I Have No Words
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Content warning for this whole newsy: gun violence, death, lack of change.
I’m really sorry - I know you come to me for an easy to digest version of the news, but I couldn’t start this newsy in any other way. I am fucking upset, disgusted, and literally moved to tears (as you will hear on this week's episode of The Shit Show) at the news of the children and teachers who were killed in the Texas shooting yesterday.
Nothing I can say right now is going to make anyone feel any better about the situation or bring back the literal children who were on the receiving end of America’s stupid as fuck gun laws and lack of progress since Sandy Hook. Sending all the love I can muster, but that’s just never going to be enough.
PS. This newsy might feel a little different - and it should. We should.
A brief look at what happened yesterday
Bel Chimes In: What tragedy teaches us
A video you should watch
Some more insight into organ donating
Church of Scotland general assembly votes to allow same-sex marriages
When I say 'kiwi' what do you associate it with?
Let's briefly talk about what happened yesterday
Yesterday an 18-year-old walked into a Texas elementary school with a gun and killed 19 children and 2 teachers. He bought two rifles on his 18th birthday. He was killed at the scene. He posted exactly what he was going to do on social media.
There is no way for me to tell you this in a nicer way, because it feels like one of the worst things I've had to report on (I mean, since the last tragedy.)
If you want to know more about it, here's a BBC article on it, but if this newsy is all you can take - that's okay too.
And then just a quick word on Ted Cruz, who is about to be a headliner at the National Rifle Association conference:
Bel Chimes In: What tragedy teaches us
This section is written by my crush, the refreshing-as-a-house-chardonnay-on-a-steamy-day, Bel Hawkins. You should check out more of her beautiful words here.
Good morning <3. Luce and I really thought about what this Chime should be this week, as originally we had something sharp and funny to share. But, life happens and things change, and we felt like something a bit deeper would be more fitting today. I hope this feels right. And that you know you’re not alone. And that you don’t have to always feel ok.
What tragedy teaches us
I’ve had a lot of tragedies in my life. I’ve seen someone lose theirs in front of my eyes. I’ve lost friends in accidents, and at times, on a personal level, I’ve lost my entire sense of myself.
One of the biggest tragedies I experience on a daily basis is watching and feeling someone very close to me struggle with mental illness in a way that feels trapping and endless and something I can never ever entirely help or understand. I lose sleep about it at night. I lose faith in the promise of change. At fairness. At fate. At its worst, it strips the world of hope. At its best, it feels like the truest place it can spring from.
I’m telling you this not to conflate my tiny existence in the world with what happened in Texas yesterday. No one can do this unless it’s their own experience. And no one can tell you how to feel without you believing in it first.
But what I can say is that what comes with tragedy is questions, and it’s these questions that lead to change.
There’s a lovely concept by scholar Gloria Anzaldúa that springs to mind here. She talks about the Seven Stages of Conocimiento,' (knowledge). The stages are not always linear, sometimes they double back or repeat. But the beginning and ending are always the same: at first there is an earthquake and at the end there is knowledge. How we make it move us, change us, and make things better is what we’re left to make sense of.
My last musing or piece of advice (and again, I’m drawing on my own experience here) is thinking about joy. Where is the light? When is it soft? When is it good? How do we get this in a really simple way?
And even deeper — Who do you love? Why? Tell them often. Don’t question joy when it comes. Because it’ll also leave and be replaced with more change, and more knowledge to make sense of. But the more you do it, the more it spreads, the more it will come. And out of things that make no sense often comes the most dramatic changes for good we're capable of.
Before we move on, I want you all to watch this video
And GoFundMe has launched a verified fundraising hub for the Robb Elementary School shooting
Now, some more insight on organ donating
Yesterday I wrote about how Switzerland has just switched to default organ donations to save more lives in the country, and I had a bunch of you give me some really valuable insight into how it works in New Zealand. So, as I said yesterday, when you get your driver's license you indicate your preference as to whether you want to be a donor or not, but that's just an indication. That indication isn't legally seen as 'informed consent' (which is required), which means that the final decision as to whether you're a donor or not is actually up to your next of kin. WHICH IS WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS WITH YOUR WHĀNAU NOW!
And I want to give a special thank you to all the wonderful people in my inbox who told me their stories, and who took the time to teach me something new yesterday. This is my favourite part of our community, and I love you all more and more every day.
Church of Scotland general assembly votes to allow same-sex marriages
Finally! Some good news!
The Church of Scotland has voted to allow clergy to conduct same-sex marriages for the first time.
Members of the General Assembly in Edinburgh voted to change church law following years of campaigning.
This vote makes the Church of Scotland the largest church in the UK to allow gay marriages, and we love to see it. Now for the rest eh?!
New episode of Culture Vulture!!
Harry Styles, Heartstopper & Taylor Swift's Speech - Culture Vulture — open.spotify.com
Naturally this week there's one thing still on our minds - HARRY STYLES, so we give you a big debrief on the listening parties we hosted, and ALL our thoughts on the news album! We also chat about Netflix making layoffs, Ed Sheeran and Rihanna's new babies (not together), Love Island moving away from fast fashion and Taylor Swift becoming a doctor!!
What ✨ SYSCA Supporters✨ are up to:
It’s a great time to be a ✨SYSCA supporter!!✨ Last week we released our HUUUUGE bumper book list to all our supporters (so if you love reading and what every rec under the sun - including the books we hated - you should come and be a supporter!!)
This week we’re giving you something else you all said you wanted in our survey… SYSCA playlists!! If you’re a recurring supporter you’ll be getting a Luce, Liv and Rubes themed playlist (not gonna lie, ever since making mine I’ve had it on REPEAT, IT’S SO GOOD.) These will be coming your way at the end of the week, so there’s plenty of time to come and support us, or change your plan from a one-off to an annual/ monthly supporter!!
YOU GET COOL AND EXCLUSIVE BONUSES 🥺
When I say 'kiwi' what do you associate it with?
I can't believe the results:
50% said the fruit
32% said New Zealanders
13% said the Harry Styles song
5% said the bird
And finally:
I want you all to try and find a little bit of joy today. You are mine <3
Harry Styles, Heartstopper & Taylor Swift's Speech (Culture Vulture)
Our HUGE SYSCA reading list! (✨Supporters only✨)
Woody Harrelson on Working Through the Pandemic, Even Though He Thinks Masks Are “Absurd” (Vanity Fair)
Friday the 13th was bad for Taylor Swift theorists (Embedded)
