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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:thr="http://purl.org/syndication/thread/1.0" xml:lang="en-US" > <title type="text">Vox</title> <subtitle type="text"></subtitle> <updated>2024-11-27T22:44:30+00:00</updated> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/rss/index.xml</id> <link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="https://www.vox.com/rss/index.xml" /> <icon>https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/08/vox_logo_rss_light_mode.png?w=150&h=100&crop=1</icon> <entry> <author> <name>Aja Romano</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[A new JonBenét doc posits the Ramseys didn’t do it. But what about the ransom note?]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/culture/388794/jon-benet-ransom-note-full-text-theories" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388794</id> <updated>2024-11-27T17:44:09-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-28T08:00:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Culture" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="True crime" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Thanks to a new Netflix docuseries from true crime mainstay Joe Berlinger, audiences across the nation are asking a question true crime fans never really let go of. The new series, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, doesn’t actually spend all that many of its three hour-long episodes speculating about its title question. Instead, it […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="Patsy Ramsey holding up a reward sign as John Ramsey hits next to her with his head turned toward her" data-caption="Patsy Ramsey holds up a reward sign on May 1, 1997, for information leading to the arrest of their daughter’s murderer. Their 6-year-old, JonBenét, was found dead on Christmas night 1996. | Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images" data-portal-copyright="Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-186118411.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption>Patsy Ramsey holds up a reward sign on May 1, 1997, for information leading to the arrest of their daughter’s murderer. Their 6-year-old, JonBenét, was found dead on Christmas night 1996. | Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> Thanks to a new Netflix docuseries from true crime mainstay <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/2/5/18210945/ted-bundy-extremely-wicked-shockingly-evil-vile-review-netflix">Joe Berlinger</a>, audiences across the nation are asking a question true crime fans never really let go of. The new series, Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey, doesn’t actually spend all that many of its three hour-long episodes speculating about its title question. Instead, it spends most of them arguing a hot take that’s less hot than you might think — that JonBenét’s own parents didn’t do it.  Following JonBenét’s violent death — which occurred sometime during the early morning hours of December 25 and 26, 1996, in her family’s massive home in Boulder, Colorado — that was a very popular theory. During the ensuing media frenzy, many members of the public looked at John Ramsey and his wife Patsy (who died in 2006) and assumed the case was open and shut. The victim was an <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/184273-how-the-jonbenet-ramsey-case-affected-me-as-a-kid">eerily</a> <a href="https://www.academia.edu/6086362/_Necrophilia_Pedophilia_or_Both_The_Sexualized_Rhetoric_of_the_JonBenet_Ramsey_Murder_Case_">sexualized</a> 6-year-old pageant queen; her face graced the tabloid magazine covers at every checkout line in America. In 1997, no single news story was bigger than this one; by 1998, the Los Angeles Times labeled her “<a href="https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-sep-28-ca-27182-story.html">the nation’s most famous murdered child since the Lindbergh baby</a>.” And although a <a href="https://realnewjournalism.com/2016/09/17/jonbenet-ramsey-a-judicial-analysis/">2003 federal ruling</a> supported the Ramseys’ innocence, and they were formally <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25608543">exonerated in 2008</a>, many people remain convinced that one or both of JonBenét’s parents were the culprits and suggest they did it to cover up a horrible accident committed by their 9-year-old son. A hugely influential <a href="https://www.today.com/popculture/burke-ramsey-now-rcna181229">2016 CBS series</a> about the case confidently made that argument. Yet in recent years, many experts, including several featured in Berlinger’s documentary, have argued that an intruder committed the crime — a theory that the original police investigation never really seemed to take seriously, and which led to deep divisions among Boulder police, the district attorney, and the FBI. Much of the confusion stems from the problem that the original investigation was botched from the beginning, with police allowing the crime scene to be completely contaminated, evidence to be moved around and tampered with, rooms to be cleaned, and a string of visitors to traipse throughout the house for hours after the Ramseys called 911. This negligence torpedoed the integrity and reliability of nearly every piece of evidence in the case. As a result, even decades later, every detail remains up for debate. As for a list of potential suspects, while there are several primary contenders, including the Ramseys, it’s often difficult to have an even-handed discussion about them. That’s likely all because of a single piece of evidence, one of the most infamous in true crime history: the ransom note. For most people who look into the JonBenét case, how they view the ransom note determines how they view the rest of the case, including who did it. That’s because the ransom note itself is so inexplicable that it immediately, and perhaps permanently, biased and derailed the entire investigation.  <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">The strangest ransom note ever</h2> The first weird thing about the ransom note is where Patsy claims to have found it — lying unobtrusively on the floor of a back spiral stairwell in the early-morning hours of December 26. She gave conflicting stories about the sequence of events: In one version, she checked JonBenét’s room first and noticed she was missing, and then found the ransom note; in the more frequently repeated version, she found the note first, then ran upstairs to check on JonBenét, only to discover her missing. The next weird thing about the ransom note is… well… everything about it. Here is the text in full: <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-none is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> Mr. Ramsey, Listen carefully! We are a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction. We [the word “do” has been scribbled out] respect your bussiness [sic] but not the country that it serves. At this time we have your daughter in our posession [sic]. She is safe and unharmed and if you want her to see 1997, you must follow our instructions to the letter. You will withdraw $118,000.00 from your account. $100,000 will be in $100 bills and the remaining $18,000 in $20 bills. Make sure that you bring an adequate size attache [sic] to the bank. When you get home you will put the money in a brown paper bag. I will call you between 8 and 10 am tomorrow to instruct you on delivery. The delivery will be exhausting so I advise you to be rested. If we monitor you getting the money early, we might call you early to arrange an earlier delivery of the money and hence a [sic] earlier [“delivery” is scribbled out] pick-up of your daughter. Any deviation of my instructions will result in the immediate execution of your daughter. You will also be denied her remains for proper burial. The two gentlemen watching over your daughter do not [“not” has been inserted between words] particularly like you so I advise you not to provoke them. Speaking to anyone about your situation, such as Police, F.B.I., etc., will result in your daughter being beheaded. If we catch you talking to a stray dog, she dies. If you alert bank authorities, she dies. If the money is in any way marked or tampered with, she dies. You will be scanned for electronic devices and if any are found, she dies. You can try to deceive us but be warned that we are familiar with Law enforcement countermeasures and tactics. You stand a 99% chance of killing your daughter if you try to out smart [sic] us. Follow our instructions and you stand a 100% chance of getting her back. You and your family are under constant scrutiny as well as the authorities. Don’t try to grow a brain John. You are not the only fat cat around so don’t think that killing will be difficult. Don’t underestimate us John. Use that good southern common sense of yours. It is up to you now John! Victory! S.B.T.C </blockquote> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> There’s a lot to unpack here: The strange ransom amount — $118,000 — corresponded to John’s year-end bonus that year from the lucrative tech company he ran. The note’s over-the-top language seems to be referencing well-known quotes from movies that feature abductions and ransoms, including Dirty Harry, Ransom, Ruthless People, and Speed. The “foreign faction” is very obviously not real, and “S.B.T.C.” has never been linked to any existing group. The final oddity about the note is where it came from — a notepad belonging to Patsy. The note’s author not only used the notepad, they wrote a draft version of the note originally addressed to “Mr. & Mrs.” before directing the note just to John. They even used a Sharpie from the house that they then helpfully returned to the correct pen holder. Patsy participated in a string of handwriting analysis sessions, over which multiple analysts concluded it was probable, but not definitive, that she wrote the note. However, the modern understanding of handwriting analysis generally holds that it’s a shaky forensic arena prone to <a href="https://www.criminallegalnews.org/news/2023/jan/15/debunking-forensic-science-decade-increased-scrutiny-reveals-forensic-processes-prone-bias-and-error/">significant cognitive bias</a>, and that less experienced analysts are <a href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2119944119">more likely</a> not only to be wrong, but to be more confidently wrong than their peers. Other handwriting analysts have since <a href="https://www.the-sun.com/news/9797920/jonbenet-ramsey-update-ransom-note-handwriting-gary-oliva/">offered</a> totally different opinions about who wrote it. Behavioral analysts, too, tried to analyze the note with dubious results. To give you an idea of the kind of hysteria that surrounded this case, one official psychological profile <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/19990224122955/http://www.seraph.net/jonbenet.html">claimed</a> that “SBTC” could have meant “Saved by the cross,” and argued that Patsy was a “delusional sociopath” who committed the murder as part of an arcane religious ritual. The ransom note is so strange that for many people it’s impossible to get around the sheer improbability of anyone writing it at all. After all, what purpose could it serve an intruder to linger in the house after the crime, taking their time to write multiple drafts of a note, for a kidnapping that had not taken place? One argument against this is that the intruder could have written the note before the crime. The Ramseys were away for hours at a Christmas party that evening, which gave a potential predator hours to enter the house, familiarize themselves with the home’s layout, and play around with creative writing exercises while waiting for the family to return and settle in for the night.  But the question of motive — why? — seems to lead, for most people, away from an intruder and straight back to a Ramsey: The note is so fantastical that the most glaringly obvious conclusion is that it was written by someone who was desperate to divert attention away from the home and away from the family. For a while, if that was the motivation, it worked: Boulder police assembled at the house but then left without securing it as a crime scene, leaving only one officer there throughout the day until JonBenét’s body was ultimately found by her father in the basement. Yet if this was really a cover-up by the family, the question of motive still remains: Why would the family leave (or place) JonBenét’s body in the basement if they wanted the police to think she’d been abducted? Why write such an elaborate ransom note or ask for such a specifically incriminating amount? Either way you look at it, the ransom note just doesn’t make sense. For most people, there’s only one way to read the ransom note: Patsy wrote it. What else could it be? One alternate way for us to think about this ransom note comes to us via <a href="https://www.truecrimeconsult.com/">The Consult</a>, a recent podcast hosted by former members of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, of <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2017/10/14/16474370/mindhunter-review-netflix-fincher">Mindhunter</a> fame. We know <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2018/11/12/18044688/criminal-profilers-mindhunter-hannibal-criminal-minds">criminal profiling is as pseudoscientific</a> as every other cool-but-actually-junk forensic tool, so we have to take this analysis with many grains of salt. But in their <a href="https://www.truecrimeconsult.com/jonbenet-ramsey-the-ransom-note-part-1/">two-part</a> <a href="https://www.truecrimeconsult.com/jonbenet-ramsey-the-ransom-note-part-2/">series</a> studying the ransom note earlier this year, host Julia Cowley and her guest Robert Drew made interesting observations about the mindset of the letter writer — by honing in on the fact that they were really into movies about abduction. That sounds like an obvious point, but the profilers used it to make a salient point about the kind of person who could commit this crime. Every film referenced in the note involves a villain who, at the moment he’s making ransom demands, fully has the upper hand over the hero. He’s not only calling the shots, but doing so gleefully and maliciously, exactly as the letter writer may be attempting to do with John. The former FBI profilers argue that the letter is a fantasy of having control over someone rich and powerful — that it’s not an anomaly, but rather an extension of a crime scene created by a sadistic child abuser. This isn’t the only way to read the note, of course, but it’s a reasonable way to think about how the note fits into an intruder scenario. And given the resurgence of interest in the case, maybe this truly bizarre piece of evidence will finally start making some sense. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Ellen Ioanes</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[No, FBI checks aren’t required for Trump’s nominees. Yes, it’s concerning.]