I had a moment on the Pivot Podcast
that I didn't even know
it was an emotional moment
because it just breezed by.
On that show, they encourage
you to like pick winners
and losers in business
and tech and politics,
and what have you.
And I was kind of scrambling.
I didn't-- been paying attention to a lot,
I wasn't like looking at all
the S-1 filings this week
to pick a corporate winner.
So I spoke from just
here and I shared with
my IG live people, you may
remember little neighbor girl.
Little neighbor girl who
noticed my new sneakers
a few weeks ago.
And she enthusiastically
greeted me by name,
"Baratunde! Are those new shoes?"
(laughs)
The joy of just remembering that moment.
And so I shouted out little neighbor girl,
without outing her name because, you know,
again, unlike many of the platforms
I'm streaming on right
now, I respect her privacy.
And I got asked some
questions about it later,
actually by a reporter,
you'll probably see a piece written,
who knows what gets cut or not,
so I'll just tell you
some of what happened.
She asked, why was it
so meaningful to you?
Why was that like a profound moment
for like a little neighbor girl
to recognize your different shoes.
And...
This was a little white girl
who knows how to say my
name properly, Baratunde.
She like greets me enthusiastically.
And when she saw me,
she saw the one thing
to her that mattered,
that was different: my shoes.
My shoes stood out to her.
And she put it in the--
did you get new shoes?
Why yes, little neighbor girl, I did,
thank you for noticing the
most important part of me.
We live in the same neighborhood,
much like many of us
live in the same nation.
Yet many of us feel
invisible on a regular basis.
Unseen, unheard, unrespected,
unloved, unprotected.
Never more than during a pandemic
when the top of our government
throws up his hands and says,
"This isn't even a threat,
it's fake, it's a hoax.
"Don't forget that."
With all the brainwashing
and all the propaganda
and all the bullshit from
this week, none of it matters.
None of those stories matter.
None of the petty use of the term Democrat
instead of Democratic matters.
The Democrat party, you
petty, small minded plebe.
No, what matters is you had one job.
To protect us and you failed.
And we're at 180,000 people
unseen, unheard, unloved,
unprotected, invisible,
gone in their own country.
And within that invisibility
there is further invisibility.
People who walk around
unseen, unheard, unprotected,
unloved until someone notices us.
And when they notice us, they don't notice
our sweet, new kicks.
They don't notice how we're flexing
on this dope turquoise on our feet.
No, they notice the story in their head
where we're a threat to them.
And they call the police and
try to reign down hell on us.
This little neighbor girl reminded me
that I'm a fucking human being.
And this is a very difficult
week to remember that
because this place keeps
trying to remind us
of something else.
And we have to assert for ourselves
that we exist, that we matter,
that we are deserving
of love and protection
and acknowledgement and attention
for reasons other than fear.
This Republican party,
this Weimar Republic,
this Vichy regime is
undeserving of this land.
They dishonor all sacrifice
that has come before,
voluntary and forced.
They insult the founders and the documents
that we have failed,
but tried to live up to.
They render too many of us invisible
and they lack legitimacy,
and we must remove them from power.
We must. This is not a game.
There are no guarantees in this.
There is no guarantee that
we live in a Republic,
that we have a functioning democracy.
That norms are adhered to,
much less laws and rules.
They do not care.
In the week when 180,000 of us are dead,
that we have counted,
they insult their memories by hosting
a super-spreading viral event on our land,
in our building at our expense.
Are you fucking kidding me?
We do not get to treat
this like another election.
This is not that year, we
are not playing that game.
Everyone on that lawn
is complicit in undermining this Republic.
They have declared themselves
against this constitution
and they have co-signed on
this criminal organization
known as a family that has no right
telling anybody about law and order.
Are you kidding me?
You walking violation of the Hatch Act
and everything else, are you kidding me?
You tax-dodging, philandering,
non-vendor-paying
cheat of a family.
Your charities are cheats.
Your businesses are cheats.
Your soul is decrepit
and corrupt of integrity
at this stage in the game.
You don't get to lecture
me about law and order.
Your existence is chaos.
This was not normal.
This is not regular shit.
We are not in regular order.
So get your minds right.
This isn't a, "Oh should
I, maybe I should vote.
Maybe I should t--
Maybe you should inhale.
(inhaling)
Does that feel voluntary to you?
Or is it essential to your survival?
(exhaling)
