1 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:15,200 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to ookf Daily with Meet 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:19,920 Speaker 1: Your Girl Daniel Moody recording from the Home Bunker. Folks, 3 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:25,400 Speaker 1: I'm going to start out today with saying that I 4 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:28,440 Speaker 1: have not been doing well this week. If you've been 5 00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:35,640 Speaker 1: following Instagram and Twitter, there are weeks, there are days, 6 00:00:36,200 --> 00:00:42,720 Speaker 1: there are stories where I just find it so difficult 7 00:00:43,040 --> 00:00:49,040 Speaker 1: to wrap my mind around the hatred that exists in 8 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: people's hearts, around this bullshit sense of fear. I feared 9 00:00:55,040 --> 00:00:58,280 Speaker 1: for my life line that white people get to use 10 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 1: so recklessly as a way to give them license to kill. 11 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:13,560 Speaker 1: And for the entirety of Monday, my feed began to 12 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: fill with the story of Ralph Yarl and I refused 13 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:25,080 Speaker 1: to look at it. All I kept seeing was the 14 00:01:25,120 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: picture of him in band and the picture of him 15 00:01:27,600 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: with his two little brothers that just kept going, going, going, 16 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:35,720 Speaker 1: filling my feed, and I just my heart just couldn't 17 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: take it right. It couldn't take it. After the shooting 18 00:01:40,560 --> 00:01:43,360 Speaker 1: in Kentucky, It couldn't take it. After the shooting in 19 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: Tennessee and all of the shootings that have happened in between, 20 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:49,400 Speaker 1: and the shooting that just happened at the Alabama sweet sixteen, 21 00:01:49,480 --> 00:01:54,560 Speaker 1: I just didn't want to know. And then finally, of course, 22 00:01:55,320 --> 00:01:58,240 Speaker 1: because part of my work is also being on social media, 23 00:01:58,320 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: I couldn't avoid it. And it's going to be very 24 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:06,040 Speaker 1: hard for me to make it through this episode and 25 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:10,520 Speaker 1: not cry, because that's what I've been doing for the 26 00:02:10,639 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 1: last few days. And yes, thankfully Ralph is alive by 27 00:02:21,720 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: virtue of him fleeing on the doorstep of this eighty 28 00:02:30,960 --> 00:02:37,000 Speaker 1: five year old bigot and having to knock on that one, 29 00:02:37,600 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 1: not two, but three doors, and then finally on the 30 00:02:42,480 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: third door, be told as he is bleeding out from 31 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:52,360 Speaker 1: his head and from his arm, to get down on 32 00:02:52,400 --> 00:02:55,840 Speaker 1: the ground and put his hands up, and then finally 33 00:02:55,919 --> 00:03:02,160 Speaker 1: he passed out. Because even a bleeding, wounded black child 34 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:09,000 Speaker 1: was still seen as a threat to this white neighborhood. 35 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:28,560 Speaker 1: And this story has just undone me because I just 36 00:03:28,680 --> 00:03:37,000 Speaker 1: can't imagine the fear that he had. I can't imagine 37 00:03:37,040 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: the fear that this black child will live with for 38 00:03:41,600 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: the rest of his life knowing that all he did 39 00:03:47,160 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: wrong was happen upon the wrong address and ring the doorbell. 