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/trump-administration/388627/fbi-background-checks-trump-gaetz-hegseth-nominees-senate-congress-transition" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388627</id> <updated>2024-11-27T17:44:30-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-28T07:00:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="2024 Elections" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Donald Trump" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Explainers" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Policy" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Politics" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Trump Administration" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team have yet to sign the customary documents allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct background checks on his nominees for important government posts, and it’s unclear whether those nominees will receive FBI background checks at all.  The background checks flag any serious concerns about the nominees — […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="Donald Trump puts his hand on Robert Kennedy Jr.’s shoulder." data-caption="Former US President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on October 23, 2024, in Duluth, Georgia. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images" data-portal-copyright="Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2180628742.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption>Former US President Donald Trump welcomes Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the stage at a Turning Point Action campaign rally at the Gas South Arena on October 23, 2024, in Duluth, Georgia. | Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> President-elect Donald Trump and his transition team have yet to sign the customary documents allowing the Federal Bureau of Investigation to conduct background checks on his nominees for important government posts, and it’s unclear whether those nominees will receive FBI background checks at all.  The background checks flag any serious concerns about the nominees — not just criminal activity but financial issues or relationships that could compromise their ability to carry out their jobs. They are also the basis for security clearances necessary for high-level national security officials tasked with handling sensitive information.  The checks are meant to reveal whether there’s reason to believe these potential officials might misuse the power of their offices or if they have any vulnerabilities that might be exploited, either by US citizens or foreign adversaries.   It’s possible that the FBI will be asked to do background checks next year. According to a report in the Guardian, Trump will <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/26/trump-transition-team-fbi-security-clearances-background-checks">request the background checks</a> once his own officials are posted at the Department of Justice, which oversees the FBI. The transition team is <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-gaetz-congress-background-vetting-cabinet-ac9afcd41d598a62ae34442ecf96a652">reportedly relying on internal vetting</a> as well as outside law firms and unspecified allied groups to conduct the background checks, but the FBI is better equipped and has the training and capacity necessary to conduct these investigations.  An FBI background check for political appointees is only customary; there’s no legal backing for it. No other branch of government can compel the nominees to undergo them. Trump himself has been skeptical of the FBI, so it’s not that surprising that he’s eschewed the background checks. But they do serve several important purposes. Here’s what you need to know about the FBI background checks. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What’s the standard background check process?</h2> The FBI background check process is straightforward, if arduous.  First, the incoming administration signs a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Justice outlining what kinds of information they are looking for about their nominees and what resources the DOJ can provide to help uncover that information. Nominees who will be working in national security have to fill <a href="https://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf86.pdf">out a special form</a> (the same one the  Department of Defense uses in evaluating staff for security clearances). The FBI can question the nominee and their contacts if necessary but cannot collect documents or compel evidence. Cooperation is voluntary, but as Llewelyn Engel, an attorney at the Washington, DC, firm Emery Will & Henry, told Vox, “From an interview perspective, if the FBI calls you to ask about somebody, you might be more forthcoming” than with a law firm or other private entity conducting investigations.  Once complete, the full background check then goes to the president-elect who, based on the findings, can either refer the nominee to the Senate or decide to withdraw the nomination. If the nomination is for a high-level position, like a Cabinet member or an ambassador, the investigations go to the appropriate Senate committee — for example, the Senate Armed Services Committee for a Defense secretary nominee. “The Senate committee is in charge of looking at all this information, so they’ll get a big binder of all the material, and they can also do their own investigations as well,” Engel said. “They can always request that more information is collected about this individual.” Again, the process isn’t mandated by law. The practice started when <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cabinet-picks-fbi-background-checks-senate-b2649239.html">President Dwight Eisenhower</a> chose to have his nominees subject to a background check and has continued since then. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Is Trump following the usual process?</h2> Thus far, Trump has deviated from the usual process, although the incoming administration did sign other important transition agreements <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/26/trump-signs-transition-agreement-white-house-00191754">with the Biden White House on Tuesday</a>.  The Biden administration told <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/11/26/trump-signs-transition-agreement-white-house-00191754">Politico</a> that “progress has been made towards an agreement” between the Trump team and the DOJ, but how much progress remains unclear. “The Trump-Vance transition lawyers continue to constructively engage with the Biden-Harris Administration lawyers regarding all agreements contemplated by the Presidential Transition Act,” Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for Trump’s transition team, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/11/22/nx-s1-5196441/the-trump-transition-team-is-breaking-with-norms-in-selecting-cabinet-picks">told NPR</a>. “We will update you once a decision is made.” The Justice Department said in a statement that it is “prepared to deliver briefings to the transition team on our operations and responsibilities, and we stand ready to process requests for security clearances for those who will need access to national security information.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Why isn’t Trump following the standard process?</h2> No other president-elect has eschewed the FBI background check process “in recent memory,” Heath Brown, a professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told Vox.  And Trump hasn’t said why he hasn’t tasked the FBI with doing background checks. He does, however, have a noted <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-facing-criminal-charges-calls-defunding-fbi-2023-04-05/">distrust of the FBI</a> following investigations into his <a href="https://www.vox.com/2023/8/3/23818752/trump-investigations-classified-documents-live-updates">handling of secret documents after he left office in 2021</a>, as well as <a href="https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/capitol-violence">FBI investigations into the January 6, 2021, insurrection</a> and attempt to overturn the 2020 election.  And as previously noted, there’s no law requiring Trump to follow the normal process. <a href="https://beyer.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=6315">Reps. Ted Lieu of California and Dan Beyer of Virginia</a> introduced a bill in November to codify the practice in the law, but it hasn’t passed yet. Instead of following the typical process, Trump’s transition team plans to have the FBI checks go forward only after he has taken office — that is, after he is in control of the agency and has his own appointees in place, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/nov/26/trump-transition-team-fbi-security-clearances-background-checks">the Guardian reported Wednesday</a>. According to that report, Trump also plans to grant blanket security clearances, though it’s unclear whether or how the DOD will be involved in that process.  <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What happens now?</h2> Without the FBI background checks, the various Senate committees can conduct their own investigations into nominees, according to Engel and Jennifer Selin, associate professor at the Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law. Those investigations may or may not become public. Even without FBI investigations, potential red flags with nominees will sometimes emerge through reporting. The press resurfaced allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of <a href="https://www.vox.com/donald-trump/384967/matt-gaetz-donald-trump-attorney-general">former Attorney General nominee Matt Gaetz</a>. And <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/387404/trump-cabinet-nominations-matt-gaetz-pete-hegseth-rfk-elon-musk-linda-mcmahon">Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth’s</a> alleged sex crime also came to light through news stories. Both men have denied wrongdoing. “The media is in some ways a good ally for the Senate because it’s not just the senators delving into and using their subpoena power and their background and connections with various agencies to get information and to conduct their own investigations,” Selin said.  The Senate will ideally <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/cabinet-confirmation-recess-what-matters/index.html">begin confirmation hearings</a> — with or without the FBI reports — <a href="https://apnews.com/article/trump-fbi-gaetz-congress-background-vetting-cabinet-ac9afcd41d598a62ae34442ecf96a652">before Inauguration Day on January 20, 2025</a>. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Vox Staff</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Wicked, explained]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/culture/387821/wicked-explained-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-oz-guide-holding-space" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?post_type=vm_stream&p=387821</id> <updated>2024-11-27T15:00:41-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T13:10:11-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Culture" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Movies" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Theater" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Vox Guides" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Wicked, the highly anticipated adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, is just about everywhere. The first half of the saga, released on November 22, made $114 million in its opening weekend domestically, and it has already generated some early Oscars buzz. Wicked: Part Two is set to premiere in November 2025.  Directed by Jon M. […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2184796941.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Wicked, the highly anticipated adaptation of the popular Broadway musical, is just about everywhere. The first half of the saga, released on November 22, made $114 million in its opening weekend domestically, and it has already generated some early Oscars buzz. Wicked: Part Two is set to premiere in November 2025.  Directed by Jon M. Chu, who also directed Crazy Rich Asians, the movie’s plot dives into the “true story” of Elphaba, the “Wicked Witch of the West,” and Glinda the “Good Witch,” reimagined from the classic book series and film The Wizard of Oz. It stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, along with Jonathan Bailey, Michelle Yeoh, and Jeff Goldblum as other residents of the Land of Oz. From its backstory to its politics to understanding why fans are “holding space” for it, follow along here for everything you need to know about the film. <ul> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/388499/wicked-elphaba-animal-rights-dillamond">How did Elphaba become wicked? There’s a hidden message people keep missing.</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/388703/wicked-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-tiktok-instagram">Wicked hits Instagram and TikTok, with more than a little help from fans </a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/388522/wicked-politics-explained-movie-musical-wizard-trump">Why Wicked’s politics feel so bizarrely timely</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/386247/wicked-2024-movie-novel-ending-explained-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo">Wondering what’s what in Wicked? We can help.</a> </li> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/387545/ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo-wicked-dont-worry-darling-it-ends-with-us">Fans are “holding space” for Wicked’s press tour</a> </li> </ul> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Constance Grady</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Why Wicked’s politics feel so bizarrely timely]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/culture/388522/wicked-politics-explained-movie-musical-wizard-trump" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388522</id> <updated>2024-11-27T11:10:41-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T11:15:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Books" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Culture" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Movies" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Wicked, the movie musical based on the beloved Broadway show of the same name, is one of the biggest hits of the year, opening at No. 1 in North America over the weekend and already generating some early Oscars buzz. Audiences came in prepared to love Wicked’s famous power ballads and girl power core, but […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="Ariana Grande in a frilly pink ballgown and tiara, holding a magic wand, stands on a fanciful wrought iron balcony, looking down with one hand over her heart." data-caption="Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked. | Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures" data-portal-copyright="Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/2551_D073_00030R_b2863b.