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Triggered whiteness, but in a good way
I’m not a particularly agreeable person. I like just about everything a certain way and struggle to manage my frustrations when things don’t go that exact way. I learned a while back that most of that frustration was created in my own head and not the fault of the person(s) doing the given thing differently than what I want. But the only child in me can only be buried so far down inside.
Similarly, I argue with people constantly. Mostly in my own head or the same misguided reasoning that I know what’s best. I’ve slowly learned that arguing with people out loud is mostly pointless as one of my favorite quotes from Dune states:
“The purpose of argument is to change the nature of truth” -Frank Herbert
So when I posted a video on YouTube about race and hunting and how one of the most popular hunting media outlets, MeatEater, was double dutching with benevolent racism, a lot of people weighed in to tell me various versions of “you’re an idiot who’s playing the victim race card and you should go f*ck yourself.”
Arguing on the internet is foolishness personified, as the platform is set up for neither side to actually understand the other, but score points for each sides’ respective crowd. My goal in posting the MeatEater video wasn’t to argue, but to speak on something that directly involved my name and work. Mama raised me to never let someone talk crazy about you without you have something to say/do back.
I also hoped the video would connect me with people who felt similarly let down by MeatEater’s impotent us of their platform to talk about an issue of great importance.
Mission accomplished on this front as I’ve begun to build relations with like minded folks around the issue of whiteness and hunting. But what to do with the 100+ comments of varying degrees of vitriol? How could I turn responses like these into something a bit more productive?
I decided to try something I had tried before when I wrote about this topic for CNN and ReWire News and be naively friendly with those who clearly took issue with what I said. I decided to look past the ad hominem attacks, and engage with people as if they were genuinely interested in talking with me.
Most of people who watched that video were recommended such because they consume hunting content, which is something I also consume, so why not start with that common interest. The more vitriolic the response, the deeper the naïveté.
And an absolutely wild thing happened!
Some folks, not all, seemed to come out of their fever dream of anti-Blackness and transform into a more reasonable person who I could actually talk to. Almost none of them agreed that racism and hunting are inextricably linked, but people almost never change their mind in a moment over a stranger telling them something contrary to what they believe to be true.
That’s no how we humans work. We are story telling animals and everything we do and believe stems from the narratives we’ve accepted for ourselves as truth. And narratives about racial identity are incredibly powerful narratives that aren’t easily changed in a lifetime, let alone a +20min YouTube video.
Even more surprisingly, I converted one detractor into a subscriber!
This response technique, which I used in almost every single one of my replies (for 3 days I replied to every single comment) also did something really important for me; it kept me from transforming into the arrogant know-it-all I’ve embodied more times than I care to count. I don’t like that person. His skin is so familiar to me that I had to actively work not to climb back into that role I had created for myself, but that resistance continues to pay off.
I released my anger and frustration at most of the responses because, for one, I knew they were coming. A lot of anger I’ve felt over the years has come from unexpected negative outcomes. Most of the time the negative outcome is minor, but it’s the frustration of not seeing it coming that amplifies an otherwise mildly unpleasant outcome.
But when I decided to not get upset by things I knew were coming, I gave up the power those negative feelings had over me and thus reduced the power of the vitriol I was being given. Like a wise martial arts instructor, I simply flowed around and past blows meant to hurt me.
It then became more clear that people were responding to me from a script or set of scripts that we’re all socialized to embody around controversial topics. We these folks really speaking from their thoughts and careful consideration, or were they triggered by what they thought of as buzzwords that identified me as “the enemy”?
We’re not our best selves when we’re upset and my tactic was to move past the upset through humor and, quite frankly, just ignoring the vitriol, to get to a place where people could hear me, we could engage our humanity, and maybe exchange a useful word or two before never interacting again.
You can comb through the comments section if you want. It’s pretty bad on the surface, but I’m still surprised by what my tactic in replies seemed to do to diffuse disdain and help bring people back to a slightly more thoughtful and reasonable place.
Interestingly enough, this video is by far my most popular since starting my channel. Over 2100 views and over 100 comments and counting. Bonkers! Clearly folks have a lot to say about the topic of race and hunting, which is great because, Part II of this video series is out now.
