I became a reporter because I wanted to understand people different from me. Then I gave in to a culture that tells us to reduce others. One day, my friend called me out
This is a brave statement of self-reflection that should be heeded by every serious journalist, particularly those who disengaged from on-the-spot, first-hand reporting to join the cushier, bloated ranks of the punditry. As a former national journalist from a bygone era, I've watched with dismay the relentless march of opinion trafficking into the once separated arena of reporting. It has infected our most august news outlets like the NY Times and Washington Post and has contributed mightily to the loss of the trust they and so many of their traditional peers once enjoyed. And of course it has helped fuel the toxic polarization that has led to our present political discontent. Anand speaks of re-animating empathy for his subjects, for seeing everyone as fully human, not just as pawns in the ether of the algorithm-driven internet. I'll suggest reviving something simpler: old-fashioned curiosity, the desire to explore unfamiliar - possibly hostile - territory, to discover, to be surprised. Anand also decries the certitude he acquired from his high perch in the commentariat. Here's another word for it: complacency. I look forward to his new book.
It is a truth too often forgotten, that our duty as moral and spiritual beings is to hate the sin and love the sinner. When we confuse the two, we alienate ourselves from our own humanity and become a part of that sin. In fact, this may be the actual original sin. Our politics and our culture, both of which thrive on and nurture ever-shorter attention spans-- through the media which each uses to infect our hearts and minds-- teach us to personalize animosity, in the name of political and social effectiveness.
I think it cannot be easy to be a journalist who doesn't personalize. We are too accustomed to regarding gossip as news, and vice versa. "Who, what, when, why?" As a journalist, how do you escape such a mindset? Perhaps
it is more about avoiding animosity than about avoiding the questions. But it's probably helpful to keep in mind that one does not have to give up conscience or truth or right and wrong to give up animosity.
When I was in graduate school, we would sometimes self-derisively refer to Sociology as "slow journalism."
From what I read, you were both a damn good journalist at a really fine sociologist.
I agree that our society and culture were a fertile medium for an opportunistic virus like Trumpism.
However the good news is that the culture that's made by us can be unmade by us. Thanks for being a strong advocate and reporter who can put the choice clearly before us.
I'm inclined to say that Trump embodies a character type which is dangerous to democracy and that character IS hateful. "We are the problem" in the sense that we Americans gave him the attention he craved and the platform he needed to be elected. Were we more concerned with virtue and wisdom, were we less bored by the good and more bored by entertainment, spectacle and gossip, we would not find ourselves in this predicament. Moral compasses may not offer the thrill and drama of continuous online content; but they do offer reliable guidance and orientation on how to be better people.
Oops—my sponsor taught me to struggle with the word Humble. I learned that Humility is Self-Knowledge and that is something humans must learn and relearn.
Thank You for bringing me to that place w your essay.
I don't pretend to have consumed more than a small fraction of your essays and opinion pieces, but you have never struck me as someone who had anything other than respect and humanity for all. I do think there is a place for certitude and the proselytizing of that certitude when it comes to discussing / condemning moral and political atrocities, which are committed by this administration and its enablers/supporters to a degree and at a frequency that turns the stomach. Yes, 'hate the sin but not the sinner'; however, when the sinner is unrepentent and persists, indeed revels, in his/her unconscionable behavior, well . . .
Hi Anand, SO excited for your book. I'm especially interested in how you've changed and grown from this experience so I can deepen my commitment to our wacky world with less judgement. You already have good emotional intelligence vibes so I expect you will wow me. No pressure!
A while ago I heard you say that the way we go about helping through philanthropy and charity is from the top down. An angle I had never considered and yes, a structural problem. This resonates with me since in my career as a CPA and a tax professional I've been a strategist/technician and as I have grown I am also a student of the psychology of money. I know we can overhaul US policy through raising our consciousness and opening our hearts and discovering our humanity through economic justice. That would be game changing.
When I was in graduate school we would sometime self-derisively call Sociology "slow journalism".