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption>Ariana Grande as Glinda in Wicked. | Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures</figcaption> </figure> <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/386247/wicked-2024-movie-novel-ending-explained-ariana-grande-cynthia-erivo">Wicked</a>, the movie musical based on the beloved Broadway show of the same name, is one of the biggest hits of the year, opening at No. 1 in North America over the weekend and already generating some <a href="https://www.vulture.com/article/wicked-gladiator-ii-2025-oscar-chances.html">early Oscars buzz</a>. Audiences came in prepared to love Wicked’s famous power ballads and girl power core, but one aspect of the story seems to have caught people by surprise: its somewhat clunky yet remarkably durable political allegory. “I noticed that Elphaba is like Kamala Harris and the Wizard is like Donald Trump,” <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/wicked/comments/1et3biy/i_noticed_that_elphaba_is_like_kamala_harris_and/">one fan posted on Reddit</a>. “A charismatic leader who gaslights a community that this woman is wicked just because she’s standing up for a marginalized group of people in the society, how could that be [political]?” <a href="https://www.indiewire.com/features/interviews/director-jon-m-chu-wicked-politics-trump-election-1235068371/">director John M. Chu joked</a>. For a silly, spectacular show about friendship and talking animals, Wicked actually does invite political interpretations. Its allegory can both elicit eye rolls and still feel eerily prescient more than 20 years after its stage debut. Wicked the musical is based on a 1995 novel of the same title by Gregory Maguire, an anti-fascist treatise in which the Wizard becomes a Hitler-like despot. The musical wouldn’t go quite so far when it debuted on Broadway in 2003, but it did get in a number of <a href="https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/theatre-dance/features/wicked-musical-west-end-b1929995.html">hits at the George W. Bush administration</a>, which had ordered the invasion of Iraq only months earlier. In Wicked, the Wizard is revealed to be disenfranchising the talking animals of Oz, on the grounds that to unify the rest of the country, he has to give them a common enemy. Yet the Wizard’s persecution of animals — and, later, of Elphaba — is rooted in a lie, in the same way that Bush falsely claimed that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction before invading.  Some of the references are glaringly obvious: When Dorothy’s house falls on the Wicked Witch of the East, Glinda echoes the Bush administration’s favorite Iraq War euphemism in describing it as a “<a href="https://today.williams.edu/magazine/delusions-of-regime-change-in-iraq/">regime change</a>.” “Is one a crusader or ruthless invader?” sings the Wizard, referencing <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/with-us-or-a-terrorist-bush-and-bashars-holy-wars-against-terrorism/">Bush’s infamous description of the invasion of Iraq as a crusade</a>. “It’s all in which label is able to persist!” Critics’ responses were mixed. “As a parable of fascism and freedom, Wicked so overplays its hand that it seriously dilutes its power to disturb,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/31/movies/theater-review-there-s-trouble-in-emerald-city.html">Ben Brantley declared in 2003 at the New York Times</a>, adding that the show “wears its political heart as if it were a slogan button.” Meanwhile, author Daniel Handler, though taken aback by such a dark interpretation of sunny and magical Oz, found himself drawn to the idea. “It is hard not to wonder if the witch, a difficult figure transformed by difficult times, isn’t precisely what our stage needs,” <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/29/theater/theater-hey-watch-who-you-re-calling-wicked.html">Handler also wrote in the New York Times</a> that same year. “And perhaps, the show suggests, ‘wicked’ is what the W stands for” in George W. Bush.” Singing the same lyrics today, the Wizard suggests not Bush but Trump: a leader consolidating his power by scapegoating <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/24080265/trump-immigration-policies-2024">marginalized</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/380861/trump-transphobic-anti-trans-ads-scapegoating">groups</a> and slowly but surely denying them their rights. Meanwhile, the difference in strategy between rabble-rousing progressive Elphaba and conciliatory liberal Glinda might hit home particularly hard for <a href="https://www.vox.com/politics/383565/2024-election-results-kamala-harris-loss-democrats-future">Democrats in the midst of their post-election recrimination</a>.  Both Elphaba and Glinda idolize the Wizard and dream of working at his right hand. When Elphaba learns of the plight of Oz’s animals, she heads straight to the Emerald City to seek his help, certain that if he learns that the animals are being targeted, he’ll rush to their aid. The Wizard suggests he might do so if Elphaba uses her magic as part of his administration, but when she learns that it’s the Wizard behind the attacks, she disowns him, much to the dismay of practical-minded Glinda. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote> Wicked was born to be an allegory of American politics. It can’t quite be anything else.</blockquote></figure> “I hope you’re happy how you’ve hurt your cause forever,” Glinda sings. Elphaba, after all, is alienating a potential powerful ally. “I hope you’re proud, how you would grovel in submission to feed your own ambition,” replies Elphaba, who has decided she will not work with anyone who is using his power to hurt Oz’s talking animal citizens. Could you read this moment as an allegory over <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-were-hammered-with-misleading-attacks-on-transgender-issues-the-party-is-grappling-with-how-to-move-forward">how Democrats should handle trans issues going forward</a>? Sure, it sounds like a stretch, but it’s not as far-fetched as you might imagine. In a way it’s odd to think that Wicked’s political messaging feels so prescient, since most Wicked fans would agree that the political subplot is the weakest part of the musical. Wicked lives and breathes by the fraught friendship between its two leads, not by its duelling visions of activism. Still, in another sense, Wicked was born to be an allegory of American politics. It can’t quite be anything else. That’s what Oz stories are for. <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> Most of the most children’s fantasy classics of the Anglophone world are English: think of Peter Pan, Narnia, The Sword in the Stone, and Harry Potter. They tend to think about what it means to be a good king, about wild magical beasts lurking in the forest, about being an island nation. The Wizard of Oz, though, is an American fantasy. <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Map-of-Oz.jpg">A map of Oz</a>, which is shaped like a rectangle with its long side horizontal, is a simplified map of America, as though drawn by a child: unimaginably vast, spanning the inhabitable entirety of a continent from east to west. (Oz is bordered by poisonous deserts rather than oceans.) It is a country where farmers cultivate fields of corn and wheat and orchards of apples; where industrialists build vast, glittering cities; where the west is full of rough and unsettled land. And it is a country governed by a con man who is lying to the people he rules. <img src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Map-of-Oz.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,12.460732984293,100,75.078534031414" alt="Map of Oz" title="Map of Oz" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" /> When L. Frank Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1900, he imagined the Wizard of Oz as someone who was well-meaning if ineffectual and a touch dishonest. “I’m a very good man — just a bad wizard,” the Wizard explains to Dorothy in the 1939 film. Still, the Wizard can work as a remarkably cynical metaphor for all the broken promises of the American dream. The Wizard is a man who will promise you everything but give you nothing, and then he will tell you the answer was inside of yourself all along.  It’s this metaphor that gives The Wiz, the all-Black reimagining of The Wizard of Oz from the 1970s, its surprisingly sharp bite. In The Wiz, Dorothy and her friends are Black people who are promised certain fundamental rights by a government that never plans to pay up. (Wicked gestures at a similar critique by casting the Black actress Cynthia Erivo as the racially othered green-skinned Elphaba.) “Public office is the last refuge of the incompetent,” the Scarecrow scoffs in The Wiz, after learning that the Wizard is a washed-up politician from Atlantic City. “Incompetent!” the Wiz crows. “That’s me!” Wicked, meanwhile, is not a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz so much as it is a revisionist history. As such, it is fundamentally skeptical of figures in authority — much more so than Baum, who eventually replaced the Wizard with the virtuous and nearly infallible fairy queen Ozma.  The premise of any story that tells you that the villains of your childhood are misunderstood is that the storytellers were lying to you. In Wicked, the Wizard isn’t just a very bad wizard, but a very bad man, too. He lies maliciously and with strategic purpose.  <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>The Wizard can work as a remarkably cynical metaphor for all the broken promises of the American dream.</blockquote></figure> Elphaba and Glinda, here, become just two more dreamers who travel to the Emerald City like Dorothy and her friends, because they want the Wizard to give them their hearts’ desire: protection for the talking animals of Oz as they become steadily more persecuted.  Yet the Wizard they encounter is not only incapable of granting them such a request, but in fact plans to pervert it, using their innocent wishes to enact more violence. He plans to take Elphaba under his wing and have her do magic on his behalf so he can more thoroughly persecute the sentient animals he plans to round up and more efficiently spy on the rest of his citizens. In the end, the Wizard names Elphaba the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North because he can trust Glinda to maintain friendly relations with his administration, while Elphaba refuses. He is America governed not by a con man but by a strong man — an authoritarian dictator. This is the kind of metaphor a revisionist history can offer you, and part of why Wicked feels so bizarrely urgent at this moment. In a subversion of a childhood classic, no authority figure can be trusted — which is what makes these stories so attractive when people you don’t trust have found their way into positions of power. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Fortesa Latifi</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Family estrangement doesn’t have to be forever]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/380542/family-estrangement-reconnection-relationships-boundaries" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=380542</id> <updated>2024-11-27T09:02:12-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T09:02:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Advice" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Even Better" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Family" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Life" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Relationships" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="The Highlight" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Kerry Rego, 47, always had a rocky relationship with her dad. His past history of drinking and passive-aggressive behavior eventually led to a seven-month period of estrangement. But they began reconciling after her dad started going to Alcoholics Anonymous, which prompted him to reach out. He told her that he missed her and he hoped […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="Illustration of two people hugging" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/GettyImages-1781833390.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Kerry Rego, 47, always had a rocky relationship with her dad. His past history of drinking and passive-aggressive behavior eventually led to a seven-month period of estrangement. But they began reconciling after her dad started going to Alcoholics Anonymous, which prompted him to reach out. He told her that he missed her and he hoped they could have a relationship again. “He was willing to work on himself and willing to change the way he navigated the world, and the way he ran his relationships,” Rego says. <a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a44178122/family-estrangement-cut-off-parents/">Estrangement</a> is a well-worn story — in 2019, a survey found that <a href="https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2020/09/pillemer-family-estrangement-problem-hiding-plain-sight">27 percent of Americans over the age of 18 were estranged from a family member</a> — but less discussed is reconciliation and the process of coming back together after falling apart. The reasons for estrangement can vary, from a single breach that feels too large to overcome to years of slights and misunderstandings piling up. These kinds of emotional wounds naturally take time to heal and, crucially, no one is owed reconciliation.  But estranged parties might wonder: What does it look like to try to mend a broken relationship? Is it even possible? And to reconcile, do you have to face the things that tore you apart in the first place? <iframe frameborder="0" height="200" src="https://playlist.megaphone.fm/?e=VMP6363425276" width="100%"></iframe> <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">The paths to reconciliation</h2> There are two possible paths to reconciliation, says <a href="https://www.drjoshuacoleman.com/">Joshua Coleman, PhD</a>, a psychologist who conducts counseling on estrangement.  One scenario includes reckoning with the issues that led to estrangement. In this scenario, an estranged child and parent may go to therapy together to understand their dynamic more deeply. “I say that the purpose of this therapy is to really demonstrate to your adult child if you’re capable of taking responsibility and then understanding why they felt [estrangement] was the healthiest thing for them to do,” Coleman says. “You might need to … deepen your understanding of how your behavior impacted your child, even if it’s at odds with your own recollections of what happened in the past.”  