#443 - Talking to antivaxxers, SF's not failed yet, and Why US Trains Suck
I attended a nonviolently facilitated conversation with anti vaxxers this week, and enjoyed the opportunity to hear directly from the other sides mouths what they believe and their experience.
Because it was facilitated, we spent most of the time purposefully talking about feelings and reflecting them, rather than debating beliefs. I found myself wanting to do the latter after hearing so many feelings!
One person said you 'need a control group to do real science' and voluntold herself as such, decrying 'the agenda' behind vaccination
Another said she left an oppressive Islamic country to come here and shed tears that America has become 'as oppressive as Islam'
A doctor shared that she left her job because of her beliefs, and has lost most of her friends as well.
That's heavy stuff! Through the conversation I realized that I could not back up my belief in science with as many facts as they could theirs, since they skeptically did all their own research while I essentially just trust scientists. As such, they stated that my belief was essentially also based in faith.
Well, they're not entirely wrong, but I don't need to do the science myself to trust the rest of the world when it independently comes to the same conclusion 😅.
I relished the opportunity to have a facilitated conversation with people who disagree with me, as that skill is all the more valuable amidst todays culture wars that mostly play out online.
Tech
Automated Webinar Platform | eWebinar — ewebinar.com
This service tells your website visitors that a webinar is starting in 5 minutes from now, and uses your prerecorded video to keep up the charade for every visitor. Tricky tricky call to action!
Your Undivided Attention Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin, The Center for Humane Technology — podcasts.apple.com
The guy from the Social Dilemma Netflix movie has an excellent podcast that dives into meaty topics around technology and what we believe.
The political language episode taught me how some common talking phrases like 'critical race theory' mean totally different things across the aisle, the internet hate game one interviews a guy who calls his online haters, and the facebook whistleblower one taught me even more new facts about that saga, like most misinformation is spread by a tiny percentage of power users.
Crucial listening in the modern media landscape, I daresay.
Lifehacks
How San Francisco Became a Failed City — www.theatlantic.com
This eloquent anecdote ridden story written by a former NYT reporter who grew up in SF is a spellbinding joy to read, but also rings jarringly biased and cherrypickey when it comes to the facts of what caused SF's current ails.
We sure can't get any of the facts straight when it comes to Chesa Boudin, can we?! I suppose he is an easy target and we're all perennially upset at the state of our city.
I empathize with the author Nellie Bowles there - I live in an RV partly to dodge SF housing prices just as she mentions, and walk past sad scenes like what she describes, every day in the Mission. But we can't save our city without focusing on the actual facts.
Column: Progressives have ruined San Francisco. Just ask this heiress — www.latimes.com
Luckily this Pulitzer winning LA writer went through the above piece and picked apart all the anecdotes to find the often contrary facts underneath, including the juicy truth that Nellie is the descendent of a robber land baron.
Read em both for something approaching reality, and I'm hungry for more.
Fun
Why Trains Suck in America — www.youtube.com
I rode Amtrak from Sacramento to Emeryville this week, and what do you know, it got delayed. Turns out its because Amtrak doesn't own any of its own track and has to give way to the freight trains who do, plus its hobbled by the worst of both in a public/private corporate structure. Unfortunate :(.