40 00:03:56,000 --> 00:04:01,000 Speaker 1: And there are too many stories where where black people 41 00:04:01,800 --> 00:04:05,160 Speaker 1: have had broken down cars and they ask for help 42 00:04:05,240 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: and they end up dead where they've been in their 43 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:15,280 Speaker 1: own homes, but a white person stumbled in and shot 44 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:20,760 Speaker 1: them dead. Where they're playing on the playground with a 45 00:04:20,800 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: fake gun and are shot dead. But white children who 46 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:31,320 Speaker 1: were just recently allowed to go to the NRA convention 47 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:36,040 Speaker 1: and pick up and quote unquote play with real guns. 48 00:04:37,080 --> 00:04:42,200 Speaker 1: That's scene as cute that scene as look at that 49 00:04:42,400 --> 00:04:45,239 Speaker 1: young patriot in training. What I see is a white 50 00:04:45,279 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: domestic terrorist in training, because when you recognize that you 51 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:58,839 Speaker 1: live in a country where white boys can pose with 52 00:04:59,279 --> 00:05:06,000 Speaker 1: AR fifteen means handguns, rifles, all of these things, and 53 00:05:06,240 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: black children can't ask for help, holding no weapon at 54 00:05:14,120 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: all except living inside of their black skin. Don't come 55 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,120 Speaker 1: out your mouth telling me that this is somebody's free country, 56 00:05:24,320 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: this is somebody's democratic nation. This nation is bullshit. This 57 00:05:30,839 --> 00:05:40,080 Speaker 1: country is bullshit. It ain't free for nobody except for 58 00:05:40,839 --> 00:05:47,360 Speaker 1: white men and the white women who uphold patriarchy and 59 00:05:47,560 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 1: racism right alongside them, even though they have their fucking 60 00:05:51,480 --> 00:06:02,840 Speaker 1: wounds and shackles. This story is like way too many stories. 61 00:06:02,960 --> 00:06:08,360 Speaker 1: It's Elijah's story, it's Trayvon's story, it's Tamers's story, it's 62 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:13,400 Speaker 1: Ranetia's story, it's Sandra's story, it's Georgia's story, it's you know, 63 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 1: on and on and on and on and on. You see, 64 00:06:20,600 --> 00:06:26,480 Speaker 1: the sad thing is is that I'm not surprised. What 65 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:33,000 Speaker 1: I am is weary with grief. My girlfriend the other 66 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:37,120 Speaker 1: day said to me that I need to quit my job, 67 00:06:39,880 --> 00:06:46,320 Speaker 1: that following the news, being a political analyst, being a 68 00:06:46,360 --> 00:06:52,599 Speaker 1: podcaster is weighing on me way too much, and that 69 00:06:53,680 --> 00:06:56,919 Speaker 1: she is finding me in tears, she is finding me 70 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: too deflated and depressed, moving through sleepless nights, and said, 71 00:07:07,279 --> 00:07:09,120 Speaker 1: I think you need to leave your job, and I 72 00:07:09,160 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 1: think that you need to seriously consider it. And I 73 00:07:14,120 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: will tell you that I was at first just appalled. 74 00:07:25,040 --> 00:07:28,920 Speaker 1: Right now, I'm not equating what it is that I do, 75 00:07:30,120 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: But there are other jobs that are much harder, right, 76 00:07:34,720 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: much more taxing. Think about anyone who was in the 77 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,480 Speaker 1: medical profession during the height of COVID, and I'm certain, 78 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: obviously we know the numbers that many people did quit 79 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:48,560 Speaker 1: and leave right because their own lives were on the 80 00:07:48,600 --> 00:07:52,320 Speaker 1: line as they're trying to save other people. But I 81 00:07:52,360 --> 00:07:56,840 Speaker 1: think about one of the doctors in Tennessee who said, 82 00:07:56,880 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: I'm tired. I'm not a politician, but I can tell 83 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,680 Speaker 1: you that I'm tired of treating bodies riddled with bullets. 