Coleman is most often approached by a parent who is estranged from their adult child who cut off contact. Usually, Coleman encourages the estranged parent to write a “letter of amends” where they show understanding and take responsibility. The second path to reconciliation requires the wounded party to accept “the inherent flaws” of the person they’ve been estranged from. The former person may ultimately conclude that despite the problems present, they still want to continue an important relationship. There is no grand reckoning — more of a softening, an understanding that the person you were estranged from may never fix their flaws or change their mind but you want to be in their life regardless. “They just want family and they don’t want to continue to be estranged,” Coleman says. This was the case with Sydney, who was outed to her evangelical parents as gay at the age of 18. (Her last name is being withheld to protect her privacy.) After her parents found out, they determined the family would pray about it together. But what happened, Sydney, now 27, says, was unimaginable, with her parents and older brother holding her down while praying, “screaming and spitting” like in an exorcism. “By the end of it, I was screaming, ‘I love Jesus,’” she told me. “Anything I could to just get them off my body.” In the middle of the night, Sydney’s girlfriend came to pick her up, and she didn’t speak to her parents for nearly a year until her mother approached her begging for forgiveness. Even though Sydney’s parents’ behavior was abhorrent and a fundamental rejection of who their daughter was, she decided to give them another chance after she says they showed “genuine remorse.”  In her case, their reconciliation was part reckoning and part softening. Though her mother apologized for that night, her parents still made it clear they didn’t support her being gay. When Sydney got into a new relationship, her girlfriend wasn’t allowed to come to her parents’ house. But she has a relationship with her parents, something that had initially seemed impossible during their period of estrangement. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">How can people approach reconciling?</h2> <a href="https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/kap6">Karl Pillemer, PhD,</a> a Cornell University professor and author of <a href="https://www.human.cornell.edu/people/kap6#:~:text=Fault%20Lines%3A%20Fractured%20Families%20and%20How%20to%20Mend%20Them">Fault Lines: Fractured Families and How to Mend Them</a>, says one of the first steps to reconciliation is the phase when one of the estranged begins to ponder the possibility. “They start to consider whether they might want to reestablish contact,” Pillemer says. “Often, they become aware that something has changed in the other person’s life. A substance abuser has stopped abusing substances. A person in a relationship where the spouse repelled the rest of the family has gotten divorced.” That was the situation with Rego. “My dad gives me hope that people can acknowledge that their way isn’t the right way, that they can change and grow and be different,” she says. Now, Rego and her father meet weekly for coffee, “on a neutral ground that is not either of our homes.” Pillemer recommends that anyone looking toward reconciliation be sure that their methods of getting in contact aren’t invasive. “Avoid anything that looks like stalking, but demonstrate your openness,” he says. Don’t show up to a family dinner unannounced, for example. One method he’s seen work is communicating by card, letter, or through a neutral third party such as a family member who is not involved in the estrangement. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Establishing boundaries</h2> A critical component of successfully reconciling is establishing boundaries. Many estrangements occur because of violated boundaries, so it’s important to protect your peace in this way. Boundaries may include topics of conversation that are not to be discussed — like someone’s political views or parenting choices — or behavioral expectations, like asking a family member not to drink or yell in your presence.  In Pillemer’s research for the Cornell Family Estrangement and Reconciliation Project, he found that effective reconciliations often had very clear terms. Sydney used this method with her parents. “I make it clear to them, if you say homophobic stuff when I’m in the room, if you say disrespectful stuff, I will leave and not talk to you,” she said. In some cases, Pillemer says, initially instituted boundaries were later loosened, but the act of setting them in place helped facilitate reconciliation. Boundaries can be a way of focusing on the future instead of the past.  In Pillemer’s research, successful reconciliations tend to include clear terms, boundaries, and an understanding that the two parties may never agree on what tore them apart in the first place. “People gave up on the idea that they were going to reconcile their ideas of what went on in the past,” Pillemer says. “Everyone accepted that life had occurred, but that they had to look forward in the relationship.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Does reconciliation last?</h2> Both estrangement and reconciliation are not static states, Pillemer says. They are dynamic and can be moved into and out of throughout a relationship. But even an attempt at reconciliation can give people a sense of relief. “Many of [my research subjects] told me that they’d learned an extraordinary amount about themselves,” Pillemer says. “Having done it was a life challenge that they felt improved their self-concept and sense of self-efficacy.” It seems that even attempting to reconcile can help ease the intensity of feelings around estrangement.  For a parent who may be estranged from their child, it can be difficult to come to terms with the child’s view of their upbringing, according to Coleman. “It’s a psychological achievement on the part of the parent to be able to tolerate the adult child’s reckoning of their childhood,” he says. There’s a lot of work these days for both sides to do.”  Coleman tells me about his own estrangement from his daughter, who cut off contact with him when she was in her 20s. At first, Coleman responded “more defensively than emphatically” to his daughter’s view of conflict in their relationship. “I didn’t take the responsibility that I later learned is really required… It wasn’t until I radically shifted my position that she began to come back and things began to improve.”  From that experience, Coleman says he learned that estranged parents have to be empathetic and curious about the child’s reasons for estrangement and they have to take responsibility. He also learned how “nightmarish” it is to be an estranged parent, which has helped him approach estranged parents in his therapeutic practice with empathy. “Knowing what other estranged parents are going through… has been helpful to me in terms of being able to help them strategize about points of reconciliation and outline the steps that they would need to take.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">What if the other party doesn’t want to reconcile?</h2> There is, of course, no guarantee that a reconciliation attempt will be welcomed by the other party. “It takes two to reconcile,” Rin Reczek, PhD, a professor in sociology at the Ohio State University, said. “Much as is the case with the reconciliation of a romantic relationship, it’s impossible to reconcile a family estrangement if one person is not interested, capable, or willing to reestablish contact and connection. We cannot coerce or force someone to reenter a relationship with us — and if we try, we risk further damage.” And if an attempt at reconciliation fails, Pillemer says a grieving process is necessary to move forward: “Go through the experience of loss and go through the stage of it.”  Despite how prevalent estrangement is, stories of reconciliation prove that it doesn’t have to last forever. People can and do find their way back to each other. “If there’s an opportunity for someone to demonstrate that they’ve had a change of heart, give them a chance,” Sydney tells me. “You never know what could happen.” Clarification, November 20, 3:35 pm ET: A previous version of this story was unclear about the timeline of Kerry Rego’s dad’s sobriety. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Marina Bolotnikova</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[8 million turkeys will be thrown in the trash this Thanksgiving]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/388106/thanksgiving-turkey-food-waste-sides-dry-bland" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388106</id> <updated>2024-11-27T15:53:57-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T08:30:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Animal Welfare" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Culture" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Food" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Future Perfect" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="The Future of Meat" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Support independent journalism that matters — become a Vox Member today. On Thursday, tens of millions of Americans will partake in a national ritual many of us say we don’t especially enjoy or find meaning in. We will collectively eat more than 40 million turkeys — factory farmed and heavily engineered animals that bear scant resemblance […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="A turkey looks through the bars of a carrier outside the White House" data-caption="A turkey arrives at the 2024 White House turkey pardon, a strange annual “song and dance of celebrating turkeys while we torture them,” as Vox’s Kenny Torrella put it last year. | Susan Walsh/Associated Press" data-portal-copyright="Susan Walsh/Associated Press" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/AP24330501623028.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption>A turkey arrives at the 2024 White House turkey pardon, a strange annual “song and dance of celebrating turkeys while we torture them,” as Vox’s Kenny Torrella put it last year. | Susan Walsh/Associated Press</figcaption> </figure> Support independent journalism that matters — <a href="https://www.vox.com/support-now?itm_campaign=article-header-Q42024&itm_medium=site&itm_source=in-article">become a Vox Member today</a>. On Thursday, <a href="https://www.realsimple.com/how-many-turkeys-are-eaten-on-thanksgiving-8373909">tens of millions of Americans</a> will partake in a national ritual <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-you-should-skip-turkey-for-thanksgiving-dinner-2020-11">many of us say</a> we don’t especially enjoy or find meaning in. We will collectively eat more than <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/11/22/23970874/thanksgiving-turkey-farming-jennie-o-hormel-white-house-pardon">40 million turkeys</a> — <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/364288/how-factory-farming-ends-animal-rights-vegans-climate-ethics">factory farmed</a> and heavily engineered animals that bear scant resemblance to the wild birds that have been <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/krulwich/2010/11/22/131516586/who-brought-the-turkey-the-truth-about-the-first-thanksgiving">apocryphally written into</a> the Thanksgiving story. (The first Thanksgiving probably didn’t have turkey.) And we will do it all even though turkey meat is widely considered flavorless and unpalatable. “It is, almost without fail, a dried-out, depressing hunk of sun-baked papier-mâché — a jaw-tiringly chewy, unsatisfying, and depressingly bland workout,” journalist <a href="https://www.vice.com/en/article/this-is-why-most-thanksgiving-turkeys-are-fucking-awful/">Brian McManus wrote for Vice</a>. “Deep down, we know this, but bury it beneath happy memories of Thanksgivings past.”  So what is essentially the national holiday of meat-eating revolves around an animal dish that no one really likes. That fact clashes with the widely accepted answer to the central question of <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/363550/factory-farming-human-progress-sustainable-food-movement">why it’s so hard to convince everyone to ditch meat</a>, or even to eat less of it: the taste, stupid.   Undoubtedly, that has something to do with it. But I think the real answer is a lot more complicated, and the tasteless Thanksgiving turkey explains why.  <div class="wp-block-vox-media-highlight vox-media-highlight"> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Get Vox’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/processing-meat-newsletter-signup">Processing Meat newsletter</a></h2> Sign up <a href="https://www.vox.com/pages/processing-meat-newsletter-signup">here</a> for <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect">Future Perfect</a>’s biweekly newsletter from <a href="https://www.vox.com/authors/marina-bolotnikova">Marina Bolotnikova</a> and <a href="https://www.vox.com/authors/kenny-torrella">Kenny Torrella</a>, exploring how the meat and dairy industries shape our health, politics, culture, environment, and more. Have questions or comments on this piece? Email me at marina@vox.com! </div> Humans crave ritual, belonging, and a sense of being part of a larger story — aspirations that reach their apotheosis at the Thanksgiving table. We don’t want to be social deviants who boycott the central symbol of one of our most cherished national holidays, reminding everyone of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/11/22/23970874/thanksgiving-turkey-farming-jennie-o-hormel-white-house-pardon">animal torture</a> and environmental degradation that went into making it. What could be more human than to go along with it, dry meat and all?  Our instincts for conformity seem particularly strong around food, a social glue that binds us to one another and to our shared past. And although many of us today recognize there’s something very wrong with <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/363550/factory-farming-human-progress-sustainable-food-movement">how our meat is produced</a>, Thanksgiving of all occasions might seem like an ideal time to forget that for a day.  In my experience, plenty of people who are trying to cut back on meat say they eat vegetarian or vegan when cooking for themselves — but when they are guests at other people’s homes or celebrating a special occasion, they’ll eat whatever, to avoid offending their hosts or provoking awkward conversations about factory farming.  But this Thanksgiving, I want to invite you, reader, to flip this logic. If the social and cultural context of food shapes our tastes, even more than taste itself, then it is in precisely these settings that we should focus efforts to change American food customs for the better.  “It’s eating with others where we actually have an opportunity to influence broader change, to share plant-based recipes, spark discussion, and revamp traditions to make them more sustainable and compassionate,” <a href="https://www.peakanimalsanctuary.org/natalie">Natalie Levin</a>, a board member at PEAK Animal Sanctuary in Indiana and an acquaintance of mine from vegan Twitter, told me. Hundreds of years ago, a turkey on Thanksgiving might have represented abundance and good tidings — a too-rare thing in those days, and therefore something to be grateful for. Today, it’s hard to see it as anything but a symbol of our profligacy and unrestrained cruelty against nonhuman animals. On a day meant to embody the best of humanity, and a vision for a more perfect world, surely we can come up with better symbols.  Besides, we don’t even like turkey. We should skip it this year.  <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">The misery of the Thanksgiving turkey </h2> In 2023, my colleague Kenny Torrella published a <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/11/22/23970874/thanksgiving-turkey-farming-jennie-o-hormel-white-house-pardon">wrenching investigation</a> into conditions in the US turkey industry. He wrote:  <blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-none is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow"> The Broad Breasted White turkey, which accounts for <a href="https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/probing-question-what-heritage-turkey/">99 out of every 100 grocery store turkeys</a>, has been bred to emphasize — you guessed it — the breast, one of the more valuable parts of the bird. These birds grow <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2017/11/turkeys-are-twice-as-big-as-they-were-in-1960/546104/">twice as fast</a> and become nearly twice as big as they did in the 1960s. Being so top-heavy, combined with <a href="https://www.thepoultrysite.com/articles/predisposing-factors-that-affect-walking-ability-in-turkeys-and-broilers">other health issues</a> caused by rapid growth and the unsanitary factory farming environment, can make it difficult for them to walk. Another problem arises from their giant breasts: The males get so big that they can’t mount the hens, so they must be bred artificially. Author Jim Mason detailed this practice in his book <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/593428/the-ethics-of-what-we-eat-by-peter-singer-author-of-animal-liberation-and-jim-mason/">The Ethics of What We Eat</a>, co-authored with philosopher Peter Singer. Mason took a job with the turkey giant Butterball to research the book, where, <a href="https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Ethics_of_What_We_Eat/fRtZDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=turkey+inseminator&pg=PA28&printsec=frontcover">he wrote</a>, he had to hold male turkeys while another worker stimulated them to extract their semen into a syringe using a vacuum pump. Once the syringe was full, it was taken to the henhouse, where Mason would pin hens chest-down while another worker <a href="https://animaloutlook.org/investigations/hargin/">inserted the contents</a> of the syringe into the hen using an air compressor. Workers at the farm had to do this to one hen every 12 seconds for 10 hours a day. It was “the hardest, fastest, dirtiest, most disgusting, worst-paid work” he had ever done, Mason wrote. </blockquote> In the wild, turkeys live in “smallish groups of a dozen or so, and they know each other, they relate to each other as individuals,” Singer, author of the new book <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691231686/consider-the-turkey?srsltid=AfmBOorHW75BSf9ZYW3ELb3S7JT8Ra4iwphwKshFeEVNfXpdfy8risnO">Consider the Turkey</a>, said on a recent episode of the <a href="https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/simple-heart/episodes/The-First-Open-Rescue-podcast-with-Ronnie-Rose-e2jrqdj">Simple Heart</a> podcast. “The turkeys sold on Thanksgiving never see their mothers, they never go and forage for food… They’re pretty traumatized, I’d say, by having thousands of strange birds around who they can’t get to know as individuals,” packed together in crowded sheds.  From birth to death, the life of a factory-farmed turkey is one punctuated by rote violence, including mutilations to their beaks, their toes, and <a href="https://vtecostudies.org/blog/swooning-for-the-snood/">snoods</a>, a grueling trip to the slaughterhouse, and a killing process where they’re roughly grabbed and prodded, shackled upside down, and sent down a fast-moving conveyor belt of killing. “If they’re lucky, they get stunned and then the knife cuts their throat,” Singer said. “If they’re not so lucky, they miss the stunner and the knife cuts their throat while they’re fully conscious.”  On Thanksgiving, Americans throw the equivalent of about <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2024/11/21/thanksgiving-food-waste-tips/#">8 million of these turkeys in the trash</a>, according to an <a href="https://refed.org/articles/this-thanksgiving-316-million-pounds-of-food-will-be-wasted-across-the-u-s/">estimate by ReFED</a>, a nonprofit that works to reduce food waste. And this year will be the third Thanksgiving in a row celebrated amid an <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/380755/2024-election-donald-trump-kamala-harris-bird-flu">out-of-control bird flu outbreak</a>, in which tens of millions of chickens and turkeys on infected farms have been culled using stomach-churning <a href="https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/23963820/bird-flu-surge-us-ventilation-shutdown-veterinarians">extermination methods</a>.  <figure class="wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex"><img src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/WAM30714.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,10.732984293194,100,78.534031413613" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="Turkeys depopulated using firefighting foam after a bird flu outbreak. | Glass Walls/We Animals Media" data-portal-copyright="Glass Walls/We Animals Media" /> <img src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/WAM30703.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,10.732984293194,100,78.534031413613" alt="" title="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="Two baby turkeys still alive after their flockmates were culled with firefighting foam due to a bird flu outbreak in Israel. | Glass Walls/We Animals Media" data-portal-copyright="Glass Walls/We Animals Media" /></figure> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Reclaiming Thanksgiving</h2> When I search for the language for this grim state of affairs, I can only describe it in religious terms, as a kind of desecration — of our planet’s abundance, of our humanity, of life itself. On every other day of the year, it’s obscene enough. On a holiday that’s supposed to represent our gratitude for the Earth’s blessings, you can understand why Thanksgiving, for many vegetarians or vegans, is <a href="https://medium.com/@caroleraphaelle/thanksgiving-is-an-overstuffed-dried-out-lie-f8b1294623be">often</a> <a href="https://www.facebook.com/michaelmhughes/posts/pfbid0QfFmYEpviGB1LGdDq6SSnT7dpK9n4uki2YR45FEJoYiJPBE5R6RBrAbem7EqfMQ9l">described</a> <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/vegan/comments/jvx0zt/thanksgiving_is_lowkey_the_worst_holiday/">as</a> the most alienating day of the year.  I <a href="https://www.vox.com/climate/24131229/vegan-vegetarian-meatless-climate-solutions-recipes-connection">count myself</a> among that group, although I don’t dread Thanksgiving. I’ve come to love it as a holiday ripe for creative reinvention. I usually spend it making a feast of plant-based dishes (known by most people as “sides,” though there’s no reason they can’t be the main event).  To name a few: a <a href="https://rainbowplantlife.com/creamy-lentil-stuffed-butternut-squash/">creamy lentil-stuffed squash</a>, <a href="https://rainbowplantlife.com/creamy-lentil-winter-bake/">cashew lentil bake</a>, a <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026017-brussels-sprout-salad-with-pomegranate-and-pistachios">bright autumnal brussels sprout salad</a>, <a href="https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1026235-red-cabbage-with-walnuts-and-feta">roasted red cabbage with walnuts and feta</a> (sub with <a href="https://www.violife.com/en-us/products/dairy-free-cheese-blocks/just-like-feta">dairy-free cheese</a>), <a href="https://www.theppk.com/2013/10/new-england-glam-chowder-video/">mushroom clam-less chowder</a> (I add lots of white beans), <a href="https://tasty.co/recipe/vegan-challah-bread">challah</a> for bread rolls, a <a href="https://rainbowplantlife.com/pumpkin-miso-tart-vegan-gluten-free/">pumpkin miso tart</a> more complex and interesting than any Thanksgiving pie you’ve had, and <a href="https://www.veganricha.com/vegan-rasmalai-cake/">rasmalai</a>, a Bengali dessert whose flavors align beautifully with the holidays.  <a href="https://vegnews.com/best-vegan-roasts-thanksgiving">Vegan turkey roasts</a> are totally optional, though many of them have gotten very good in recent years — I love the <a href="https://www.gardein.com/chickn-and-turky/classics/turky-roast">Gardein breaded roast</a> and <a href="https://fieldroast.com/product/hazelnut-cranberry-roast-en-croute/">Field Roast hazelnut and cranberry</a>. You can also <a href="https://jessicainthekitchen.com/vegan-turkey-roast-recipe-plant-based-thanksgiving/#recipe">make your own</a>.    The hardest part of going meatless is not about the food (if it were, it might not be so hard to convince Americans to abandon parched roast turkey). “It’s about unpleasant truths and ethical disagreements being brought out into the open,” Levin said, about confronting the bizarre dissonance in celebrations of joy and giving carved from mass-produced violence.  These conversations are not easy, but they are worth having. And we don’t have to fear losing the rituals that define us as Americans. To the contrary, culture is a continuous conversation we have with each other about our shared values — and any culture that’s not changing is dead. There’s far more meaning to be had, I’ve found, in adapting traditions that are no longer authentic to our ethics and violate our integrity. We can start on Thanksgiving. <img src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/WAM4806.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,10.775619489401,100,78.448761021198" alt="Two turkeys eat greens and cranberries off of a Thanksgiving table outdoors surrounded by a human crowd" title="Two turkeys eat greens and cranberries off of a Thanksgiving table outdoors surrounded by a human crowd" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="Rescued turkeys at Farm Sanctuary, an organization in upstate New York that cares for rescued farm animals, feast on a banquet of fruits and vegetables on Thanksgiving. | Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals" data-portal-copyright="Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals" /> ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Allie Volpe</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Is it possible to have both pride and humility?]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/explain-it-to-me/388045/humility-pride-humble-empathy-how-to" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388045</id> <updated>2024-11-27T09:54:06-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T08:00:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Advice" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Even Better" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Explain It to Me" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Life" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Relationships" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[A Vox reader asks: What is humility? How can I become more aware of being humble, and why is pride always prevalent in us humans over humility? The concept of humility can be elusive in a culture that places a premium on (and even requires) constant self-aggrandizement. One who is truly humble might possess a […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="An illustration of hands reaching toward a heart. Yellow and blue flowers surround the hands." data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-1414073776.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> A Vox reader asks: What is humility? How can I become more aware of being humble, and why is pride always prevalent in us humans over humility? <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity" /> The concept of humility can be elusive in a culture that places a premium on (and even requires) <a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/2024/2/1/24056883/tiktok-self-promotion-artist-career-how-to-build-following">constant self-aggrandizement</a>. One who is truly humble might possess a graciousness despite their accomplishments, an openness to other ways of being and thinking. Encountering a humble person feels rare these days.  Political figures are rewarded for their hardheadedness and self-righteousness. In the workplace, those who tout their achievements are <a href="https://hbr.org/2022/09/when-it-comes-to-promotions-its-about-who-knows-you-not-who-you-know">more likely to be considered for promotions</a>. Arguments erupt — and drag on for days — on social media when people dig in their heels and fail to acknowledge others’ experiences. When admitting fault can feel so <a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/23198698/how-to-admit-youre-wrong">threatening to one’s sense of self</a>, some people have a hard time seeing themselves as fallible at all. Lately, it appears as if the person who screams the loudest and holds true to their convictions at all costs ultimately wins. Humility is still worth striving for, says <a href="https://hope.edu/directory/people/van-tongeren-daryl/index.html">Daryl Van Tongeren</a>, a professor of psychology at Hope College and author of <a href="https://hope.edu/directory/people/van-tongeren-daryl/index.html">Humble: Free Yourself from the Traps of a Narcissistic World</a>, but in the right amount. Too little humility and you become arrogant and unwilling to conceive of other points of view. Too much humility and you relinquish your power, status, and worth. The tricky part is finding the middle ground. <h2 class="wp-block-heading">What is humility in the first place?</h2> Van Tongeren defines humility as the “ability to know ourselves, check ourselves, and go beyond ourselves.” Humility requires self-awareness about your strengths and weaknesses and the power to reel in selfish impulses and the desire to be right. A humble person can identify when they’re wrong and accept blame without getting too defensive. They can also recognize others’ needs beyond their own.  Pride isn’t necessarily the inverse of humility. If you view pride as being vain or conceited, then yes, a person with those qualities likely lacks humility. But to be proud of your accomplishments and know your self-worth is more in line with humility than conceit. “Extremely humble people already know that they’re worthwhile,” Van Tongeren says. “They’re valued, they’re loved, they’re enough.”  Those who are secure in their self-worth often don’t seek the approval of others and may not be as defensive when given negative feedback. That comes across in nearly all aspects of their lives. “When we engage the world like that, our relationships get much better, our partners are much more likely to forgive us, they’re more committed to us,” Van Tongeren says. “We’re better citizens. We’re less likely to get defensive or aggressive when we interact with people who don’t share our ideological viewpoints, and we’re much more tolerant to people who don’t share our particular perspective on something.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Are you a humble person?