The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly at the Caffeinated Reviewer! It's an opportunity to share news, post a recap for the previous week, showcase books, and highlight what's planned for the week ahead.
News:
I don't even know where to start...
We have an incompetent president leading a broken country and encouraging violence. His self-congratulatory remarks help no one, his random tweets of "LAW & ORDER!" and "FAKE NEWS!" do nothing to mend people's bleeding hearts. He hasn't shown a shred of humanity throughout this ordeal, and his careless comments have only added to the turmoil.
BLACK LIVES MATTER. Their voices should be heard. Their reasons for protesting are valid, and we should all be standing next to them to magnify their cries for justice.
Peaceful protests are being ignored by the media, because they think showing riots and violence is more pertinent. It's not. People need to see the police marching alongside protestors. People need to see a crowd gathered together holding their fists in the air. People need to see a group dancing the Cupid Shuffle down the street. Instead, we only see the police abusing protestors, shooting people with rubber bullets, pulling someone's mask down to pepper spray their face, and attacking reporters so they're unable to document what's happening. While it's important for the world to witness how the police are negatively treating people at protests, it's not the only narrative.
Someone actually tried to shoot at protestors with a bow and arrow, then told a reporter that he was ambushed in his car by "two African American men," which a video later showed to be a lie. Horrible people are taking advantage of the chaos, and they are hurting those trying to elicit change. Change is never easy, and the world is a mess right now, but that's because people weren't listening. How many Black people died before things escalated to this level?
Stop. Asking. People. To. Educate. You. Do your own research. The Grassroots Law Project is a good place to start, and that's just one of many. There are a lot of organized people out there with information and requests for help, just don't get all of your "facts" from random tweets and Facebook posts. Check the stories they're putting out there and determine what's true and what's false.
A few things that have really stuck with me:
Previous week on the blog:
- Monday: NA
- Tuesday: The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner (★★★★☆) Review
- Wednesday: My Weekly Pull [117] & Can't-Wait Wednesday [92] Post
- Thursday: This Eternity of Masks and Shadows by Karsten Knight [Blog Tour: Spotlight + Giveaway] Post
- Friday: Rebel in the Library of Ever (The Library of Ever, #2) by Zeno Alexander [Blog Tour: Spotlight + Giveaway] Post
- Saturday: More than a Princess (More than a Princess, #1) by E.D. Baker (★★⋆☆☆) Review
- Sunday: DNF&Y [29] Post
What I'm currently reading:
Changeling (The Oddmire, #1) by William Ritter
The Court of Miracles (A Court of Miracles, #1) by Kester Grant
Love Songs & Other Lies by Jessica Pennington
What I plan on reading next:
Always the Last to Know by Kristan Higgins
Knee Deep by Karol Ann Hoeffner
American Demon (The Hollows, #14) by Kim Harrison
What I'm watching (other than the news right now):
We're still working our way through the Star Wars movies with the monsters, and are currently watching The Clone Wars before starting Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. The kids watched the new Lion King movie this weekend and loved it!
Challenge updates:
- Read the Alphabet Challenge 12
- Audiobook Challenge 12 / 50+
- Beat the Backlist Challenge 23 / 110
- Discussion Challenge 2 / 1-10
- Goodreads Challenge 183 / 365
2020 was already a messed-up year, and it's just getting worse.
ReplyDeleteWe started the year very optimistic! We moved to VA in February, and were looking forward to exploring our new home, but then the coronavirus happened. We were lucky to have settled in before stay-at-home orders were enacted, but I hate that our son only went to school for a few weeks before starting classes at home. He didn't really have a chance to make new friends, which is something he was really looking forward to. I hate that they've been stuck at home for so long.
DeleteNow we have the coronavirus, a president that likes to instigate instead of reassure, and people fighting for their rights as human beings. It's 2020. There shouldn't still be a disparity between races. We should be celebrating our diversity, not killing people over it. Black Lives Matter. Period.
Great post and so insightful for sure! We definitely need to change a lot right now. :(
ReplyDeleteThe world is going to need to make significant changes if it hopes to survive. We have a president that doesn't believe in climate change, a world that thinks a person's skin color defines them, and a virus that doesn't care who it infects. We should definitely be doing more to improve the world's pollution levels, equality shouldn't have to be earned but freely given, and people need to remember that the coronavirus hasn't gone anywhere.
DeleteWell said Lindsi xx
ReplyDelete<3 <3 <3
DeleteNicely said! We need to bring about change starting at the top. The Court of Miracles looks good. Happy reading.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't help that the person at the top right now is a bumbling idiot. He isn't trying to help anyone but himself, and his selfish behavior is hurting the entire United States. Defunding WHO, taking us out of very important groups (like NATO and the Paris Agreement), and instigating violence are not what a person in his position should be doing.
DeleteThe Court of Miracles was an okay read! I wish the author had changed the character's names and made it their own story, instead of basing it off of Les Misérables. The connection was slim, so it ended up being a distraction more than a comparison.