From what I see you're both a damn good journalist and a fine sociologist.
I agree that our society and culture was a fertile medium to be infected by an opportunistic virus like Trump.
The good news is that we can choose to create a society and culture that's better. Thanks for clearly diagnosing the problems and encouraging us all to make better choices.
Thanks for your courage to look inward. And I fully agree: DJT is a symptom of and a metaphor for our failings as a hyper-individualistic society. I’m old enough to remember when “the commons” were common. I’m excited to read your book for so many reasons - and I thank Sam for nudging you toward your greatest gifts.
Anand -- regarding the Sept 30 interview. For those of us distant from NYC, it is possible to create the ability to purchase a ticket which allows us to hear the interview via zoom or some other remote platform? Thanks.
"Donald Trump is not just a president. He is a culture. While only some of us have voted for him, all of us belong to that culture." So well said. For the same reason all Americans are connected to mistakes from our past—and can, when fortunate, partake in the country's prosperity—the man is the president of all of us.
I live in Ann Arbor (Michigan) and have ordered the book from the independent bookstore "down the road apiece." They'll give me a call when it arrives..... but it seems it's not likely until around Sept 29....making reading "ahead" a bit difficult.
Regardless, I eagerly await ..... await what? bringing more myself, real self, to the table too? Of course! and enjoying so many others as well.
Will you be offering....I suspect, and hope....conversations with readers starting (perhaps) before, and on (surely) as well as after September 29.....
This is a brave statement of self-reflection that should be heeded by every serious journalist, particularly those who disengaged from on-the-spot, first-hand reporting to join the cushier, bloated ranks of the punditry. As a former national journalist from a bygone era, I've watched with dismay the relentless march of opinion trafficking into the once separated arena of reporting. It has infected our most august news outlets like the NY Times and Washington Post and has contributed mightily to the loss of the trust they and so many of their traditional peers once enjoyed. And of course it has helped fuel the toxic polarization that has led to our present political discontent. Anand speaks of re-animating empathy for his subjects, for seeing everyone as fully human, not just as pawns in the ether of the algorithm-driven internet. I'll suggest reviving something simpler: old-fashioned curiosity, the desire to explore unfamiliar - possibly hostile - territory, to discover, to be surprised. Anand also decries the certitude he acquired from his high perch in the commentariat. Here's another word for it: complacency. I look forward to his new book.
Thank you Charles
It is a truth too often forgotten, that our duty as moral and spiritual beings is to hate the sin and love the sinner. When we confuse the two, we alienate ourselves from our own humanity and become a part of that sin. In fact, this may be the actual original sin. Our politics and our culture, both of which thrive on and nurture ever-shorter attention spans-- through the media which each uses to infect our hearts and minds-- teach us to personalize animosity, in the name of political and social effectiveness.
So well said
I think it cannot be easy to be a journalist who doesn't personalize. We are too accustomed to regarding gossip as news, and vice versa. "Who, what, when, why?" As a journalist, how do you escape such a mindset? Perhaps
it is more about avoiding animosity than about avoiding the questions. But it's probably helpful to keep in mind that one does not have to give up conscience or truth or right and wrong to give up animosity.
Yes. In the new book, I never say “I.” That’s one way
When I was in graduate school, we would sometimes self-derisively refer to Sociology as "slow journalism."
From what I read, you were both a damn good journalist at a really fine sociologist.
I agree that our society and culture were a fertile medium for an opportunistic virus like Trumpism.
However the good news is that the culture that's made by us can be unmade by us. Thanks for being a strong advocate and reporter who can put the choice clearly before us.
"I don't think Trump is the biggest threat to our democracy. I think we are."
Oof, that's a horse pill to swallow. Fine, I'll read your book.
