship in a town where ICE agents detain migrants and separate families.

You’ll also appreciate how author Jordan Kisner explores nepantla, a Nahuatl word that means “in-betweenness.” Ms. Kisner discusses the transition to womanhood, the commodification of beauty, the expectation of assimilation, the loss of heritage, the passing as white, and the assumption of straightness.

The Highlighter #213: The Next Word

Nobody who writes thinks writing is easy. So why not have a computer spare us the agony? Soon that will be possible. After all, we already have the chirpy Smart Reply, which suggests responses (e.g., “Great!” “You bet!” “Sure thing!”) and the creepy Smart Compose, which autocompletes sentences. Why wouldn’t full essays be next?

They are next, according to John Seabrook, who in this outstanding article clearly explains the history and ethics of machine learning and how current technology will put Alexa and Siri to shame. Be prepared to be creeped out, for sure; our demise as a species is nigh. But also savor the parts that remind us of the power of language to express our humanity.

The Highlighter #211: In School, On The Street

More than half of the students attending community colleges in California have experienced food insecurity within the past month. Sixty percent report struggling with housing insecurity over the past year. Despite free tuition, financial aid, Pell grants, and work-study programs, thousands of young people seeking higher education can’t handle the exorbitant price of housing in the Bay Area. Many are living in their cars, couch surfing, and worrying about their next meal.

The Highlighter #210: Donuts And The American Dream

Impervious to chains like Krispy Kreme and Dunkin’ Donuts, the donut industry in Los Angeles has remained open and profitable to new immigrants from Vietnam and Cambodia and Japan and Laos and Mexico and Guatemala and El Salvador. “Donuts are the soul food of a place that is often accused of lacking a soul,” David Samuels writes. “They are the sticky, messy, waist-expanding ying to the yang of Southern California’s sun-kissed beaches and taut-and-tanned infatuation with wellness.”

The Highlighter #209: The Limits of White Fragility

If you’re a white progressive and you haven’t read White Fragility, by Robin DiAngelo, consider yourself woefully behind the times. (No judgment.) Published last year, the book explores what happens when white people are made to consider the impact of their race. Some get angry, some clam up, some cry, some perform. No matter the behavior, the response is to return to the racist status quo.

Newsletter #208: Dear White Teacher

Chrysanthius Lathan is a Black teacher and instructional coach at a middle school in Portland who is tired of supporting her white colleagues to maintain high behavioral expectations for their students. In particular, Ms. Lathan wants to know why her colleagues are sending so many Black and Brown students to her classroom for timeout. So she asks the students, and the answer is clear: The teachers are scared. They’re scared of the kids, and of being seen as racist, and of asking for help.