</h2> It’s fairly difficult to gauge your own humility because people tend to think they’re more skilled, attractive, funny, and, yes, humble <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31789535/">than the average person</a>. The desire to see yourself in a positive light overwhelms any objectivity you might have into your own humility, Van Tongeren says: “This overly glowing representation of myself makes pride a natural default.” To get around these biases, Van Tongeren suggests getting a trusted person’s opinion — “On a scale of one to 10, how humble am I?” — and to try not to get defensive if you get an answer you don’t like.  Van Tongeren posed this same question to his wife after he spent a morning on his own pursuits, delaying their departure to the beach by over an hour. She gave him a four on the humility scale. “I’ve been researching this for a decade. I think about humility all the time,” he says, “and it’s still really hard for me. I still find myself falling into traps in which my selfishness takes over.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading">How can I work on being a little more humble? </h2> Once you have a somewhat objective starting point, one way to work on humility is to cultivate empathy, Van Tongeren says. That is, to sympathize with the feelings of another, even when you disagree with them, and to put yourself in their shoes to consider their perspective. Van Tongeren acknowledges this can be especially difficult in today’s social, cultural, and political climate when people tend to have ideologically rigid points of view. Still, try to give others the benefit of the doubt and try to acknowledge that they might be trying to be a good person, too.  A few ways to foster empathy and humility include diversifying your news sources and actively seeking out perspectives that differ from your own. Make an effort to interact with more people who hold these alternative views and attempt to understand their motivations or why they would hold these beliefs. “Try to understand,” Van Tongeren says, “what is it like to be them?” To maximize humility within your relationships, Van Tongeren suggests pausing and thinking about what would be best for the other person. Take time to truly listen to a friend or colleague, as <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2022-14503-001">listening increases humility</a>. “It helps you realize that it’s not all about you,” he says. You might also consider a time when you weren’t humble — like Van Tongeren’s thwarted beach plans — and how the situation went awry. Now you know what to avoid in similar scenarios.  Alternatively, if you’re in a relationship with an arrogant, self-centered person, humility might not be the virtue you need, Van Tongeren says. “They might take advantage of the fact that you’re regularly humble and [are] treating you poorly,” he says. “In some situations, maybe courage is a better virtue, or justice might be the virtue that needs to be prioritized” to either stand up to the person or walk away. Cultivating humility is an internal process, not one you can wish onto another person. So often, people who have historically been marginalized have been told to stay humble when they speak out against wrongdoing or seek a seat at the table. Women in particular are expected to be humble, and are <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/355682889_Women_pay_a_steeper_price_for_arrogance_Examining_presentation_style_gender_and_humility">considered arrogant when they share their accomplishments</a>. In that way, humility becomes a weapon. It’s not up to you to decide who most needs to be humbled, but instead to act with humility and hope others follow in kind. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Keren Landman, MD</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[How not to poison your loved ones during your big holiday feast]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/388293/safety-holiday-turkey-thanksgiving-christmas-food-kitchen" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388293</id> <updated>2024-11-27T10:19:50-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T07:30:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Culture" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Even Better" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Food" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Health" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Life" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Not to brag, but I’m pretty good in the kitchen; I love a complex pastry project, ferment things with relish (sorry), and am probably above-average at emulsifying a sauce. But there is one scenario involving cooking for others that strikes dread in my heart: getting them sick. I’m a doctor with specialty medical training in […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="CSA Images RF/Getty Images" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/GettyImages-97226430.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Not to brag, but I’m pretty good in the kitchen; I love a complex pastry project, ferment things with relish (sorry), and am probably above-average at emulsifying a sauce. But there is one scenario involving cooking for others that strikes dread in my heart: getting them sick. I’m a doctor with specialty medical training in infectious diseases and public health. If I prepared a meal that sent a crowd of my friends and loved ones running for the bathroom, I might never emerge from the shame hole. I thought I knew everything I needed to know about food safety to avoid eternal public humiliation. Still, as I came to understand while researching this story, even know-it-alls like me have a lot to learn about handwashing, cleaning surfaces and food, storing leftovers, and reducing non-germ risks. Thanksgiving, and the holidays more broadly, are different from other times of the year. People are preparing more dishes for more people than they typically would, says Ben Chapman, a food safety expert who leads the Agricultural and Human Sciences at North Carolina State University. The resulting chaos means less control in the kitchen — which often leads to higher risk for both cooks and eaters.  Here’s the stuff you need to sweat — and don’t — as you take on your next big holiday dinner. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Proper handwashing and drying is essential</h2> DO wash your hands – a lot. Raw whole turkeys are highly likely to be contaminated with germs that can make people sick, most commonly campylobacter and salmonella. The big risk of touching raw meat in the kitchen is that you’ll move those germs to surfaces that other people will also be touching a lot. That raises the chance people will get nasties on their hands — and in their mouths — even if they didn’t directly handle the thawing turkey. For that reason, Chapman recommends washing your hands more than you think you need to when preparing a meal for a lot of people. Clean your hands immediately after touching raw meat — and don’t forget that even a <a href="https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/poultry/turkey-basics-safe-thawing">partially thawed turkey can transmit germs</a>.  Plain soap and water works fine — it doesn’t have to be antimicrobial soap to do the job, but you do need to rub the skin <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/clean-hands/about/index.html">all over the hands</a> to get them really clean, including the backs of hands, between fingers, and under the nails. But the real shocker here, at least to me, was when Chapman told me alcohol-based hand sanitizers are actually better for most situations, even if you have watery turkey juice on your mitts. (One situation where sanitizer is inferior to soap: after touching lots of really fatty meat, like sausage or pork. In those situations, use soap to make sure you’re cutting through the grease to get at all the germs mixed in.) DON’T skip drying ’em. It’s not just the actual handwashing that’s important for removing germs from your fingers, Chapman says: Drying hands after washing removes up to 90 percent of the bacteria on the skin’s surface, so don’t ignore this important step. <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote>“I might go through 10 dish towels on Thanksgiving Day,” Chapman says.</blockquote></figure> There’s no need to waste tons of paper towels drying off. Chapman suggests keeping different dish towels in different parts of the kitchen for different purposes, if at all possible. For example: You could keep one “dirty” towel in a kitchen corner for drying off hands you’ve washed them after say, holding a raw turkey. On a hook elsewhere in the kitchen, you could keep a “clean” towel you use for wiping up sauce spills or other less germy messes.  Any system can easily break down when random people drift in and out of your kitchen while you’re cooking. It’s not a bad idea to just chuck used dish towels directly in the wash after mopping up spills of raw meat juices or drying off particularly gross hands. “I might go through 10 dish towels on Thanksgiving Day,” Chapman says. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Clean this, not that</h2> DON’T worry about washing your produce. Washing produce removes physical debris, like soil, sand, and dirt. However, it rarely removes germs that make people sick. The reason: When produce is contaminated with pathogens, they often attach just under the surface, within tiny pores in the fruit or vegetable that protect it from being washed away.  “Fresh produce, unfortunately for us, is our No. 1 source of foodborne illness in the US,” Chapman says. “And also unfortunately for us as consumers, by the time it gets to me, there’s very little I can do.” DO take special care if you’re going to wash your turkey. There’s no food safety reason to wash your turkey, but a lot of people like to anyway because of personal preference. Chapman prefers wiping debris off with a hand towel (which he then throws straight into the washing machine). However, if you opt to wash your turkey, he suggests being especially fastidious about cleaning your sink afterward. “The sink is a food preparation area,” Chapman says, as people often rinse lettuce or other vegetables in the sink, and water bouncing off a contaminated basin can splash pathogens onto food that does not later get cooked.  <figure class="wp-block-pullquote"><blockquote> If you’re a poultry washer, just make sure to clean and sanitize the sink afterward, including the bottom, sides, and rim around the basin.</blockquote></figure> So if you’re a poultry washer, just make sure to clean and sanitize the sink afterward, including the bottom, sides, and rim around the basin. DO frequently sanitize your kitchen counters and other surfaces. Because turkey is particularly high-risk for contamination with disease-causing germs, Chapman is “bleach forward” about sanitizing his kitchen’s surfaces on Thanksgiving, and he favors a pre-packaged bleach spray (like the ones made by Clorox or Lysol) for getting the job done. If you’re really worried about damaging clothes, “that’s part of the reason why aprons exist,” he says. However, you can also use sanitizers that contain quaternary ammonium, which is in most non-bleach <a href="https://www.lysol.com/products/disinfectant-spray/lysol-disinfectant-spray">disinfectant</a> <a href="https://smartlabel.labelinsight.com/product/6096689/ingredients">sprays</a>. As a bonus, it’s also easier on stainless steel and utensils — and alcohol-based cleaners are also quite good.  Just don’t mix different cleaners together or spray them on the same surface at the same time, as doing so can release toxic gases that can cause serious illnesses or even death. Whatever you choose, stick with it — at least for the day. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Check your temperatures</h2> DO cook your turkey (and whatever’s inside it) to 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Turkey and everything inside it should be heated to at least 165 degrees before serving to kill any disease-causing germs. It’s fine to cook stuffing on the inside as long as it reaches this temperature. Yes, doing this without turning out a dry turkey requires some finessing; Chapman roasts his stuffed bird at a lower temperature of 325 for a longer time and also strategically deploys foil.  DO keep your fridge cold enough. The right refrigerator temperature is cool enough to slow spoilage, but not so cold it freezes milk, lettuce, and other foods high in water content. Chapman sets his to 38 degrees, which he says keeps leftovers good for about a week. He suggests buying a cheap refrigerator thermometer to ensure yours has the perfect climate if it doesn’t have a built-in one you can calibrate.  DON’T bother cooling leftovers before refrigeration. The old rule about bringing leftovers to room temperature before putting them in the fridge is from a time of older refrigerators, when they occasionally allowed interior temperatures to rise above safe levels for food storage. Modern refrigerators don’t work that way, so feel free to put leftovers in the fridge while they’re still warm, Chapman says.  DON’T bother reheating leftovers, unless you want to. So long as food was cooked to the appropriate temperature at the time of your feast and was not left out on the counter for hours before refrigeration, there’s no need to reheat leftovers to any particular temperature. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Avoid toxins in your cookware and your air</h2> DO choose non-nonstick cookware and wood, silicone, or stainless steel cooking utensils. The best bet for cookware is to use products made of glass, stainless or carbon steel, or cast iron. That’s because <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/health/healthy-eating/how-to-choose-healthier-cookware-and-kitchen-tools-a6071339544/#:~:text=Good%20options%20include%20cookware%20made,and%20pie%20and%20cake%20pans.">a lot of nonstick cookware</a> is made with “<a href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/24135052/pfas-forever-chemicals-health-testing-exposure">forever chemicals</a>,” the shorthand term for per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) that have been linked with a range of cancers and other health conditions. Teflon is one of them, but there are other PFASes out there, and manufacturers aren’t always transparent about which of the broad panoply of these chemicals are or aren’t in their products. If you love nonstick cookware, a good bet is to use a pan with a ceramic coating. And if you end up using a nonstick pan coated either with Teflon or another PFAS, you can minimize the release of these chemicals by using only soft (e.g., non-metal) utensils when cooking, avoid heating it while empty, and wash them by hand using gentle cleansers and sponges. And for stirring whatever’s in your pot, it’s a better idea to use wood, silicone, or stainless steel rather than <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2024/10/black-plastic-spatula-flame-retardants/680452/">black plastic utensils</a>. There’s a chance — <a href="https://slate.com/technology/2024/11/black-plastic-spatula-chemicals-flame-retardants.html">albeit a small one</a> — these may be made from recycled electronic waste, so avoid them if you’re risk-averse. DO ventilate and filter your air while cooking — especially with gas. <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/23559852/gas-stove-myths-debunked">Gas stoves create a lot of pollutants</a>, which is why they typically must be installed with range hoods. Other kinds of cooking can also create pollutants — for example, cooking with nonstick pans, grilling, and frying.  