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George Floyd’s murder sparks nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism, Donald Trump responds by hiding in the White House and tweeting, and Joe Biden ventures out to meet with protesters and black community leaders. DeRay Mckesson joins to talk about what police reforms actually work, and Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms talks to Jon F. about grappling with this crisis as a mayor and a mother.
A special welcome to all new subscribers!
Today’s episode is about the murder of George Floyd and the actions around the country.
A few days ago, Jay wrote in our newsletter about Tou Thao, the Hmong cop who participated in Floyd’s killing, and “the myths of Asian American solidarity.” Jay describes what motivated this post, and we discuss when Asian American self-reflection is useful versus narcissistic
Tammy and Jay describe the protests they attended in Brooklyn and Oakland, respectively, over the weekend (May 29 and 30). We also discuss the allegation—made by local, state, and national officials as well as liberal media—that the uprisings in Minneapolis and other cities have been the work of “outside agitators.” Finally, Andy asks whether having an international spotlight on these protests could serve progressive ends.
0:30- We discuss Jay’s essay, “Tou Thao and the Myths of Asian American Solidarity,” which preceded the first Minnesota protests.
5:45 - Street updates from Tammy (Brooklyn) and Jay (Oakland).
26:50- Tammy explains the theory and practice of mutual aid, and we unpack the unsubstantiated news of “outside agitators.” (Note that the Minneapolis government retracted this claim after an investigation into arrest records, but other parties have continued to run with it.)
59:20- Andy lays out a bizarre parallel: American conservatives support the Hong Kong protests but denounce Black Lives Matter; tankies believe the opposite. Could this moment present an opportunity for international solidarity? How might we use international criticism of the U.S. to support a left agenda?
ABOUT US
Time to Say Goodbye is a podcast—with your hosts, Jay Caspian Kang, Tammy Kim, and Andy Liu. We launched this thing because, like you, we’ve been sheltering in place and wanted an outlet for our thoughts on the coronavirus, Asia, geopolitics, and Asian Americans.
A short introduction to your hosts:
Jay Caspian Kang is a writer-at-large for the New York Times Magazine and the author of the forthcoming book The Loneliest Americans.
E. Tammy Kim is a magazine reporter, a contributing opinion writer at the New York Times, and a retired lawyer. She co-edited the book Punk Ethnography.
Andrew Liu is a historian of modern China. He wrote a book called Tea War, about the history of capitalism in Asia. He remains a huge Supersonics fan.
‘The future is a foreign country; they do things differently there’ – to misquote LP Hartley. Andrew Marr talks to Riel Miller, an economist at UNESCO, about the difficulties of understanding and predicting what happens in the future. Miller argues that individuals, institutions and governments fail to grasp its profound unpredictability, where the only certainty is radical change. He’s calling for a programme of future literacy, designed to challenge present complacency and improve preparedness for what’s on the horizon.
But given what we know about the world today, and what we can guess about the future, is it okay to have a child? That is the question posed by Meehan Crist, writer-in-residence in Biological Sciences at Columbia University. She tracks the resurgence of Malthus and his powerful, terrifying idea that if the global population grows too large, we are all doomed. Crist unpicks the argument that responsibility for stopping climate change and safeguarding the future rests solely with the individual.
Producer: Katy Hickman
‘The future is a foreign country; they do things differently there’ – to misquote LP Hartley. Andrew Marr talks to Riel Miller, an economist at UNESCO, about the difficulties of understanding and predicting what happens in the future. Miller argues that individuals, institutions and governments fail to grasp its profound unpredictability, where the only certainty is radical change. He’s calling for a programme of future literacy, designed to challenge present complacency and improve preparedness for what’s on the horizon.
But given what we know about the world today, and what we can guess about the future, is it okay to have a child? That is the question posed by Meehan Crist, writer-in-residence in Biological Sciences at Columbia University. She tracks the resurgence of Malthus and his powerful, terrifying idea that if the global population grows too large, we are all doomed. Crist unpicks the argument that responsibility for stopping climate change and safeguarding the future rests solely with the individual.
Producer: Katy Hickman
Andy calls his friend Al Franken and they ramble about holding people accountable, bearing witness, Zach’s burden, and being a grandparent during the pandemic. Mostly, they talk about ways Andy can do a much better job. The episode is dedicated to the memory of George Floyd and healing the city of Minneapolis.
Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt, and find Al Franken at https://alfranken.com/and on Twitter and Instagram @alfranken
In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. You can become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/
Check out our fantastic show sponsors this week!
- Teladoc provides access to certified doctors from the comfort and safety of home. Register now at https://www.teladoc.com/
- Kinsa Health is a public health company dedicated to stopping the spread of illness through early detection and early response. Check out their health app and smart thermometers at kinsahealth.co and visit healthweather.us to see leading indicators of future COVID-19 hotspots.
Here are some other important resources from today’s show:
- Hear Al Franken and his many wonderful podcast guests here: https://alfranken.com/listen
- Find the George Packer article “We Are Living in a Failed State” here: https://bit.ly/2XeOeGP
- Read guidelines about how to #opensafely from Andy and 21 other health leaders at www.Open-Safely.US and check out their recent op-ed in USA Today here: https://bit.ly/2XHM1Th
- Learn more about The Lincoln Project here: https://lincolnproject.us/
- Read Al Franken’s book, Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right: https://amazon.com
- Trying to remember what Simpson-Bowles was all about? Take a dive into the reporting archives: https://wapo.st/2AnU3Zu
- Check out Shaun the Sheep for a laugh you can share with your kids: https://www.shaunthesheep.com/
- See a clip of Gov. Burgum of North Dakota talking about face masks here: https://bit.ly/3dsyyWp
Check out In Recovery with Dr. Nzinga Harrison, a new advice show from Lemonada Media about all things addiction: http://www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-recovery/
To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
array(3) { [0]=> string(184) "https://www.omnycontent.com/d/clips/796469f9-ea34-46a2-8776-ad0f015d6beb/202f895c-880d-413b-94ba-ad11012c73e7/13123043-578e-4e1a-906e-ad11013303a6/image.jpg?t=1619030272&size=Large" [1]=> string(10) "image/jpeg" [2]=> int(0) }On the Gist, Joe Biden’s statement gets a B minus.
In the interview, we’ve got the second half of Mike’s conversation with Dave Eggers. They discuss Eggers’ experience writing The Parade and The Captain and the Glory, his last two books, at the same time, the film Idiocracy, and the NRA.
In the spiel, the mayor of Minneapolis on brick and mortar symbolism and Donald Trump makes things worse.
Email us at thegist@slate.com
Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.
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On the Gist, assholes.
In the interview, Mike talks with author Dave Eggers about his book, The Parade. He and Mike discuss pavement, the writing process, and the terseness of Bruce Springsteen.
In the spiel, the death of George Floyd and the Minneapolis protest.
Email us at thegist@slate.com
Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Margaret Kelley.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The two candidates mark the pandemic death toll reaching 100,000 Americans in starkly different ways, a masked Biden emerges from his home, and both campaigns compete for black voters amid new incidents of racism and violence. Then Obama veteran Paul Tewes talks to Jon about recruiting an army of organizers to beat Trump in 2020.
Adopt A State: http://votesaveamerica.com/adopt