One of the themes that came through very strongly on The Know Show yesterday, was the prevalence of people speaking up about Palestine/Hamas/Israel, with many unable to deliver any real value on the issue at all. This has made it extremely challenging to find people who ARE worth listening to, because the algorithms are not feeding us the expertise the world needs right now.
Note: social media companies, perhaps you can prioritise real thought-leaders in a crisis, but you must be fair across all aspects of the crisis if it’s going to work. Our world is severely lacking in critical thinking skills and big picture thinking, so this could help A LOT!
For me, I want to hear from people who are on the ground experiencing this crisis, as well as experts with decades of experience, who understand the challenges and intricacies of this very complex region.
For the rest of us, it’s OK to be quiet, it’s OK to listen, it’s OK to let them speak.
There are already so many lessons we must take on board from this terrible and frightening situation, but for me, the lesson we (you and I) need to take on board is how and when we respond in a global crisis and before we say anything, we ask ourselves a very fair question – is this worth saying? Or should I just shut up? As social leaders, it should always be our first question.
Of course, we can do whatever the hell we want (free speech and all) BUT if it’s adding no value, or even making things worse, perhaps this is as good a time as any for some deep self-reflection?
One of the articles that really spoke to me in the last few weeks was from journalist, Elizabeth Spiers, who’s a contributing Opinion writer for the NY Times. She wrote an article titled: Posting About Israel and Palestine Is Not a Moral Obligation.
“There’s a facile version of taking a stand on social media that generates righteous back patting but reduces complex issues to a simple yes or no. Taking simplistic stands can also lead to twisting words. Concern for Palestinians is portrayed as support for Hamas or hatred toward Israel or Jews in general. Anger about Hamas’s deadly attacks on Israeli citizens — or any mention of antisemitism — is portrayed as denigrating the dignity of all Palestinian lives. This kind of thinking is deeply unserious and further fuels hostilities, warping nuanced positions into extremism and mistaking tweet-length expressions of outrage for brave action in the face of atrocity.”
She went onto say that: “Six days after Hamas’s horrific terror attacks on Israel, a reporter at Women’s Wear Daily wrote last Thursday, “many major players in the beauty — and overall fashion — industry have remained largely silent in support of the victims on both sides of the conflict. Did we really need or want to hear from L’Oréal or LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton?”
As Tim Wade discussed on the show, we should never believe that brands commenting on serious issues in the world are doing it for any other reason – ultimately – than to make sales. Something to think about, yes?
More broadly, I think it’s showing us how far we’ve come on this digital journey, as it appears we’ve finally hit the ridiculous stage. Like Tim, I don’t care what Louis Vuitton thinks about this situation at all, in fact, I don’t care what any brand or even Hollywood celebrities think either, especially if they have no link to this region at all. Or no unique insight to offer.
Want an example of a celebrity who is contributing with value? Watch Arnold Schwarzenegger’s video below – an example of a unique insight that is relevant. We can learn a lot from Arnie.
Instead, all we are seeing is everyone everywhere raging and screaming. Everyone everywhere being triggered by the outrage algorithms, designed to make publishers and social media companies money.
Everyone everywhere, we are being played. Someone is winning, but it’s not us.
Don’t you think it’s time to unleash that control on our minds, and to remind ourselves that there is a time to speak and a time to shut up? The world could do with a rising consciousness around this idea, that’s for sure.
As Elizabeth Spiers continues in her article: “It’s the idea that not posting is wrong somehow — that everyone needs to speak, all the time. It discourages shutting up and listening and letting the voices that matter the most be heard over the din.”
If you want to read something that really looks at this from the big picture perspective, I found this article insightful: The tragedy of the Israel-Palestine conflict is this: underneath all the horror is a clash of two just causes.
“This is where you wind up when you view this conflict in monochrome, as a clash of right v wrong. Because the late Israeli novelist and peace activist Amos Oz was never wiser than when he described the Israel/Palestine conflict as something infinitely more tragic: a clash of right v right. Two peoples with deep wounds, howling with grief, fated to share the same small piece of land.”
If you’re sitting there wondering what you can do to help right now, the biggest priority for the world is peace, because peace is our ONLY path forward my friends. It is time for us ALL to come together on all the issues that matter, we’ll need to work relentlessly to unify our world, and then we need to get to work regenerating our planet. If we don’t and everything keeps spiralling, perhaps we’ll just hasten humanities demise?
Onto the reads. You’ll see it’s a fat Planetary Crisis section this week, because I took a week off the reads, but I always save anything to do with the state of our planet.
