Speaker 1: Hi, everybody. Today. We had originally planned to release a
Speaker 1: regular episode of the show, like we do every Tuesday,
Speaker 1: but we're putting a pause on our normal publishing schedule
Speaker 1: to make a statement of solidarity with the Black Lives
Speaker 1: Matter movement and the recent protests against racism and law
Speaker 1: enforcement and police violence against black Americans. Now, we're not
Speaker 1: gonna go on at great length because we're not the
Speaker 1: real authorities on this issue. UM. We know that many
Speaker 1: of you are already taking part in the effort to
Speaker 1: change policing and to fight institutional racism in the United States.
Speaker 1: But the main reason we wanted to publish this today
Speaker 1: was to make a very specific appeal to a subset
Speaker 1: of you out there listening. If you're somebody who's been
Speaker 1: watching the protests from a distance, maybe you don't like
Speaker 1: to think about politics much, you don't quite know what
Speaker 1: to make of what's going on. Our message is this,
Speaker 1: if our credibility means anything to you, listen to the protesters,
Speaker 1: especially black racial justice activists from your own city or community.
Speaker 1: Take the time to really look up what they've been
Speaker 1: saying and take their message seriously. Watch videos of what's
Speaker 1: been happening to the protesters on the streets in America.
Speaker 1: Don't disconnect or shield yourself from it. Don't just forget
Speaker 1: about it and move on with your life. You might
Speaker 1: feel overwhelmed or hopeless, but don't fall into fatalism, and
Speaker 1: don't think what happened to George Floyd and so many
Speaker 1: others is awful, But what can you do? Terrible things
Speaker 1: just happen. Sometimes. We want to encourage you to see
Speaker 1: that racism and law enforcement and police brutality are not
Speaker 1: just wrong, they're intolerable, and the use of violence against
Speaker 1: peaceful protesters is not just unfortunate, it is intolerable. If
Speaker 1: we want to say we live in a free country,
Speaker 1: we have to bring these atrocities to a conclusive end,
Speaker 1: and that means not just feeling opposed to them, but
Speaker 1: taking action with real world consequences in whatever way you can.
Speaker 1: This should affect how you vote. You can also donate
Speaker 1: money at the national level to racial justice, civil rights
Speaker 1: and civil liberties organizations like the a CP Legal Defense
Speaker 1: Fund and the a c l U, or search the
Speaker 1: web for ways to help in your own community, including
Speaker 1: a local bail funds, mutual aid organizations, protest organizers, and
Speaker 1: so forth. Another way to help is simply spreading the
Speaker 1: message to other people, especially white people, who aren't convinced
Speaker 1: or don't know what to think. If you have friends
Speaker 1: and family who don't understand or are stuck in the
Speaker 1: misconception that this is just some both sides political squabble,
Speaker 1: use the trust they have in you to try to
Speaker 1: help them. See, America is not really a free and
Speaker 1: equal society until not just law enforcement, but all of
Speaker 1: our institutions from top to bottom, agree that black lives matter.
Speaker 1: As a note, especially who are black listeners in the States,
Speaker 1: but more broadly to listeners of all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Speaker 1: We also want to learn from your experience, so if
Speaker 1: you want to reach out to us and share your perspective,
Speaker 1: we are listening. You can reach us as always contact
Speaker 1: at stuff to Blow your Mind dot com. We'll be
Speaker 1: back with a couple of regular episodes of the show
Speaker 1: later this week on Thursday and Friday. In the meantime,
Speaker 1: take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and
Speaker 1: don't forget