Because sometimes, the only thing to do is to fly to a beautiful place to spend time with a beautiful person, to eat Malaysian food and deliver groceries and go on long walks and catch up on sleep and drink a little too much tequila and receive an education from Ta-Nehisi Coates.
"What do you think those white berries taste like? Don't eat the... oh... you ate the... okay. Well when you get diarrhea and I take you to an ER, at least we know what to tell the doctor."
Morning stroll in Seattle
Pho & Tea... filling up on all that is warm and good in the world.
Maybe the most beautiful sidewalk covered in fallen leaves the world has ever seen?
....every time....
Farmer's Market in Ballard
Warming up.
The main event...
First. In the spirit of Coates and well, just all things that matter, I'd like to acknowledge my extreme privilege in being able to fly to Seattle to see someone speak. Privilege: there it is right there.
Now that I've done that, let me tell you what he said:
"The civil war in the United States is an example of how we are not better than the rest of the world, but just like it."
He asked us to really think about what cause would be so significant that 20% of white military-aged Southern men were died for it. And what causes today could compel a fifth of that same demographic to sacrifice their lives. He said the best he has been able to come up with is home ownership.
When asked if he expected to be where he is now: "I just wanted to be stable, forget thriving."
When asked how the internet has affected the political climate: "The internet destroyed gatekeepers. Gatekeepers did not preserve truth. They preserved the status quo." 'Gatekeepers' were the holders of information before people were able to search freely for answers online.
On how to become successful: "Those you can face their own terribleness, repeatedly, over and over again, you might end up with something good."
On being a writer: "I believe in the hard work and the filth and the dirt of making stories."
He talked about how marginalized communities do not get to be stupid or to make mistakes. They don't have the "safe space" that others have. And when talking about our president and his politics, as an example of that safe space, said "I don't have to respect that. I need to be able to actively disrespect that."
Also he is writing a comic book...so stay tuned :)
The venue.
We had amazing seats... thanks to Annie sweet talking the business office when
she got our tickets this summer.
Meanwhile. Back in Minnesota.
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