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i have a lot of anger today. and per my scientist ways, i'm trying to get at the heart of it so i can do something productive. but this requires figuring out why i'm angry, which is not always an easy feat.
do i hate republicans? no. i recognize that my opinion is very different from the average republican but i respect the difference of opinion in our great political conversation.
but what i think the anger is coming from is how power is used. when you use that difference of opinion to incite violence. to take rights away from others. to prop yourself up over everyone else. to disenfranchise. to discriminate. that's why i'm mad.
we see this in academia all the time. people abuse, people steal, people lie, and people cheat. they gaslight. they discriminate. they profile. they do everything in their power to vault themselves over others and push people down into the mud as they come up.
and we saw that yesterday. we saw the horror of violence incited by a despot. we saw the terrible dichotomy of white privilege laid bare as terrorists stormed our government and police escorted them IN. and we saw politicians not out to help constituents but to pad their pockets.
as officials, as government elected representatives, as teachers, as anyone in positions of power, we have a list of responsibilities. and at the top of that list is always to HELP. help bring about a more equitable world. help bring up those coming after you.
when that doesn't happen, i think that's the thing that makes me the most angry. so today, i hope you're all getting a chance to breathe. we're gonna order a lot of pizza here in the lab to chill for a minute or two.
but i don't want to let this stop here. i want to use my anger and my frustration and my unmentionable sadness about seeing firearms drawn on the floor of the government house that i hold in my heart.
we all can do better. we all must do better. that goes from the highest politicians to the academics to anyone in society. we must hold those who commit crimes accountable. we must help others. we must make the world more equitable and safer. the alternative is unfathomable.
and now, as the kids say, thank you for coming to my ted talk.
and hopefully i don't lose another metric fucketonne of followers today. :-)