84 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:11,040 Speaker 1: I'm tired of these mass shootings because there are doctors 85 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:16,560 Speaker 1: and nurses and health practitioners that are leaving their profession 86 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:24,600 Speaker 1: because of the weight, the exhaustion and the trauma. Right 87 00:08:25,600 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 1: there are teachers that are leaving the classroom because of 88 00:08:32,320 --> 00:08:40,520 Speaker 1: the weight, the trauma, and the exhaustion. When I think 89 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:48,120 Speaker 1: about myself and the last is it fifteen years almost 90 00:08:48,480 --> 00:08:57,400 Speaker 1: in twenty years in policy and politics and media, you know, 91 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,560 Speaker 1: it wasn't always like this. That's the thing, right, is 92 00:09:03,600 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: that I can look back and see where everything took 93 00:09:10,320 --> 00:09:19,080 Speaker 1: a fucking nose dive. And you know, I got into 94 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:30,160 Speaker 1: podcasting in relatively the twenty tens, right because at the time, 95 00:09:30,320 --> 00:09:33,840 Speaker 1: marriage equality was not the law of the land, and 96 00:09:34,960 --> 00:09:37,080 Speaker 1: there were just way too many things that were starting 97 00:09:37,120 --> 00:09:39,720 Speaker 1: to happen. And one of the segments that I used 98 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:44,160 Speaker 1: to do on my former show, my first podcast, Pallatini, 99 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:48,520 Speaker 1: was called the you know the new normal? Is this 100 00:09:48,679 --> 00:09:51,320 Speaker 1: the new normal? That was the question that the segment asked. 101 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:55,760 Speaker 1: All the time, this is twenty tents. You know, we 102 00:09:55,800 --> 00:10:00,679 Speaker 1: had Barack Obama in the White House, we had marriage 103 00:10:00,679 --> 00:10:04,960 Speaker 1: equality was starting to you know, dot the States and 104 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:09,920 Speaker 1: were pushing for a national you know, marriage equality and recognition, 105 00:10:10,160 --> 00:10:15,880 Speaker 1: and seemingly things felt like they were moving in the 106 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:28,000 Speaker 1: right direction, but there was still this underlying fear hatred 107 00:10:28,320 --> 00:10:34,600 Speaker 1: of the other. And at the time it was highly 108 00:10:34,880 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 1: directed at the queer community, always directed at the black community, 109 00:10:39,040 --> 00:10:41,800 Speaker 1: let me be clear, but it was really directed at 110 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:45,520 Speaker 1: the queer community in terms of national headlines because of 111 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:48,840 Speaker 1: the audacity for queer people to say that they wanted 112 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:53,040 Speaker 1: to be able to marry, that the stories of being 113 00:10:53,120 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: denied access to a loved one in a hospital, being 114 00:10:57,480 --> 00:11:01,959 Speaker 1: denied you know, the ability to pass your wealth down 115 00:11:02,000 --> 00:11:07,920 Speaker 1: your homes or what have you, being beaten, right, and 116 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 1: we were juxtaposing that with stories that were coming out 117 00:11:11,280 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: of African nations and LATINX nations where people were being 118 00:11:15,440 --> 00:11:26,000 Speaker 1: literally criminalized. Fast forward to the whitelash, to Barack Obama 119 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:38,679 Speaker 1: being Donald Trump, and twenty sixteen to now has been 120 00:11:39,520 --> 00:11:50,240 Speaker 1: a never ending onslaught of racism, anti semitism, anti Asian hate, 121 00:11:50,320 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: anti blackness, homophobia, transphobia, I mean, you name it, islamophobia, misogyny, 122 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:06,840 Speaker 1: I mean, you name it and it. There are examples 123 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:09,920 Speaker 1: from each and every hour of the day. Right there 124 00:12:09,960 --> 00:12:15,080 Speaker 1: is there is not enough coverage right of all of 125 00:12:15,080 --> 00:12:18,520 Speaker 1: the incidents that happen. But boy, when you sit down 126 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 1: and you start to look at the national headlines and 127 00:12:21,280 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 1: the state headlines and city papers and local papers, it 128 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:30,560 Speaker 1: makes you not want to leave your house because I 129 00:12:30,640 --> 00:12:38,920 Speaker 1: got to tell you that I don't feel safe anywhere. Right. 