That man can't be gone soon enough. 4 years of damage are more than enough. But alas, he's only the tip of the iceberg.
ReplyDeleteThat vignette is heartbreaking.
People didn't think he could do a lot of damage in "just four years," but they were wrong. A lot can happen in four years, and I think people are finally understanding that. Trump doesn't know how to handle anything, and it's really hurting us.
DeleteVery well said, and that comic showing the two different "I can't breathe" moments is so so heartbreaking, but it really cuts to the chase you know? It's horrible that so many people are dying, are living in fear. There definitely needs to be a better mix of showing what's happening around the country. It's not all anger and violence. It's not all riots and looting. Yes, it's there, and it makes sense that people have gotten to that angry point (and others are taking advantage of the situation, etc.) but the media also needs to show the peace, the voices, the hopes and prayers and the solidarity and standing together.
ReplyDelete-Lauren
www.shootingstarsmag.net
It definitely does. People were complaining about wearing masks TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF A VIRUS, and a Black man loses his life because a police officer slowly suffocated him. They are two drastically different things, but people add the same words to them. Wearing a mask helps save lives, and doesn't impact your rights. Killing a man that's telling you he can't breathe is unquestionably murder, yet he wasn't immediately arrested for the crime. The world really sucks right now, and it's going to require all of us working together to change it.
DeleteThe media should cover the news equally, but they're going to show what sells. They want to make money while covering what's happening in the world. It's creating fear and uncertainty when all people see are the worst of it. They need to give hope to people, too. They need to show the world that there are people out there protesting peacefully. Yes, we need to be aware of the police brutality, and we need to see the worst of it, but that can't be the only narrative.
This is exactly why I don't hardly watch the news anymore. I like seeing real video from real people and you can find tons of that on Twitter. See what's happening from the point of view of the people who are out there. I'd rather watch that and stay away from the news media.
ReplyDeleteMy only issue with finding things on Twitter, is validating whether or not it's true. Sometimes it's simply a person's opinion, but it's hard to argue with video evidence. For example, the police officers that shoved the old man down said "he tripped" and fell, when a video clearly showed he was pushed by two officers. The videos hold them accountable, which is why some places are trying to prevent law enforcement from being recorded, and why they're being allowed to remove any identifying information. It's terrifying. They SHOULD be held accountable, and this just gives them more freedom to do whatever awful things they want.
DeleteIt's been a difficult time for sure. I don't even know where to start with it all, but much needs to change. These past few days have been the most difficult out of all this year, and it just seems to grow. My heart is aching for everyone dealing with these racial prejudices, along with my family. I hope 2020 brings some brighter days with it, starting with all of this in front of us.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't help that we have an incompetent president making things worse. I hate that this is the world my children are seeing right now. They're too young to understand what's going on, only that they have to stay home because of a virus that's making people sick. They don't understand that Black people are having to fight for rights they were automatically given at birth. Jacob and I try to explain it to them, and it's something we discuss often, but they're too young to fully grasp everything that's happening (and has happened in the past).
DeleteMy parents are racist and homophobic, so we don't interact with them much. I do let them talk to the kids every once in a while, because I don't want my children to think there's something wrong with them, but the conversations are monitored and short. It's one of the reasons I moved out of my parent's house when I was senior in high school. They just don't get it, and they refuse to see the world and people differently. Like you, I hope 2020 stars to give people hope and something to look forward to. <3
I can hardly bare to look at twitter or the news at the moment. The world feels like it's on fire and I just want to retreat into a safe bubble... But I DO look at it. I look at it every day, multiple times a day, because what's happening is too important to look away from. And then I read and learn and think of all the ways to do better - be better. Then I talk to my son about it and hope that the world he grows into is a different one than we have now.
ReplyDeleteWe've been rewatching Star Wars lately but The Clone Wars we hadn't seen before so started watching it on Disney+. I'm only a few episodes into the first season but I'm liking it!
Did American Demon arrive back with you already? I posted it at the beginning of the week and they said around 5 days. I'm super curious as to what you think! I've loved the series for so long but I want to know what someone with fresh eyes - untainted by all the previous books - thinks! :)
I dread looking at the news and discovering that some new atrocity has been committed. People need to be held accountable for their actions, and that includes police officers and people in power. Donald Trump has gotten away with so much simply because he's the president, and I hate that he has such a huge influence. The man is unhinged and only thinks about himself. Like you, I make myself read the news and watch the videos. We need to know what's going on, and we need to be involved to ensure change does happen. We talk to our kids despite how young they are, just so they have a vague idea of what's happening. Hopefully something sticks, so they can better understand the world we live in right now.
DeleteDisney+ has been a sanity-saving during this pandemic! We don't have a TV, so we use the computer whenever we want to let the kids watch something. Normally, we'd be at the playground, library, or off on an adventure. Star Wars and The Clone Wars are some of our favorites! <3
American Demon hasn't arrived yet, but the mail has been slow! I'm sure they don't count the weekend in those 5 days, so hopefully it gets here this week. I'll let you know! I'm really looking forward to reading it! :)