I'm inclined to say that Trump embodies a character type which is dangerous to democracy and that character IS hateful. "We are the problem" in the sense that we Americans gave him the attention he craved and the platform he needed to be elected. Were we more concerned with virtue and wisdom, were we less bored by the good and more bored by entertainment, spectacle and gossip, we would not find ourselves in this predicament. Moral compasses may not offer the thrill and drama of continuous online content; but they do offer reliable guidance and orientation on how to be better people.
Oops—my sponsor taught me to struggle with the word Humble. I learned that Humility is Self-Knowledge and that is something humans must learn and relearn.
Thank You for bringing me to that place w your essay.
Anand,
I don't pretend to have consumed more than a small fraction of your essays and opinion pieces, but you have never struck me as someone who had anything other than respect and humanity for all. I do think there is a place for certitude and the proselytizing of that certitude when it comes to discussing / condemning moral and political atrocities, which are committed by this administration and its enablers/supporters to a degree and at a frequency that turns the stomach. Yes, 'hate the sin but not the sinner'; however, when the sinner is unrepentent and persists, indeed revels, in his/her unconscionable behavior, well . . .
Yes that is what makes it complicated and a dilemma
Hi Anand, SO excited for your book. I'm especially interested in how you've changed and grown from this experience so I can deepen my commitment to our wacky world with less judgement. You already have good emotional intelligence vibes so I expect you will wow me. No pressure!
A while ago I heard you say that the way we go about helping through philanthropy and charity is from the top down. An angle I had never considered and yes, a structural problem. This resonates with me since in my career as a CPA and a tax professional I've been a strategist/technician and as I have grown I am also a student of the psychology of money. I know we can overhaul US policy through raising our consciousness and opening our hearts and discovering our humanity through economic justice. That would be game changing.
Don’t worry! No one will be getting it before 9/29. So you won’t be behind. And then, yes, many conversations we will have here!
When I was in graduate school we would sometime self-derisively call Sociology "slow journalism".
From what I see you're both a damn good journalist and a fine sociologist.
I agree that our society and culture was a fertile medium to be infected by an opportunistic virus like Trump.
The good news is that we can choose to create a society and culture that's better. Thanks for clearly diagnosing the problems and encouraging us all to make better choices.
Thanks for your courage to look inward. And I fully agree: DJT is a symptom of and a metaphor for our failings as a hyper-individualistic society. I’m old enough to remember when “the commons” were common. I’m excited to read your book for so many reasons - and I thank Sam for nudging you toward your greatest gifts.
Anand -- regarding the Sept 30 interview. For those of us distant from NYC, it is possible to create the ability to purchase a ticket which allows us to hear the interview via zoom or some other remote platform? Thanks.
Yes! There are virtual tickets available right there on the same website.
https://seats.92ny.org/single/210557?_gl=1*cymyvz*_gcl_au*Mzg1Mjg5NzkxLjE3ODU0MzMzNTc.*_ga*MjAxNjk3MzIzMS4xNzg1NDMzMzU3*_ga_SV9CMNFYCC*czE3ODYxMjUwMTckbzExJGcxJHQxNzg2MTI1MDE3JGo2MCRsMCRoMA..
Perfect! Thanks.
Good work looking in the mirror dude!
Can't make it to the interview. Can't wait to read this book. TY
"Donald Trump is not just a president. He is a culture. While only some of us have voted for him, all of us belong to that culture." So well said. For the same reason all Americans are connected to mistakes from our past—and can, when fortunate, partake in the country's prosperity—the man is the president of all of us.
Just purchased my tickets and had already preordered two copies of your book. So looking forward to this. Thank you Anand.
Yay!
I live in Ann Arbor (Michigan) and have ordered the book from the independent bookstore "down the road apiece." They'll give me a call when it arrives..... but it seems it's not likely until around Sept 29....making reading "ahead" a bit difficult.
Regardless, I eagerly await ..... await what? bringing more myself, real self, to the table too? Of course! and enjoying so many others as well.
Will you be offering....I suspect, and hope....conversations with readers starting (perhaps) before, and on (surely) as well as after September 29.....
Brooke Portmann