#5SmartReads - January 18, 2023
Hitha on polarization, career pivots, and the spy princess history has forgotten
Polarization eats the developed world (Axios)
The hold that the “free market fallacy” (most markets already are competitive, or will self-correct toward being so, and that, therefore, there is little to no need for government regulation, since competitive markets maximize the benefit to society, according to this source) has on our leaders tightens as data shows the opposite is true.
The stock market rapidly grew in the first year of the pandemic, with little to none of those record-setting profits going to the workers who put their health at risk to continue working. Those rising stock prices and profits had little to do with good governance or reinvesting in those companies’ workforces, but taking advantage of government support and luck. When China remained closed and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine affected global energy and food supplies and prices, that house of cards tumbled for many people - except those who have been profiting.
Economic fear is a significant contributor to the political polarization we’re seeing rise - and those that are the biggest contributors to these economic factors have not and likely will not change, unless the government mandates it (and even so, their lobbyists and PAC donations will flood the Hill and campaign accounts, respectively, to preserve this status quo).
And that the private sector is seen as ethical and competent by society (over government and media) shows how we’ve been gaslit in believing the free market fallacy as the absolute truth.
While these are simply my reflections from the piece, the reporting comes with the receipts and I encourage you to take the time to read it.
Stacy London’s post-pandemic pivot was inspired by a mistake she made earlier in her career (Fast Company)
“We cannot look at life as this trajectory where you choose one career path and then you’re stuck. I’m going into my fifth career. That does not mean that I was not successful in the other four, it means that I am allowing myself to evolve to what gives me meaning and purpose and a reason to get up every morning…
If you play it safe because you’re uncomfortable with change, you will never know what else you are capable of.”
I’ve long admired Stacy London (What Not To Wear was my 'lunch and regroup’ show in college, between classes and studying), and while I’m going to deeply miss my whipped body butter and arnica hand cream, I am so incredibly proud of her for winding down State Of Menopause to write her next chapter.
I have some business ideas that both light me up and terrify me simultaneously, and I come back to this essay by Stacy to remind myself that the only failure is staying in a comfortable role for too long when you have the privilege to be able to jump into the deep end and know you will float.
And I could not be more excited for Stacy as she evolves from selling products to support those in menopause to changing the landscape in terms of media, clinical research, and civic engagement to support this significant portion of our population.
‘We need to see our heroes as human’: A historian connects Shirley Chisholm’s life and politics (The 19th*)
Being the nerd that I am, I have a list of all-time favorite members of Congress.
Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi is at the top of my list. A close second is Shirley Chisholm, and I will be diving into Anastasia Curwood’s biography on Chisholm the second I finish Throne of Glass, thanks to this interview.
What I found most moving in this interview is this powerful reminder of our responsibility as humans to our fellow humans:
“You don’t have to be a saint in order to make a difference. I say in the introduction, we need to see our heroes as human so that the humans of the future can see themselves as heroes.”
It’s not about the one thing you do perfectly in your lifetime that you’ll be remembered for, but the little things you do every single day to help however you can. This sentiment embodies Chisholm’s legacy, as a leader and as a person. And I think it’s worth remembering when we consider who we elect, what we read and watch, and especially who we follow on social media.
Noor Inayat Khan, Unlikely War Hero (The Juggernaut)
Stories like those of Noor Inayat Khan are why I’m a lifelong student of history. The lessons we are taught in school are but a slim summary of the whole story, and some of the most impactful people in our world’s major events will rarely be known.
Thank goodness for historians like Shrabani Basu, who wrote Spy Princess: The Life of Noor Inayat Khan and journalists and publications like Sadaf Hasan and The Juggernaut, who write and publish important pieces like this one.
“Khan was many things: a princess born into Indian royalty, a musician, a writer, and a poet. But, even during her time, officers would doubt her physical and emotional capabilities to be a successful secret agent. Instead, she outlasted her peers. Though she was eventually betrayed, captured, and executed, Khan would leave behind a unique legacy that we can still learn from today.”
Get a cup of chai and block off some time before digging into this incredible and tragic story of a woman we owe so much.
Sick man of Europe: why the crisis-ridden NHS is falling apart (The Guardian)
The tragedy of the British tabloid press is not their incessant harrassment of people who dare challenge them and the gross, symbiotic relationship they have with the royal family (though I do find it disgusting).
The tragedy is that the crisis facing the UK’s National Health Service is not getting nearly the same level of attention - and it frankly should be, given that this news literally is life or death when it comes to their public.
Many of these issues come down to funding, and the politics of it (which makes this issue more similar to the United States’ own healthcare crises than that of France and Germany, who have found cooperation among their parties to adequately fund and staff their health systems).
This is an incredible piece of reporting, breaking down not only the NHS’ current crisis but also being a solid primer on public and public-private health systems and how they work. There are some parallels but mostly a sharp contrast with the United States’ too-profitable, too-big-to-fail disease management system, and I have some interesting healthcare articles to share this week that explore this topic in more depth.
What a lovely coincidence! My book club just chose to read The Spy Princess! Looking forward to digging in & yes, history has so many uncovered layers...