Unfortunately, range hoods don’t always vent the air outdoors — sometimes, they just recirculate it inside. So if you’re cooking with gas, it’s a great idea to open a window and turn on a fan if you have those options, and a <a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/guide-air-cleaners-home">portable air purifier</a> can also help. A little knowledge can go a long way toward maximizing what makes hosting fun and minimizing the worry your feast will lead to a lifetime of dishonor. Go forth and feed your people! ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Li Zhou</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[Will Trump’s pick for labor secretary be able to act on her pro-union ideas?]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/politics/388384/trump-pro-union-labor-secretary-chavez-deremer" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388384</id> <updated>2024-11-27T10:42:04-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T06:30:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Donald Trump" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Politics" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), is a pro-union Republican, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Trump’s administration will be pro-worker. Although Cabinet secretaries can do their best to influence the commander-in-chief, they ultimately have to execute on the president’s policies, multiple labor experts told Vox. If they disagree with the […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="Three people sitting talking at a table." data-caption="Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer participates in a local round table in Oregon City, Oregon, on October 9, 2024. | Jordan Gale/Washington Post via Getty Images " data-portal-copyright="Jordan Gale/Washington Post via Getty Images " data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/gettyimages-2179792678.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption>Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer participates in a local round table in Oregon City, Oregon, on October 9, 2024. | Jordan Gale/Washington Post via Getty Images </figcaption> </figure> President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for labor secretary, Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-OR), is a pro-union Republican, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Trump’s administration will be pro-worker. Although Cabinet secretaries can do their best to influence the commander-in-chief, they ultimately have to execute on the president’s policies, multiple labor experts told Vox. If they disagree with the president — especially if they refuse to implement a new policy — there’s a high likelihood that they’d be removed from that position.  Given Trump’s infamous <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/28/politics/trump-face-healthcare/index.html">lack of interest in details</a>, he may give Chavez-DeRemer latitude with the daily tasks of the agency. That means Chavez-DeRemer could shift the agency in a more pro-worker direction in the regular operations she’ll oversee. Any major rule changes, however, are likely to need the backing of the president.  As a result, it’s not evident that having a labor secretary more supportive of unions will translate to concrete protections in favor of workers if Trump himself isn’t on board. In its first term, the Trump administration took a decidedly <a href="https://www.vox.com/2024-elections/23893648/trump-autoworkers-uaw-strike-detroit-michigan-republican-debate">anti-worker stance</a>, undoing <a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/03/trumps-worker-safety-regulations-protections-unions-806008">workplace safety regulations</a> and <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2024/10/30/trump-reduced-access-to-overtime-project-2025-would-go-further/75795188007/">curtailing overtime protections</a>. If the president-elect chooses to do the same in his second term, Chavez-DeRemer would have little recourse but to implement his policies or face the consequences. “One thing to keep in mind is that the secretaries serve at the pleasure of the president. … It is not an independent role,” says Heidi Shierholz, a former chief economist in the Labor Department during the Obama administration and the president of the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think tank. “There’s a real, very clear restriction on how far they can go, away from what Trump and his key advisers want.” <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Trump’s pick is more pro-labor than he is</h2> Chavez-DeRemer, a first-term Congress member from a swing district in Oregon, lost a tight race for reelection in 2024.  She has a <a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/11/25/trump-labor-secretary-lori-chavez-remer-unions-uber-mcdonalds">solid pro-worker record</a> that differs notably from many of the positions Trump has previously backed. Chavez-DeRemer is one of just five House Republicans who supported the <a href="https://www.vox.com/22319838/house-passes-pro-act-unions">Protecting the Right to Organize Act</a>, a bill that would expand workers’ ability to unionize that <a href="https://apnews.com/article/3c776a12a97468341bcfe8178638f127">Trump’s White House</a> advisers <a href="https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/SAP_HR-2474.pdf">recommended he veto</a>. She also backed the <a href="https://www.hirono.senate.gov/news/press-releases/hirono-cartwright-introduce-legislation-to-strengthen-rights-of-public-sector-workers-to-join-unions-bargain-collectively">Public Service Freedom to Negotiate Act</a>, legislation that shields public sector workers’ ability to unionize, which conservatives have also chafed against. And she voted against a GOP effort to overturn a Biden administration labor rule related to workers’ retirement savings, <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/pro-union-labor-chief-pick-to-navigate-unusual-confirmation-path">Bloomberg Law reports</a>. “Unions aren’t the enemy of small businesses, they’re a partner,” Chavez-DeRemer, who is the daughter of a Teamsters union member, previously said in a House Education and the Workforce Committee meeting, acknowledging that she’s in the “minority” in her party. During her 2024 House race, Chavez-DeRemer picked up the support of more than 20 local unions in her area, though her Democratic opponent garnered the backing of some of the larger national ones. “She’s got more labor union endorsements than any Republican I’ve ever seen in my life,” <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/11/22/trump-picks-oregon-u-s-rep-chavez-deremer-for-labor-secretary/">House Speaker Mike Johnson</a> (R-LA) said during a Chavez-DeRemer <a href="https://oregoncapitalchronicle.com/2024/10/25/house-speaker-mike-johnson-rallies-republicans-to-vote-for-chavez-deremer-in-oregon-city/">campaign event in Oregon City</a>.  Because of her track record, Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination was heavily cheered by Sean O’Brien, the head of the Teamsters, <a href="https://www.politico.com/live-updates/2024/11/19/congress/obriens-pick-for-labor-secretary-00190495">who’d reportedly urged Trump</a> to choose her for the role. “Thank you<a href="https://x.com/realDonaldTrump"> @realDonaldTrump</a> for putting American workers first by nominating Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer for US Labor Secretary,” <a href="https://x.com/TeamsterSOB/status/1860118006820479289">O’Brien said in a post on X</a>. “You put words into action.” While Chavez-DeRemer has been more supportive of unions than most Republicans, her overall record is nuanced: She was given a 10 percent rating by the AFL-CIO for her 2023 House votes, with the union dinging her <a href="https://aflcio.org/scorecard/legislators/lori-chavez-deremer">on votes she took on policies</a> that could harm recipients of unemployment insurance and that would allow employers more leeway in the types of health care plans they offer.  “There’s the whole world of all of the other employment rights, minimum wage, overtime, [Equal Employment Opportunity] rights, paycheck equity, and paid leave. And she hasn’t co-sponsored any of those bills,” Judy Conti, the government affairs director for the National Employment Law Project, told Vox.  Despite this, though, she still has marked differences from Trump.  “This record stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s anti-worker, anti-union record, and his extreme Project 2025 agenda that would gut workplace protections, make it harder for workers to unionize, and diminish the voice of working people,” National Education Association President <a href="https://www.nea.org/about-nea/media-center/press-releases/nea-reacts-lori-chavez-deremer-selection-labor-secretary">Becky Pringle said in a statement. </a> During his first administration, Trump proposed a number of anti-worker rules including allowing <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/employers-would-pocket-workers-tips-under-trump-administrations-proposed-tip-stealing-rule/">servers’ management to take more of their tips</a> and allowing <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-fight-for-workers-fought-for-business-lobbies-instead_n_6582109be4b0e142c0bfb54d">companies more leeway for wage theft</a>. He’s spoken <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-and-musk-discussed-firing-striking-workers-the-uaw-is-now-seeking-an-nlrb-investigation">about firing workers who are on strike</a>, a practice that’s often illegal, in favorable terms. And he’s complained about how much he hated paying his <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/oct/23/trump-anti-worker-union-statements">own employees overtime.</a>  <h2 class="wp-block-heading">It’s not clear Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination will make a policy difference </h2> Chavez-DeRemer’s nomination may not make a significant policy difference if the president-elect chooses to pursue the same types of labor policies he championed during his first term.  Because the president has expansive influence over the policies that agencies roll out, secretaries often have to implement the rules that they are asked to, even if they disagree with them. As <a href="https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2013/11/locked-in-the-cabinet-099374/">Politico</a> has detailed, secretaries can be “marginalized” by the administrations they’re in, and even rarely consulted for their advice.  “If a Cabinet secretary disagrees with an executive action, they have decision-making autonomy, but they likely would face strong White House pressure to resign,” says Meena Bose, the dean of public policy at Hofstra University.  If confirmed as a member of his Cabinet, Chavez-DeRemer would be able to use her platform and position to try to influence Trump and elevate workers’ demands. Whether she might be able to institute concrete policy changes, however, will likely depend on Trump’s openness to such ideas. The same would be the case in the event of a strike. The labor secretary can play a <a href="https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/walsh-meets-rail-unions-carriers-ahead-of-agreement-deadline">role in mediating high-profile disputes</a>, like <a href="https://www.vox.com/labor-jobs/375238/dock-workers-ila-usmx-shipping-supply-chain-economy-strike">the dock workers’ strike in 2024</a> or the <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2022/9/14/23353627/railroad-strike-updates-2022-amtrak-unions-congress">rail workers’ strike in 2022</a>. Acting Labor Secretary Judy Su was able to engage in negotiations for the dock workers’ strike only because President Joe Biden allowed her to, however. Chavez-DeRemer could use her perch to advise Trump in the case of future strikes, but her involvement in ending them would depend on whether he supports her being involved. If confirmed, Chavez-DeRemer could have other technical ways to influence policy. One such avenue could be through the labor secretary’s oversight of the Office of Labor and Management Standards, which has been leveraged by Republican administrations in the past to subject unions to extraordinary administrative scrutiny, says Conti. It’s possible Chavez-DeRemer could direct the office not to target unions in this way. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a separate entity from the Labor Department, will also play a major role in establishing policies for unions and organizing. So, Trump’s staffing for NLRB could also be a notable factor in shaping the administration’s approach toward labor.   Overall, however, experts told Vox that Cabinet secretaries only have so much leeway to break with their administration. As a result, Trump’s decision to select a more pro-worker labor secretary could be more of a messaging maneuver than a substantive one. ]]> </content> </entry> <entry> <author> <name>Keren Landman, MD</name> </author> <title type="html"><![CDATA[America is incredibly polarized. It’s bad for our health.]]></title> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.vox.com/even-better/388130/polarization-political-partisan-health-rfk-jr" /> <id>https://www.vox.com/?p=388130</id> <updated>2024-11-27T11:55:38-05:00</updated> <published>2024-11-27T06:00:00-05:00</published> <category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Even Better" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Health" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Life" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Politics" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Public Health" /><category scheme="https://www.vox.com" term="Trump Administration" /> <summary type="html"><![CDATA[Americans have never been more polarized, and we dislike each other on partisan grounds now more than ever. Perhaps that’s not shocking, but what may come as a surprise is the way it’s hurting our health. “Political polarization is harming our health in just about every way,” says Matthew Motta, a political scientist and health […]]]></summary> <content type="html"> <![CDATA[ <figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.vox.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/Healthcare_US_04.