Edition #21: On Leaving (and Staying)
Plus, the bigot behind your favorite yoga pants, a chance to hang out with your favorite celebrities, and a funny video you need to see
A note from the editor
It's been 44 days since I got the email on my way to the office: turn around, go home, stay there. It was the start of a mass exodus-- neighbors, friends, colleagues and strangers began to flee, escaping to beach homes or parents homes, to cabins or condos, anywhere with more space and a lesser chance of contracting the ugly virus that holds our city by the neck.
When people asked me whether or not I was leaving (back when leaving was an option), I was flabbergasted. Leaving? Where would I go? I live here, all my things are here, my livelihood is here. I couldn't fathom going away without knowing when I'd be able to return. What would I even pack? And yet, like those crucial weeks past, I realized I was in the minority camp in this scenario. I was among the outnumbered, the stayers.
Some part of me felt, feels, bothered by the leaving. New York City is difficult in the best of times and impossible in the worst, and yet, an irrational voice in my head says how could they abandon ship at a time like this? Restaurants need us to order takeout, our neighbors need us at clap at 7 pm to remind them they aren't alone, passing strangers need our masked smiles, something they can slip in the pocket of their memory to pull out during moments of despair. While know these feelings aren't exactly fair (after all, I don't have a child shoved into my tiny apartment), this essay made me feel so understood. It also made me weep; so eloquently does it express the complex positions of those of us who stayed.
Wherever you are, I hope you are well. I'll be here, relishing in the strange new place my city has become-- listening to a bird singing the same song outside of my window every morning, walking through the ghost of Tompkins Square Park, thinking about when it was filled with sweaty bodies and laughter and bright-eyed dogs, writing notes of encouragement to my remaining neighbors and our delivery people, taping the index cards to the wall with gloved hands.
Cheers my dears. and I’d love to hear about how or where this time has taken you.
The Bigot Behind Your Favorite Yoga Pants. We live in a capitalist society in which our wallets are one of our greatest forms of protest, so when I read about the racist, sexist rhetoric spewed by the founder of lululemon, I wished I'd never bought those stupid leggings According to its founder, the company name was chosen because it would be "difficult for Japanese people to pronounce". He designed his products so that "power women" would take off those shoulder pads and go back to dressing appropriately "feminine"-- and he only parted with the company five years ago. Think twice before you decide to spend another $98 on leggings from a company with these hateful roots.
Who Knew Puzzle Making Was So Tough? Unlike many others, I have not yet baked a loaf of bread during quarantine. However, like many others, I have taken up a semi-permanent residence in front of a 1,000 piece puzzle It's excruciating and more often than not unfulfilling, but I can't quit, and it turns out these puzzles are just as difficult to produce as they are to complete. Puzzle makers around the world are struggling to keep up with recent demand, unable to produce these torture devices (FUN GAMES?) at the rate we're buying them.
Can't Pay Rent and Bullied by Landlords. Walk around any major city in our country and it becomes clear that homelessness is not something we have a handle on-- and COVID-19 is posed to make the situation worse. Though many governors have put forth one to two-month eviction freezes, landlords are still posting eviction notices on the doors of struggling tenants, threatening to put them out on the streets. Tenants are sick, scared, elderly, pregnant, and like the rest of us, trying their best, and there should be greater protections for these people in times of crisis.
Perhaps You Should...
Hang Out With the Cast of '‘Friends’’
Try your luck at winning a seat in the audience of the Friends reunion taping, followed by coffee with the cast at Central Perk, or go for a walk-on role in a movie with Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, followed by lunch with Leo(!!!). For just $10, you can enter to win one of these incredible experiences and many more, thanks to The All in Challenge, a digital fundraiser donating all profits to feeding those in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
(Relatable and Very Funny) **Bonus Content**
We're stuck inside and stir crazy, people are sick and dying, and there's a good chance most of us are struggling with some degree of mental health issues during this time. This hilarious (and short) video feels ultra-relevant, and I appreciate any comedian or artist who is able to express mental health issues in a way that makes people feel understood.
A Quote From a Book You Should Read:
"To live in a city is to live the life that it was built for, to adapt to its schedule and rhythms, to move within its transit layout made for you during the morning and evening rush. To live in a city is to consume its offerings. To dine at its restaurants. To drink at its bars. To shop at its stores. To pay its sales taxes. To give a dollar to its homeless."
-Severance by Ling Ma
This newsletter is best served with a side of conversation, so drop your opinions, reflections, and thoughts in the comments below and let’s get to talking.
Or, share the most thought-provoking piece from today’s edition with someone you love, then call them up to discuss, debate, and percolate. As a wise woman once said, “Great minds discuss ideas.”