I’m curious if the appetite for engagement, good or unpleasant, is still there this week and how folks will, if at all, engage with the topic. Please give both parts a watch if you haven’t already and know that I’m going to post a Part III where I offer some insight into the topic and how I think my experience and learning over the years might add something to the broader conversation.
Cheers!
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New Video Content
DONE! The conclusion of my first crossbow deer hunt is finally live on the channel. When I’ve told people that I butchered my own deer, many have been surprised that I did the work myself. I don’t have any formal training in butchering animals, but the process is fairly intuitive and incredibly rewarding. If you’re thinking about saving a bit of money on wild food and building some important skills and know-how, then check out this video.
We’re gearing up for our 3rd growing season and there’s a lot of work to get done. Last year’s harvest was less than we wanted, but this year we’re building on a few things and implementing a system that will hopefully give us a more bountiful harvest than the previous two years. Check out the instagram for updates on this throughout the spring and summer!
Wild Food Update
I’ve been thinking a lot about sourdough bread lately and how I want to talk about it on the platform. Like a lot of people, I got into sourdough bread making during the pandemic, and I think I’ve worked out a process for making sourdough at home that’s freed us from buying sliced bread from the store.
It’s wild to me that all you need is (organic) flour, (filtered) water, and a bit of salt to make delicious, gut friendly bread. There are some things a lot of sourdough videos leave out that I think prevents folks from making homemade bread consistently and I’m planning to work through those ideas on the YouTube channel and in this newsletter.
Stay tuned!
Recommendation
About a decade ago, I decided that I wanted something different for my shoes. My feet stank all the time and I just felt that was something better out there. I plan to write about this in more detail in a future post, but suffice it to say when I found MINIMALIST SHOES and tried a few pair, I knew I’d never go back.
Minimalist shoes by Xero Shoes
Minimalist shoes have a couple of key features that, according to manufacturers and some podiatrists, provide a variety of benefits because the shoes are designed to fit the way human feet are supposed to function rather than the way mainstream shoes force human feet to function.
Minimalist shoes have wide toe boxes that allow your toes to spread out as if you didn’t have shoes on. They also don’t have elevated heals or an up curved front, which again improves your stability by allowing your foot to function with less anatomical alteration.
Long story short, my feet stopped smelling because they were actually allowed to move instead of just being stagnant bits of my anatomy encased in still soled shoes. I’m. Never. Going. Back.
But it did take some getting used to. My calves were very sore because I was using muscles I’d never used before. The discomfort, which only lasted about 10 days was well worth it, as I enjoy the strength and flexibility I’ve gained from using more of my feet and the sensory input from being more connected to the spaces and places I’m walking on.
One of my favorite brands is Xero (“zero”) shoes. They have a lot of options for all sorts of weather and conditions. Check them out if you’re in the market or if you’re curious.
Business Update
I’ve been reading a bunch lately about entrepreneurship and starting a business. A YouTuber I followed prompted me to think about a huge gap in my small business practice and that’s the fact that I hadn’t read a single thing about starting or running a business! Really bad oversight, I know.
Truth is, I have a lot of preconceptions, most of them negative, about business and I’ve been subconsciously reluctant to tackle those notions even though I’ve started my own business. I know, kind of absurd.
Anyways, I’ve read three books in the last two weeks that tend to pop up for a lot of people. I’ve found some more useful than others, and one that I had to put down because of the author’s constant use of racist tropes.
Nevertheless, I’ll be reading more about entrepreneurship moving forward, because despite an individual’s consciousness around social issues, many of these folks who write these types of books have important and useful information that can be used.
Here’s information on the books I read these past two weeks:
The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Geber: I really liked this one’s straightforward approach and the practical solutions
Oversubscribed by Daniel Priestley: I’m almost done with this one, and I’ve found the ideas fascinating and challenging in mostly good ways.
The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco: I struggled with this one to the point that I stopped reading it. If Ayn Rand and Paul Ryan wrote a book on entrepreneurship and sprinkle in a bunch of racist dogwhistles, this would be the book they wrote.
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