130 00:12:39,559 --> 00:12:45,200 Speaker 1: I have moments when I am doing my best to 131 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: focus on joy and beauty and you know, being outside 132 00:12:49,720 --> 00:12:54,480 Speaker 1: and being in nature and all of these important things. 133 00:12:55,760 --> 00:12:58,200 Speaker 1: But most days I kind of just want to run 134 00:12:58,200 --> 00:13:03,120 Speaker 1: out of my front door and fucking scream, you know, 135 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:07,439 Speaker 1: like I want to break. I tweeted yesterday and said, 136 00:13:07,840 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 1: you know, I just want to call in black like 137 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:19,360 Speaker 1: I am tired, I am My body hurts, my eyes 138 00:13:19,400 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: are puffy from the tears that just readily flow down 139 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:28,360 Speaker 1: my face. You know, I can tell you a story 140 00:13:28,480 --> 00:13:32,439 Speaker 1: of being in my master's program many many years ago 141 00:13:33,120 --> 00:13:36,080 Speaker 1: and talking about the fact that this is when I 142 00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:40,400 Speaker 1: was still married and thinking about having kids, and said 143 00:13:40,520 --> 00:13:46,640 Speaker 1: out loud for the first time that I was terrified 144 00:13:48,360 --> 00:13:53,080 Speaker 1: to give birth to a black boy because I didn't 145 00:13:53,160 --> 00:14:01,480 Speaker 1: know if they were gonna make it, because this country 146 00:14:01,679 --> 00:14:09,440 Speaker 1: sure as hell has made sure that too many black 147 00:14:09,520 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: boys don't make it. You know, I just saw a 148 00:14:14,720 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: true historical accounting of the fact that white people used 149 00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:26,760 Speaker 1: to go alligator hunting with black babies. That is a 150 00:14:26,800 --> 00:14:37,720 Speaker 1: true story. The violence and the brutality and the dehumanization 151 00:14:37,920 --> 00:14:43,680 Speaker 1: of just the disregard for fucking life that is embedded, 152 00:14:44,680 --> 00:14:58,360 Speaker 1: ingrained into the core of this country. Why did that 153 00:14:58,520 --> 00:15:10,280 Speaker 1: man shoot through his door at a black child and 154 00:15:10,400 --> 00:15:17,480 Speaker 1: before shooting him said don't come around here again. Because 155 00:15:17,520 --> 00:15:22,720 Speaker 1: he had been taught from the beginning of time that 156 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:29,360 Speaker 1: black lives do not matter, been force fed through Fox News, 157 00:15:29,680 --> 00:15:38,440 Speaker 1: through policies by Republicans and Democrats, that black people are 158 00:15:38,480 --> 00:15:49,760 Speaker 1: nothing but thugs, welfare queens, lazy, uneducated criminals just looking 159 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:54,560 Speaker 1: up rob and hurt black white women and white men. 160 00:15:57,360 --> 00:16:01,080 Speaker 1: That's why you have all these bullshit stand your ground laws, 161 00:16:02,440 --> 00:16:06,600 Speaker 1: because once black people were no longer enslaved and it 162 00:16:06,760 --> 00:16:10,520 Speaker 1: wasn't legal for you, do you know, rape and beat 163 00:16:10,880 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: and terrorize and throw their babies into the marshes to 164 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:23,160 Speaker 1: go fish for fucking alligators. That once it was like, 165 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:27,800 Speaker 1: oh oops, our bad maybe they are people after all 166 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:33,880 Speaker 1: and not just chattel. But just to make sure you 167 00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:36,840 Speaker 1: have the right to shoot a black person on the scene, 168 00:16:36,960 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: on the spot, that all you gotta do is throw 169 00:16:39,400 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: up your white hands and say, ah, fear for my life. Oh, 170 00:16:44,320 --> 00:16:52,240 Speaker 1: she's so angry, he's so tall, they're so scary, don't 171 00:16:52,240 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: you worry. Mainstream media society will wrap their white arms 172 00:16:58,000 --> 00:17:02,920 Speaker 1: around you and say, oh, poor you, You must have 173 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:07,679 Speaker 1: been threatened. You must have been so