Friend’s content and mine
Moving from left to right | LinkedIn – a wonderful and insightful post by Heidi Oxley-Whitnell, who my boys are lucky enough to have as a teacher. The guidance provided is for anyone who is ready to step up and drive change they care about. It’s what the world needs to be doing right now, all of us, stepping up and doing something about whatever it is we care about. Let’s go!
Professional Witches | LinkedIn – Neerja Singh is always a storyteller first, but underneath is layers of wisdom worth taking on board. When people are feeling so lost, they seek comfort and community. I love this article.
The Million Baht Swim (thephuketnews.com) hats off to the legend otherwise known as Grant ‘Axe’ Rawlinson! He’s going to swim around Phuket at the start of January, to raise one million Baht to help build new classrooms for the Good Shepherd School in Phuket Town. Let’s give him our support!
Donation time
If everyone gave #just10percent of their time, talent, money or voice, we’ll change the world. Can you donate? Why not make a regular donation to the World Food Programme. Or donate to the UN Refugee Program, Medicine Sans Frontier, PowerOf, Kiva.org, Red Cross, and so many more, including urgent fundraising and those supporting animals, like the Soi Dog Foundation. A fabulous organisation I support is B1G1 – check it out and set up an account. It’s a time for giving and taking care of each other.
Content to read
And here’s the content I’ve been reading, listening to or watching. Scan the headlines, read the ones that jump out at you, read, listen to or watch them all. It’s time to pay attention to the information that matters.
Israel/Palestine/Hamas
Gaza before and after: Satellite images show destruction – BBC News
Get your climate priorities straight (substack.com)
New Middle East war delivers a new threat to world economy – POLITICO
A Letter from Michael Moore to President Joe Biden in Israel
American Jews and Palestinians face fear and hatred – BBC News
Iran warns Israel to stop war in Gaza or region will ‘go out of control’ – BBC News
The Lesson of This New Age of Conflict, Trauma, and Pain (theissue.io)
Israel-Hamas war: Israel resumes water supply to southern Gaza after U.S. pressure (axios.com)
As Israel Bombards Gaza, Fears of Humanitarian Disaster Mount – WSJ
Planetary emergency
20,000 Toxic Sites In Sagging Arctic Permafrost| Countercurrents
How the Israel-Hamas War Imperils Action Against Global Warming – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Solar Maximum Is Arriving Sooner Than Expected, And We Don’t Know Why : ScienceAlert
Reintroducing wildlife species ‘not a priority’ – BBC News
Ranked: The Foods With the Largest Environmental Impact (visualcapitalist.com)
To Understand and Protect the Home Planet (mailchi.mp)
Humans are no longer the only primates that go through menopause (nationalgeographic.com)
Climate change could make these places too hot for humans – Los Angeles Times (latimes.com)
Hurricane Otis Was Too Fast for the Forecasters – The Atlantic
At what threshold is Greenland ice cap’s melting irreversible? | Extreme weather | The Guardian
Acapulco plunges into chaos as Hurricane Otis’ toll remains uncertain (nbcnews.com)
Why This Decade is a Turning Point in Human History (theissue.io)
Dozens of people killed by Hurricane Otis in Acapulco | CNN
Scientists urge WHO to declare health emergency for planet – DW – 10/26/2023 (ampproject.org)
Scientists Intrigued by Huge Structure Buried Under Australia (futurism.com)
Hurricane Otis kills at least 27 in Acapulco, Mexico | AP News
Inside Poland Spring’s Fight for Access to Freshwater Nationwide – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Hurricane Otis Batters Mexico, Defying Forecasts – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Hurricane Otis smashes into Mexico coast – BBC News
Hurricane Otis makes historic Category 5 landfall in Mexico near Acapulco (foxweather.com)
POLITICO Pro | Article | Climate change is helping strengthen Arctic cyclones
West Antarctic Ice Sheet collapse may be unavoidable, study finds (nbcnews.com)
China discovers its first 110-billion-m³ deep coalbed methane field (cgtn.com)
Gagged and grief-stricken, but not without hope – ABC News
Sea-level rise: West Antarctic ice shelf melt ‘unavoidable’ – BBC News
Extreme ocean temperatures threaten to wipe out Caribbean coral (nbcnews.com)
Watching The World Burn on Our Phones, Part 2 (okdoomer.io)
Persistent waterlogging plagues Dhaka despite ongoing efforts (dhakatribune.com)
