Hi everybody. Today we had originally planned to release a regular episode of the show like we do every Tuesday, but we're putting a pause on our normal publishing schedule to make a statement of solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and the recent protests against racism and law enforcement and police violence against Black Americans.

Now we're not going to go on at great length because we're not the real authorities on this issue. We know that many of you are already taking part in the effort to change policing and defy institutional racism in the United States, but the main reason we wanted to publish this today was to make a very specific appeal to a subset of you out there listening.

If you're somebody who's been watching the protests from a distance, maybe you don't like to think about politics much, you don't quite know what to make of what's going on. Our message is this, if our credibility means anything to you, listen to the protesters, especially Black racial justice activists from your own city or community.

Take the time to really look up what they've been saying and take their message seriously. Watch videos of what's been happening to the protesters on the streets in America. Don't disconnect or shield yourself from it. Don't just forget about it and move on with your life. You might feel overwhelmed or hopeless, but don't fall into fatalism and don't think what happened to George Floyd and so many others is awful, but what can you do? Terrible things just happen sometimes.

We want to encourage you to see that racism and law enforcement and police brutality are not just wrong, they're intolerable and the use of violence against peaceful protesters is not just unfortunate, it is intolerable.

If we want to say we live in a free country, we have to bring these atrocities to a conclusive end. And that means not just feeling opposed to them, but taking action with real world consequences in whatever way you can.

This should affect how you vote. You can also donate money at the national level to racial justice civil rights and civil liberties organizations like the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the ACLU or search the web for ways to help in your own community, including local bail funds, mutual aid organizations, protest organizers and so forth.

Another way to help is simply spreading the message to other people, especially white people who aren't convinced or don't know what to think. If you have friends and family who don't understand or are stuck in the misconception that this is just some both sides political squabble, use the trust they have in you to try to help them see.

America is not really a free and equal society until not just law enforcement, but all of our institutions from top to bottom agree that Black Lives Matter.

As a note, especially to our Black listeners in the States, but more broadly to listeners of all racial and ethnic backgrounds, we also want to learn from your experience.

So if you want to reach out to us and share your perspective, we are listening, you can reach us as always at contact at stuff to blow your mind.

We'll be back with a couple of regular episodes of the show later this week on Thursday and Friday. In the meantime, take care of yourselves, take care of each other, and don't forget.