Political identity encompasses how and why we choose to define ourselves as members of, in alignment with, or in relation to, political parties, and how we perceive others who do so, especially those of opposing parties.
What are we really doing when we adopt a political identity? And is it even useful?
One of my biggest intentions with this first season of We’re All Alright–and really, this podcast’s reason for being–was to explore our relationships with the collective–meaning all of us, all of humanity–and to do that through the lens of stories, headlines, issues, and questions that affect all of us. And in that exploration, my hope… Continue reading EP 09: Where Do We Go From Here? (The Good Place, Naturally)
Has there ever really been such a thing as a reliable news source? The absence of clear communication–or even, it seems, any kind of strategy–is now frequently cited as the biggest failure and missed opportunity of the pandemic response, in the US and around the world. That lack, along with the absolute explosion of misinformation… Continue reading EP 08: Media: Where “Truth” Meets Human Nature
The injustices done to people inside cults are very real. And yet the perpetrators of those injustices are rarely brought to justice, largely because the boundaries of personal responsibility are fuzzy at best in these cases. That does seem to be changing though–certainly in the court of public opinion–which we can see in the growing… Continue reading EP 07: Are Cults on the Rise?
If you live in the US and pay even a little attention to the news, you’ll know that Haiti and its people have been in the news a lot in recent months. And unfortunately, none of it’s been good. From the devastating 2010 earthquake, up to 2021’s presidential assassination and horrific violence faced by Haitian… Continue reading EP 06: Rethinking Haiti, Colonialism, and Freedom with Samoa Blanchet
Years of continuous news of crisis after crisis at the southern border of the US have highlighted the stark realities of immigration and migration. The lingering–and still raging–pandemic has claimed the lives of over 5 million people worldwide, and has laid bare the incredible disparities in wealth, education, access to basic medicine, shelter, food and… Continue reading EP 05: Immigration and State-Hood: Are All Who Wander Lost?
Being hopeful is a practice. Maintaining the perspective that we’re all, each of us, doing the best we can, that there is reason to be hopeful about our world and joyful about the human experience can be empowering, both for ourselves and for others. But it’s a practice I remind myself of daily, even moment… Continue reading EP 04: The Power of Looking For The Good
Freedom of “personal choice” (and speech, and truth) is the Great Justifier on social media today, which for all intents and purposes means the world since so many of us by choice or necessity spend so much of our lives online. Personal choice–in schooling, in restorative justice–has been a theme of this podcast so far.… Continue reading EP 03: What Does Justice Mean in the Freedom of Truth Era?
Criminal justice, prison, and police reform have become regular parts of our national conversation, especially since George Floyd’s murder and the pandemic continues to hit prisons hard. But what does justice mean? What does it mean in theory? And what has it meant in practice? Justice is a uniquely human experience and concept. And it’s… Continue reading EP 02: How Should We Practice Justice?
Ninety percent of the school-age population attend public schools. What would happen to these institutions if that number plunged significantly? Homeschooling, home-school collectives, free schoolers, unschoolers–alternatives to traditional public school models have been increasing in popularity over the last two decades, and the pandemic has seen even more families opt to school their children at… Continue reading EP 01: The (Mis)Education of… All of Us?