Telling the truth so we can learn from mistakes – reflections five years on (rebellion.global)
Why the Pope is so frustrated about the state of climate action | Grist
The ‘climate quitters’ ditching corporate roles – BBC Worklife
The slow death of a desert giant » Yale Climate Connections
New study shows Hunga-Tonga Hunga-Ha’apai eruption depleted ozone layer (phys.org)
These Starfish Face Extinction. Scientists Are Helping Them Mate. – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
How do we warn future generations to avoid our buried nuclear waste? (nationalgeographic.com)
Climate ‘loss and damage’ talks end in failure – The Japan Times
Billions of Alaska snow crabs have starved to death because of ocean heat, study shows | CNN
The Age of Permacrisis and The Pax Americana (theissue.io)
etsaW A lot can happen in 7 minutes
There’s a window of hope to save Greenland’s ice sheet from climate change : NPR
Extreme weather could burn many investment portfolios by mid-century (theconversation.com)
Earth Stopped Getting Greener 20 Years Ago – Scientific American
Unveiling Nature’s Missing Law: Evolution Beyond Biology – Neuroscience News
Hyderabad experiences summer in winter: These areas witness high temperatures (ampproject.org)
Chum Salmon Are Spawning in the Arctic. It’s an Ominous Sign | WIRED
A case for the polycrisis, explained – Vox
Scientists lay out a sweeping roadmap for transitioning the US off fossil fuels | Grist
Quantum computer designs heat-radiating window coating (freethink.com)
Bedbugs aren’t just in Paris. There’s a global “resurgence.” – Vox
Post Capitalist Infrastructure | LinkedIn
Drought, migration and the fall of civilization: A cautionary tale | The Hill
The Amazon is in trouble. Here’s why — and why it matters (snexplores.org)
California is first state to ban 4 food additives for cancer, other health risks : NPR
Environment: On track for 2 degrees of warming within 20 years (johnmenadue.com)
It’s Too Late, and It’s Our Fault (okdoomer.io)
Eating less meat ‘like taking 8m cars off road’ – BBC News
Global politics
Mike Johnson: Republicans got a Speaker elected. Now begins the hard part – BBC News
Tom Emmer: Republicans pick third nominee for House Speaker – BBC News
Sidney Powell becomes potential witness against Donald Trump | AP News
“Stuck in a colonial past” – the world condemns Australia’s “No” vote on The Voice – Michael West
Voice referendum results: How Indigenous Australians voted (ampproject.org)
Business and technology
Announcing: The Death of Growth Marketing (marketingjournal.org)
The Flatiron Building Will Be Converted Into Condos – The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Gucci’s Kering reports sales drop after LVMH slowdown | Fortune
The Moral Case for No Longer Engaging With Elon Musk’s X – Bloomberg
Experts Alarmed by Tech That Identifies Human DNA Floating in Air (futurism.com)
Influencers are being banned from cafes, even towns. Why? | Mashable
Suumit Shah: Copy and paste jobs done thanks to AI | Fortune
Social issues
Spanish Church sexual abuse affected 200,000 children, commission finds – BBC News
Bruce Lehrmann revealed as high-profile man charged with Toowoomba rape | Queensland | The Guardian
Maine mass shooting: 18 dead and 13 injured in US city of Lewiston – BBC News
‘Pervasive and relentless’ racism on the rise in Europe, survey finds | Race | The Guardian
‘Leave the World Behind’ trailer: Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali face the apocalypse | Mashable
Off-duty pilot Joseph Emerson accused of trying to crash Alaska Airlines flight – BBC News
Tim Tam Releases Gluten Free Version Of The Iconic Australian Biscuit – Network Ten (10play.com.au)
Choosing Ignorance: 40% Shun Consequence Knowledge for Selfish Gains – Neuroscience News
Passion/humour/history/celebs
Taylor Swift’s 1989: What’s new on Taylor’s Version and why has she re-recorded it? – BBC News
Taylor Swift Hits Billionaire Status as Net Worth Surges With Eras Tour Success (bloomberg.com)
17 Of The Most Satisfying And Savage Takedowns Of Piers Morgan (ranker.com)
Retired country maths teacher Robert Martiensen created thousands of artworks in secret – ABC News
How the ‘wickedest city on Earth’ was sunk by an earthquake (nationalgeographic.com)
AI reveals first word of ancient scroll torched by Mount Vesuvius | Popular Science (popsci.com)
So, what did you read? What jumped out at you? Or share with me what you’re reading? I love that!
Cheers
Andrea
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