According to 2024 GSS data from @norc.org, social trust among Americans has dropped 5-6 percentage points in the 2020s. Only 1 in 4 Americans now say "Most people can be trusted." Race continues to be the most significant factor, with White trust declining and non-White trust even more rare.

I have decided to end The Plural of You podcast—for real this time. There are several reasons why I’m ending it, mostly because I think I’ve reached the ceiling of what I can do with it. Before I go, I thought I’d share the conversation that shaped my beliefs about helping people the most.

Trump's military parade has sponsors including Coinbase and the UFC. Yes, I'm sure my grandfathers served specifically to prop up the corporatocracy we have today. Thank you, Mr. Trump.

The Black Lives Matter / "Defund the police" protests in 2020 had no effect on police budgets in Democrat cities but *increased* those budgets in Republican cities—the opposite of what they were going for. Yikes. doi.org/10.1093/socp...

We shouldn’t need to supplement our social safety nets with things like Little Free Pantries, but here we are. Alex Forsythe, who stewards these pantries, sees a world where everyone has their needs met. We all rely on people like her to catch us when we fall through society’s cracks.

I’d like to introduce you to Alex Forsythe. With social safety nets stripped, where can people in need turn to? Alex shares her experience with a network of Little Free Pantries in Alabama. Check out our conversation in my monthly newsletter.

I can't believe caring about Palestinian children is now considered anti-Semitic. What a world we live in.

I've been writing an encyclopedia of American social issues because I haven't seen one written since the 1990s. I'm up to 420 (heh) social issues affecting Americans and have written entries for about a third of them. Below is a preview of my list, broken into 11 categories.

@pewresearch.org published a data-rich essay about social trust among Americans. They point to education, income, and geography as primary factors in the decline of trust. Their state-by-state map is also something I haven't seen before. Interesting and well done.

Here's an article related to my recent writing on toxic empathy. Just bewildering.

@roderickstruth.bsky.social isn't just wise. He's also humble, especially when talking about his book. 😅 You can hear the whole conversation this month on The Plural of You.

@roderickstruth.bsky.social is a wise person. Being prepared doesn’t mean giving up all of your comforts to be an activist. It means starting with what you have to help the people around you, especially your loved ones and neighbors. Roderick’s book, Starting Somewhere, is full of wisdom like this.

I’d like to introduce you to @roderickstruth.bsky.social. He’s a community organizer from Binghamton, New York. He also wrote a new book titled Starting Somewhere: Community Organizing for Socially Awkward People Who’ve Had Enough. My chat with Roderick is in my newsletter and podcast.

I wrote recently about how "toxic empathy" is spreading in American culture. Looks like coverage of the issue is picking up steam.

What is the meaning of life? 15 possible answers – from a palliative care doctor, a Holocaust survivor, a jail inmate and more

I recently stumbled onto what I call a "Toxic Empathy" movement in our society, led by Elon Musk. Musk and other far-right grifters are pushing the narrative that empathy is no longer a desirable skill. I couldn't shake my disgust, so I wrote a blog post about it.

“We all have privilege,” @melaniehood-wilson.bsky.social told me. She said it is the “height of arrogance” to assume we don’t. Some have labelled privilege a dirty word. For us as empathetic people, it shouldn’t be. Being aware of what advantages you may have can help you help others.

I’d like to introduce you to @melaniehood-wilson.bsky.social. She consults on programs and projects around the country that relate to teaching, learning, diversity, equity, and inclusion. My full conversation with Melanie is available in my monthly newsletter and podcast, The Plural of You.

I'm in shock. I've gone down the rabbit hole of the "toxic empathy" subculture online and I don't want to believe it. Empathy as positive skill seems to be under attack. For all the talk about America's decline, I'd say the labeling of empathy as a bad thing would put us on the fast track.

My old USB mic of 10 years died. Time for an upgrade.

Latest newsletter: The New Old Racism. Eight years after our "Seeing White" series, whiteness is still a helluva drug -- and a powerful tool for Trump 2.0. @chenjerai.bsky.social buttondown.com/KeepingScOR/...

Climate change is here. If only it was this cute. ☠️ #illustration #climatechange #kittenlove

Where do people publish long-form writing these days? Medium was the place 10-12 years ago but they seem to have fallen off.

I was told I was selected for a job today! Except federal funding was cut and now they're in a hiring freeze. 😡

I've been on the Internet for almost 30 years at this point. I would argue lasagnacat is where it all peaked.

This.

I’d like to introduce you to David Burton. He’s a community development specialist near Springfield, Missouri, and one of the Midwest’s foremost neighboring experts. Check out my conversation with David below in my monthly newsletter and podcast, The Plural of You.

But the shareholders! 🙄

A sacred place in Memphis and my favorite museum. I wish it wasn't necessary, but I hope America will preserve it through these dark times.

Checking out ice cream, I mean Memphis.

"The State of the Nation Project is a comprehensive and objective national progress report assessing how we are doing as a country." Great dashboard. Reminds me of the work at @usafacts.org.

Rev. Charlotte Cramer is booting up her Substack. She is so kind and wise. If you're looking for a helper to root for, she's a good one to follow.

Humankind: A Hopeful History by @rutgerbregman.com dismantles the conventional wisdom that humans are all selfish first and foremost. It confirms a lot of my values—and my biases—about people with evidence. It's going to be one of my favorite books for years to come.

"Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping." —Nancy McFeely Rogers

Great thread! Thanks to @onegooddeedfund.bsky.social for sharing it.

Like we discussed in this month's episode of The Plural of You, the loneliness "epidemic" is not what it seems. Nice to see Dr. Claude S. Fischer quoted in this piece.

My wife makes awesome artwork. I'm so proud of her.

What I'm doing with my life isn't working at the moment, but at least I've learned how to be kind to myself regardless.

Divide it between supports for women's rights and advocacy for free universal school meals, then start a local equivalent to the ONE Good Deed Fund from Burlington, Vermont. onegooddeedfund.org

“‘Nice’ doesn’t sell ads,” writes Rutger Bregman, Dutch journalist, author, and historian. Yes, it’s good to be informed, but the news is like sugar: we have to be cautious about over-indulging. This year, I’m going on a news diet. I hope you’ll give it a try with me.

The loneliness epidemic isn't what it seems. Dr. Claude S. Fischer at UC Berkeley talks with me about how the current "epidemic" doesn't meet epidemic criteria, and that the current scare is the most recent in a long history of loneliness scares. Check out my newsletter for my chat with Claude.

Here's my favorite quote from this month's episode of The Plural of You. Thanks to Laura Hale of the ONE Good Deed Fund for coming on again. "[Our lack of care for others] has never been a deficit of information. It's a deficit of empathy."

This month's edition of my newsletter is out. In it you'll find: * My conversation with Laura Hale, Founder and President of the ONE Good Deed Fund in Burlington, Vermont. My first returning podcast guest! * Shout-outs to Warm Cookies of the Revolution and a new book by Kara Pérez at Bravely.

One of my resolutions for 2025 will be to say "Mm-hmm" less when I'm talking with someone on my podcast. It's so hard!

My Spotify Wrapped was a little goth clubby this year. Also, my theme for the year was "Tapestry from an Asteroid" by Sun Ra.

Moving back to Alabama, the state where I grew up, was one of my biggest fears. I know now that, despite my disagreements with the people here, I was resisting a more loving environment. Being around family again, both mine and my in-laws, has been worth the difficult tradeoffs I made to come back.

One day I aspire to be as wise a writer as Robin Wall Kimmerer. The Serviceberry defends the natural world and praises gift economies, and it makes me long to be a better person.

The world sucks right now, but don't give up yet.