Hey everyone. It's John. I wanted to talk to you guys directly before we get into this new episode

It is Sunday night and as you know the country is in turmoil and it's been unbearable frankly to watch the

events in the last few days in America and not feel sick. It's also kind of impossible not to feel

sick knowing the long history of the indignities and the violence against the black community that has led

directly to this conflagration. Look we recorded this episode a few days ago. Seems

like years ago but we recorded this a few days ago. Seems like years ago, but we recorded this a few days ago and it's pretty boisterous. It's funny,

in so much as we're funny. When I was listening back to it this weekend, it felt very out of step with the current moment.

So it was important for me to preface that with some thoughts.

As someone who benefits and has benefited from the privilege that my

whiteness has conferred, I want to be clear about systems of oppression, they are visible, they are invisible, that persist in this

country and which have been present for decades and centuries before now. The

right thing to do is to learn more, to be educated, to understand the history of inequality that has led to this moment.

Maybe some reading would be helpful. I want to encourage everybody to read the 1619

project, which the Times put out last year. It's a very important document towards a fuller and more robust and more balanced understanding of American history.

I also would recommend whiteness as property as academic articles from one of the

foundational texts of critical race theory by Cheryl Harris. There are also a

number of books talk about how the privilege of whiteness has been activated in America

and has been passed from some people to other people

and also been denied to other people.

You can read how the Irish became white by Noel Ignatiev who was the

editor of a journal called Race Trader in the 90s which I also recommend although it's hard to find

Maurice Berger who was an art critic who wrote extensively about race. He was one of the first people to die of coronavirus a couple months ago. He has a book called White Lies. That's also worth reading. The most crucial thing to do though is to listen, to listen, to listen,

...