Events Like Brexit Happen When We Check Out

With the way our political discourse has declined post-9/11, I'm not surprised about Brexit. People in the West are more analytical and more hardened with the political discussions we do and don't have. Analytical as in data-driven, but also as in more calculating and selfish. We've had a post-World War II consensus - more pluralism, more multilateralism, more inclusion, more mobility - but that consensus has been fraying for years. We didn't really see that (or didn't care) until the Great Recession and Brexit was the unfortunate moment where the resentments and frustrations of the British public could be leveled against global institutions and norms that they're alienated from.

The idea (or hope) that we're all in this together has been undermined by knowledge of issues like the makeup of our armed forces during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and how the burdens of that war have been more visceral for certain families and certain communities. The idea that there's always an opportunity to move up has been undermined by what Americans think of income inequality and the reality. When less than 70 people have as much wealth as over 3 billion people, what can empowerment or equality of opportunity even look like? And even if you didn't know that, you can feel that it's harder just to maintain your quality of life, let alone increase it. And no, hustling just a little more - resume edits, coffee chats, and mock interviews included - doesn’t lead to work that you like, work that you're good at, and work that pays well. How many people can claim all three? How many people even hope for all three anymore? With advice like this, not many.

The Limits & Signals of Male Sexuality #1: A Black Man Under Seige in the NFL?

I stumbled upon news today that NFL player Odell Beckham, Jr. is planning to room with Drake while Drake completes his “Views from the 6” album. My first thought was Why does Google care that I know this? but after looking up Beckham, I saw why this would be reported on. It seems that people think Beckham is some kind of fugitive from the norms of how black men should behave and The Internet is intent on catching him in the act. To what end - A confession? A fight? A breakdown? - I don’t know, but I guess the only thing that matters is that Beckham do it publicly.

This isn't the first time accusations like these have been leveled against a man of color in the public eye, but this instance stands out because of the timing and tone of the accusations and the behavior that prompted them.

Timing: Now that we have several examples of professional athletes identifying as LGBT, there should be no reason to assume that anyone is straight or gay based on how they present themselves (or how we perceive them). The signals of straightness are as varied and misleading as the signals of queerness, so the subtext of the accusations against Beckham - "Real men don't do that" or "Athletes shouldn’t do that" - is unfounded. Is someone like Ray Rice a better or "realer" man than Beckham because the spouse he abused is female? Is Caitlyn Jenner more of a man than most men because she was married several times and fathered six children from three different women? Or is it that Jenner is less of man because she was was married as Bruce for over twenty years but didn't cheat? The rules for proper behavior as a man are not consistent, so violating those rules are too easy. And when so many men are accused of any number of "suspect" behaviors, maybe it's time to moderate what we consider suspicious.