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption></figcaption> </figure> Americans have never been more polarized, and we <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03307-w">dislike each other on partisan grounds</a> <a href="https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/09/polarization-democracy-and-political-violence-in-the-united-states-what-the-research-says?lang=en">now more than ever</a>. Perhaps that’s not shocking, but what may come as a surprise is the way it’s hurting our health. “Political polarization is harming our health in just about every way,” says <a href="https://www.bu.edu/sph/profile/matthew-motta/">Matthew Motta</a>, a political scientist and health law scholar who studies anti-science attitudes at Boston University — and “pretty much all aspects of health have become politicized.” That leads elected officials and other authority figures to <a href="https://www.publichealth.columbia.edu/news/political-polarization-poses-health-risks-new-analysis-concludes">make bad health policy decisions</a> and communicate with the public in ways that link health behavior with partisan ideology. A public that sees everything through a red-or-blue lens is more likely to <a href="https://www.kff.org/health-misinformation-and-trust/poll-finding/the-covid-19-pandemic-insights-from-three-years-of-kff-polling/">distrust experts</a>, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2014/5/12/5709866/kentuckians-only-hate-obamacare-if-you-call-it-obamacare">dislike policies with clear health benefits</a>, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/18/upshot/pandemic-school-closures-data.html">embrace policies</a> with <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10569389/">clear health risks</a>, and <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2021/4/26/22403599/biden-red-meat-ban-burger-kudlow">make self-destructive choices</a>. These dynamics aren’t exclusive to a single party, says <a href="https://as.nyu.edu/faculty/jay-van-bavel.html">Jay Van Bavel</a>, a psychologist at New York University who studies social identity and morality: Nobody is immune from the tricks polarization plays on the brain. That makes this a particularly interesting time to be thinking about how polarization affects the decisions we make about our health. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — one of the US’s most influential leadership roles in health — isn’t just an anti-vaccine advocate with a shaky grasp on science. He’s also a <a href="https://www.vox.com/health/385541/rfk-jr-trump-hhs-vaccines-fluoride">partisan shapeshifter</a>: A scion of one of America’s most consequential Democratic dynasties, he ran for president as a Democrat, only to endorse Trump as the Republican candidate later in the campaign.  Furthermore, his distrust of institutions is something Americans across the political spectrum share, and his concern about chronic diseases and the deleterious influences of the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries on health is something many health authorities agree with. Experts say elevating Kennedy’s platform lifts up his worst ideas, and that may prove to be true. But given polarization’s threats, it’s worth considering whether his nomination could also depolarize public health — for good and for ill. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Polarization leads us to make bad health choices</h2> <a href="https://www.med.unc.edu/socialmed/directory/jonathan-oberlander/">Jonathan Oberlander</a>, a political scientist and health policy scholar at the University of North Carolina, recently published an <a href="https://read.dukeupress.edu/jhppl/article/49/3/329/387231/Polarization-Partisanship-and-Health-in-the-United">essay</a> explaining how political polarization degrades people’s health through its effects on both individuals and elected officials. Political polarization <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-024-03307-w">shapes how people interpret risk</a> and who they trust and listen to, which shapes what health services they access and what behaviors they partake in or don’t. This dynamic was a big reason Covid death rates so <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2807617">dramatically diverged</a> between Republicans and Democrats: Party affiliation determined people’s willingness to get vaccinated, wear masks, social distance, and take other preventive measures, says Oberlander. Republicans were less likely to take these measures, and more likely to die of Covid as a consequence.  <div class="wp-block-vox-media-highlight vox-media-highlight"> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">2 ways to depolarize your mind</h2> 1) Unfollow hyperpartisan people on social media. Jay Van Bavel’s research suggests <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/384601678_Unfollowing_hyperpartisan_social_media_influencers_durably_reduces_out-party_animosity">removing the most inflammatory voices from your feed</a> will make you hate people with opposing political views less. In his experiments, unfollowing outrage-mongers was such a positive experience that most participants opted not to refollow them after the trial period was over. “It’s like removing a tumor,” he says. 2) Do less <a href="https://www.vox.com/2020/3/11/21172064/politics-is-for-power-eitan-hersh-the-ezra-klein-show">political hobbyism</a> and more IRL engagement. Rather than treating politics as a sport — cheering for your “team” online, trolling people, making memes to post to social media — do some of the face-to-face work of politics, says Van Bavel. Knock on doors, talk to voters, and generally move away from emotional catharsis and toward cooperation and collaboration. It helps remind you that, behind our politics, all of us are just people. </div> Highly polarized individuals are more likely to make self-sabotaging health choices just because “their guy” tells them to. This was true when right-leaning Americans embraced taking the antiparasite drugs <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2809985">ivermectin and hydrochloroquine</a> for Covid (despite their adverse effects and cost) and <a href="https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1086/719918">refused Covid vaccines</a> (despite evidence they were safe and saved lives), and when left-of-center Americans leaned into social distancing (despite concerns it was <a href="https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9180779/">harmful to mental health</a>).  Polarized people are also more likely to reject policies that they feel might help people on the opposing side. The rise in what Motta calls “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/pops.12922">partisan schadenfreude</a>” means that people are increasingly taking pleasure in the suffering of people in other parties. During Covid, he explains, “Republicans took joy in Democrats losing their jobs as a result of stay-at-home orders, whereas Democrats take joy in Republicans getting sick as a result of being infected.”  Although left-wing Americans were more likely to take Covid’s risks seriously, Van Bavel notes Republicans outpaced Democrats on Ebola fears throughout the 2014 outbreak, during Barack Obama’s presidency. “It’s not that Democrats in America have a unique capacity to be attuned to the science and the risks of epidemics and pandemics,” he says; it’s that polarized people on the left and the right distrust the other party’s ability to handle any health threat. Polarization is also creeping into our relationships with health care providers. A recent <a href="https://www.edelman.com/trust/2024/trust-barometer/special-report-health">survey</a> by communications firm Edelman found people feared the politicization of medical science as much as they feared the cost of medical care; 41 percent of respondents aged 18 to 34 said they wouldn’t trust medical advice from a provider who had a different political persuasion than they did, or would stop seeing them entirely.  Health care workers — <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/608903/ethics-ratings-nearly-professions-down.aspx">nurses</a> in particular, as well as dentists, doctors, and pharmacists — have historically been among the most trusted sources of health information for Americans. What happens when politics disrupts that bond, especially when health care workers are in <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy/23753724/physician-doctor-shortage-primary-care-medicare-medicaid-rural-health-care-access">short</a> <a href="https://www.vox.com/22934992/covid-19-pandemic-doctors-nurses-public-health-shortages">supply</a>? On the most essential level, polarization just makes people feel sick. Whether people are conservative or liberal, the mere perception of being politically distant from the average voter in their state raises their risk of developing <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953621003087">depression and anxiety disorders, sleep problems</a>, and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36712795/">poor physical health</a>. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Politicians and institutions could help depolarize public health </h2> We’re trapped in a perilous feedback loop with our elected officials that only amplifies our polarization. When politicians espouse views on the extreme ends of their party’s platforms, it helps the public figure out their own stances on the issues, Motta says, “because they know which party they like, they know which candidates they like, and they take up their positions on the issues.” If a politician you like favors an extreme approach to policing, to firearms regulation, to health insurance, you might too without even knowing why.  Our tendency to take up the most radical opinions of popular elected officials has an enhancing effect. “Very perniciously and kind of paradoxically, once the public starts to polarize, that then creates an incentive for elites to polarize even further,” Motta says. That’s how we get into the kind of runaway polarization cycle we’re in right now. One of the most powerful ways elected officials could reduce polarization is to publicly change their minds on high-profile health issues, Motta says. “If you can get partisan elites who normally hold positions at odds with the science to admit they’re wrong, to change their minds,” he says, people depolarize, “but it’s so hard to do because our elected officials never want to admit that they’re wrong.” People often can’t agree on which messengers they trust to communicate that it’s possible to change your mind, but that’s a barrier that can be overcome with some creativity. In a 2022 working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, political scientists attempting to convince right-leaning Americans to take Covid vaccines compiled a 27-second video of <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w29896">Trump’s positive comments</a> about the vaccine and circulated it as a YouTube ad in low-vaccination counties. Vaccination in those counties increased. The example shows “there’s no one-size-fits-all” when it comes to public health messaging, says <a href="https://www.bu.edu/sph/profile/timothy-callaghan/">Tim Callaghan</a>, a political scientist who studies health policy at Boston University with a focus on overcoming vaccine hesitancy. Public health authorities need to use different health communications — and different trusted messengers — to target Democrats and Republicans. <h2 class="wp-block-heading has-text-align-none">Could a polarizing pick for HHS secretary depolarize public health? </h2> And then there’s Robert F. Kennedy Jr.  Yes, he has leaned heavily into deeply unscientific takes on vaccines, fluoride, and the causes of gender dysphoria, mass shootings, and AIDS. However, his Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) platform also correctly calls out the US’s <a href="https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2023/jan/us-health-care-global-perspective-2022">terrible record</a> on preventing diabetes, heart disease, and unhealthy weight.  Much as <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/4891813-robert-kennedy-jr-chronic-disease/">nutritional experts</a> do, he blames these problems on too-cozy relationships between the agriculture sector and the federal government, resulting in permissive policies and dietary guidelines that promote easy access to lots of ultra-processed foods.  A recovering addict himself — Kennedy used heroin for 14 years and says he attends a 12-step meeting daily — he also speaks credibly about the challenges of <a href="https://www.latimes.com/politics/story/2024-06-20/robert-kennedy-addict-reform-plans">substance use disorders</a> and has advocated for increasing Medicaid funding for rehabilitation programs, much as the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2024/02/26/biden-harris-administration-announces-new-funding-to-increase-capacity-for-behavioral-health-services.html">Biden-Harris administration did</a>. He is also <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/presidential-candidates-2024-policies-issues/robert-kennedy-jr-abortion/">in favor of abortion rights</a>. Although people who work in public health might see their goals as nonpartisan, the general public <a href="https://harvardpublichealth.org/policy-practice/public-health-needs-to-reform-heres-the-way-forward/">correctly</a> perceives public health as an <a href="https://sandrogalea.substack.com/p/whos-left">exercise in progressive politics</a>. Since rolling out his MAHA platform in September, Kennedy has been trying to position himself as a true independent: An early graphic on his now-revamped website read, “Left isn’t better. Right isn’t better. Better is better.” Now that Trump has anointed him, Kennedy’s nomination could present an opportunity to de-link public health from any one political party’s identity. That could be a good thing if he advocates for changes that benefit the public’s health but that have historically had more support from the mainstream left than the right, like increasing access to health care and decreasing environmental contamination. However, it could be a bad thing if his support for anti-vaccination and anti-fluoridation, associated with both far-right and far-left ideology, legitimizes those causes in the eyes of more moderate members of the public.  Health communicators have a role to play in that, whatever their politics, says <a href="https://hlanthorn.com/">Heather Lanthorn</a> of the <a href="https://qualityhealthcommunication.org/">Council for Quality Health Communications</a>, a nonprofit advocacy group. “On the numerous points where we disagree with MAHA, we need to do a better job of leveraging scientific evidence and addressing their specific concerns honestly, openly, and head-on,” she wrote in an email to Vox. Jared Polis, the Democratic governor of Colorado, may have had bridge-building in mind when he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/17/opinion/jared-polis-robert-kennedy-democrats.html">praised</a> Trump’s choice of Kennedy last week, applauding Kennedy’s activism against vaccine mandates and, in particular, his willingness to take on the pharmaceutical and agricultural industries.  Not everyone is as optimistic. Seeing Kennedy’s selection as an “olive branch” suggests a complete misunderstanding of his value to Trump, says Motta.  “Kennedy is in Trump’s orbit,” he says, “because they speak the same anti-intellectual language.” Some Democrats may fantasize that Kennedy’s presence at HHS would raise trust in science and government among Republicans.  However, there’s at least as big a risk his leadership would instead affirm conservatives’ misgivings while also seeding new distrust among Democrats and centrists who typically have higher levels of confidence in these institutions — just furthering the polarization health doom loop. ]]> </content> </entry> </feed>