Smart Things

Welcome to Smart Things, our first premium newsletter for Super Friends! Everyone can read this first post, in case you're wondering if you gave me money without knowledge or consent. You did not.

In exchange for your hard-earned $5 a month, I'm going to put more stuff in your brain to consider, starting with Smart Things. Every Wednesday, you'll get three thought-provokers—be they facts, quotes, or just a fun idea I overheard. I'd love it if one of them made you comment because I miss having online conversations about stuff like this. Let me know what you think!

"The U.S. is a 'fat buffalo trying to take a nap' as hungry wolves approach."
There's a new article every week fretting about the state of our democracy (for good reason), but this piece in Politico looks at it from the view of foreign ambassadors, and it's fascinating. It's not all about Trump either. The failure of our Congress to even keep the government open, much less enact any laws, is a thornier problem separate of who's president. And Russia is waiting in the wings, rubbing its hands together in glee.

We've been edging toward a new world order for several years and, after you take some time to panic about it, it's an interesting thought exercise to explore the potential implications. To dive deep into what the world could look like in 10 years, check out this report from The Atlantic Council.

"90% of Africa's material cultural legacy is being kept outside of the continent."
I'm about to wrap up Africa Is Not a Country, a thoroughly interesting book that examines misconceptions and harmful stereotypes about the continent. It has a few different focuses: colonialism, white-savior philanthropy, and strongmen governments. But one issue that's sticking in my craw is the preponderance of stolen artifacts that populate the world's most notable museums. Every museum you can think of has thousands of deeply meaningful religious and cultural ancient pieces sitting in their basements, in addition to the pieces they have on display. Imagine if Nigeria had the original copy of the US Constitution and, upon being requested to return it, said, "But then our museum would be empty!" It's galling and offensive and a vast issue that touches every indigenous culture in the world. Google 'repatriation of artifacts' to dive deeper.

"After Steven Soderbergh saw the film, he told the Hollywood Reporter, 'I just watched Mad Max: Fury Road again last week, and I tell you I couldn’t direct 30 seconds of that. . . I don’t understand two things: I don’t understand how they’re not still shooting that film and I don’t understand how hundreds of people aren’t dead.'”
With Oscar nominations announced this week, it's a good time to pause and marvel at the artistic wonder that is filmmaking. The quote above comes from You Are What You Watch, a book that examines in minute detail the chemical reactions that happen in your brain when you watch a movie or television show. If you're looking to make yourself smarter about how media shapes us, check it out. Or you could just watch Mad Max again.

Enjoy the downslope of your week, friends! Till Sunday...