scared. You should 174 00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 1: have never had to come face to face with that 175 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:20,360 Speaker 1: black body. That's why you see that white murderers get 176 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:25,760 Speaker 1: their full resumes printed out before they're ever called a 177 00:17:25,840 --> 00:17:31,760 Speaker 1: criminal or thug or terrorists. Oh but they liked music, 178 00:17:33,960 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: they were star volleyball player. Doesn't matter that they took 179 00:17:38,359 --> 00:17:41,800 Speaker 1: out an entire supermarket filled with black people. Doesn't matter 180 00:17:41,880 --> 00:17:46,040 Speaker 1: that they shot up an entire church of black people 181 00:17:46,119 --> 00:17:53,760 Speaker 1: in the midst of prayer, right, because we all know 182 00:17:53,840 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 1: that black skin is scarier than an ar fifteen. So 183 00:18:02,280 --> 00:18:14,680 Speaker 1: I find myself weary, weary with grief and wondering whether 184 00:18:14,800 --> 00:18:22,880 Speaker 1: or not my girlfriend is right. Because there are days 185 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:27,640 Speaker 1: like the past few and weeks like the past, several 186 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:36,600 Speaker 1: and years like the last seven where all I see 187 00:18:36,600 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: are things getting worse and rapidly so, and wondering if 188 00:18:45,600 --> 00:18:51,200 Speaker 1: this isn't one of the moments where you're like, do 189 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:58,040 Speaker 1: I save myself or do you keep fighting for our 190 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:07,640 Speaker 1: country that doesn't want you, that doesn't see you, that 191 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:17,439 Speaker 1: doesn't care about you, that doesn't believe you. I don't know, 192 00:19:18,359 --> 00:19:24,200 Speaker 1: but what I do know is that Ralph Yarol shouldn't 193 00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:31,400 Speaker 1: have had to find his way to three different houses 194 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:40,159 Speaker 1: to get help. He shouldn't be recovering at home from 195 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: a gunshot wound to his head and his arm and 196 00:19:45,880 --> 00:19:58,560 Speaker 1: probably a tragically broken spirit. It just, you know, this 197 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:05,800 Speaker 1: is America, and this has always been America. America has 198 00:20:06,040 --> 00:20:10,040 Speaker 1: always hated black people because unless we are working in 199 00:20:10,160 --> 00:20:25,920 Speaker 1: servitude to whiteness, we are worthless, we are disposable. And 200 00:20:27,720 --> 00:20:35,520 Speaker 1: some days I'm just tired and all I can muster 201 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:46,600 Speaker 1: is an exhausted tweet, a weary voiced episode, and just 202 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:54,960 Speaker 1: I don't know where we're going, folks, And you know, 203 00:20:55,040 --> 00:20:59,280 Speaker 1: and I apologize because this is one of those weeks 204 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:03,320 Speaker 1: where I hope that by the end I can find 205 00:21:03,600 --> 00:21:10,280 Speaker 1: some hopefulness, that I can find some strength. But today 206 00:21:15,440 --> 00:21:21,240 Speaker 1: all I can think about is all of the ralph 207 00:21:21,359 --> 00:21:26,240 Speaker 1: yars that we don't know about. All I can think 208 00:21:26,280 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: about is just this blood soaked soil that we call 209 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:40,959 Speaker 1: a country, even the oceans that we swim in, the 210 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:47,960 Speaker 1: beaches that we go to, or just marine cemeteries for 211 00:21:48,040 --> 00:21:58,600 Speaker 1: black bodies. So when people ask what can they do, 212 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:06,040 Speaker 1: I don't know. Do something. Call your politicians, organize a 213 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:16,440 Speaker 1: walk out, run for office, do something. Because black people 214 00:22:16,480 --> 00:22:25,600 Speaker 1: are tired. I'm tired. That is it for me today. 215 00:22:25,760 --> 00:22:31,159 Speaker 1: Dear friends on wokf as always power to the people 216 00:22:31,640 --> 00:22:35,639 Speaker 1: and to all the people. Power, get woke and stay 217 00:22:36,200 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: woke as fuck.