#5SmartReads - October 22, 2024

On the frustrating irony of the MAHA movement, winter arcs, and how close we are to preventing cancer

#5SmartReads is a Webby-honored weekly news digest that amplifies underreported news and underrepresented perspectives. My goal is to help you stay informed without being overwhelmed, and to embrace nuance and reflection over picking a side.

RFK Jr or the Bear? - Why We Need to Listen to the Crunchy Moms (Daphne’s Substack | @themamattorney)

Daphne Delvaux, Esq. did a brilliant job of connecting all the disparate threads - genuine concerns about our food safety and quality, wellness culture, conspiracies, and the role of government in all of this.

And the reason we fail to properly understand this is that it’s not a simplistic, this-than statement juxtaposed over an idyllic video or picture.

I firmly live in a both/and when it comes to many things, and especially healthcare. Everyone should have access to nutritious food, clean water and air, access to safe outdoor areas and the time to spend as much time outside as possible, and time to rest or care for their loved ones when they get sick. We should be regulating our food with a fraction of the standards by which we evaluate medicines (it’s called the FDA, after all). And this really shouldn’t be a partisan issue at all.

I hope those who’ve started their activism journey on this issue heed Daphne’s words on what it will take to make America healthier again. It’s not someone shilling supplements or calling for further deregulation.

Does anyone have a quippy phrase we can slap on a Reel?

The Surprisingly Punk History of … Canned Water (SLATE)

I won’t lie - I will pay the premium to hold a can of Liquid Death when I’m at a bar and don’t want to drink that night.

Hydration. So metal, right?

It actually is, and I was absolutely delighted by the punk history (and actual history) of canning for food preservation, to canned beverages, and how canned water went from being a begrudging necessity for early submariners to a responsible bar choice (from a brand whose valuation exceeds $1B).

This is such a smart, sharp read. I’ll leave this summary with my favorite quote from the piece:

“It is uncanny how well the brand’s identity meshes with canned water’s legacy. Far from being a blank slate, canned water is a retired warhorse whose “Kilroy Was Here” tattoo is getting touched up by some 21st-century Mad Men. But why now? Canned water has already helped militaries fight battles and has saved many a thirsty soul in need. But in the hands of Liquid Death, canned water seems to be enjoying a relatively easy retirement. In a world where single-use plastics and dehydration are the popular enemy, Liquid Death is here to be our mercenary.”