What Radicalized You?

It's getting so hot politically that it's hard to keep up with every scandal. I'm old enough to remember when Israel bombed Iran a couple of days before a schedule peace negotiation, and then the U.S. President bombed Iran a few days after that, and then both countries invited Iran to negotiate a peace treaty. It was all the news could talk about for a week, and then other stuff happened, so everyone moved on. We're hit with so many outrageous events so quickly that we can't keep up. Either the news agencies don't have the stamina to stay on the most important issues, like a looming potential Middle East war, or there are just too many important issues to stick with any of them. 

And it feels like every time something crazy happens, like preemptively bombing Iran, a lot of people just square up on the sides they've committed to and hold that party line, no matter what. Still, I'm seeing some cracks in the dam of partisan politics. More and more, one question I keep hearing on different sides is, "What radicalized you?" In other words, what event or person made you drop your defenses a little and start seeing the logic and value in the other side's way of thinking. What made you angry enough with your fellows that you left the tribe? In church terms, the word is exvangelical, meaning someone who still thinks of themselves as a believer, but has questioned or even abandoned the politics of their evangelical church tradition. This might mean they have developed a deeper faith, a weaker faith, or lost faith entirely. The same is true for political parties. I'm encouraged when I see town hall meetings and folks shouting at their representatives, often ones they voted for, and demanding answers and accountability.

For me, I got radicalized somewhat early. I was always a skeptic, but I also grew up in a very multi-ethnic place, where I was usually the minority as a white kid. I remember hearing about the evils of rock music in church and thinking, "Yeah, I guess. I can count on one hand the people I know who listen to that and still play Chopsticks on the piano at the same time." But when I heard politicians saying derogatory things about rappers or other elements of the Black or Caribbean community, I knew they were lying. I had too many voices in my ear telling me they were wrong, too many examples that didn't support their lies, to just accept what they said. And since I knew they were lying about that, I decided they could be lying about everything. I started being careful about the news I watched, and keenly tuned to that kind of deceitful rhetoric. 

Today, I don't have time to sit down and watch news all day, or wait for them to get around to topics I want to know more about. Instead, I have a curated group of voices I trust and listen to. For me, it's not the channel they're on, because for a lot of them, I couldn't tell you what their network is. It's just that I've found them to be trustworthy, so far, and I appreciate the way they think and talk about issues. Two of my favorites are Ari Melber and Abby Philip. Now that Jen Psaki has a show, I listen to her.

For the most part, I'm seeing them via YouTube - short clips around 10-20 minutes, where I know the topic before I watch. Like I said, curated. But I don't always have the ability, or the need, to see the screen. I can listen to a podcast while I'm working out or driving, which could add up to a couple of hours a day. But again, the watchword is curated. Generally, I'm looking for discussions of politics that include faith without hesitating to ask hard questions about both. Heavily curated. And since I think more people should be diversifying the voices they listen to, I'll share my top five podcasts, not necessarily in any order.

1) Pass the Mic

Rev. Tyler Burns and Dr. Jemar Tisby run this blog on faith and politics. Burns is a pastor in Florida and Tisby is a historian and author of some best-selling books on American history, including The Color of Compromise. Together they host this informal and friendly blog. Episodes are generally 30-45 minutes long, and usually on recent political topics. Both of them have had some level of that exodus experience of disillusionment with the church or conservative thinking, and they ask a lot of good questions.

2) The Holy Post

This blog is generally longer at 90 minutes, but if I'm being super honest, I often skip all the jokes and intros at the beginning and start at the topics that interest me, and their production team is kind enough to set markers for each shift in the discussion. The hosts are Phil Vischer of Veggie Tales fame and Twitter infamy (apparently), author and pastor Skye Jethani, and author Kaitlin Schiess. They also have several guest hosts from time to time, including Esau McCauley, and interviews with politicians or writers or other experts on current issues.

3) The Church Politics Podcast

The AND Campaign has been working for years to produce thought and discussion that combines the best of both sides of politics, conservative and liberal. I wouldn't call them moderate, because that means to be on one side, just not as close to the edge. Instead, I'd say they're eclectic, taking thoughtful stances on various political subjects and asking hard questions about them. Justin Giboney is the founder of AND Campaign and the host of this podcast. Episodes are usually about 45 minutes, so one good workout and you're done. I don't always agree with the podcast, and sometimes I think they try a little too hard to be receptive to opposing views, but then again, their aim is to be extremely fair in representing both sides, and they do a great job at that.

4) Good Faith

Curtis Chang hosts this podcast, with David French appearing often, among other regulars. There's a slow pace to this show, and not in a bad way. The episodes are usually just under an hour, and with 2-3 people discussing, they generally stick to one subject and explore it in depth. They post usually every week, so there's a lot of content there in the back logs. 

5) Truth's Table

This is a decidedly Black and woman's perspective, with Ekemini Uwan and Christina Edmondson, both of them scholars, speakers, and activists. When they're in season, they generally post weekly, with episodes about 45 minutes. But when they finish the season and take time off, you might not hear from them for 2-3 months. Still, they're in their ninth season, so there's tons of content in the episode list, and while a lot of it is very topical and current events, a lot is also very universal, so even an episode from a few years ago can be very relevant right now.

So, these are just a few of the podcasts I listen to and that are currently radicalizing me. I'd love to hear any of your recommendations as well, so post them in the comments below or on the social media posts as well.

One thing about having a complicated family structure is that it's complicated. In every family, there are unexpected events that shake up the home, unforeseen problems like job loss and sickness that derail all your plans. Even unplanned blessings like pregnancies and financial windfalls can pose challenges to the bonds you create in your family. For my family, having adult children and littles and grands, all at the same time, creates some interesting, exciting, and worrisome twists in life.

A couple of years ago, my son, the oldest moved out to Denver for work, about as far from Florida as you can get, in terms of distance, culture, heck, even weather. He's getting snow instead of hurricanes and I'm not sure which one I prefer. 

And we miss him. 

He visits, usually once a year. We talk on the phone and FaceTime a lot, and team up in Marvel Rivals a lot. But it's not the same as having him in the house, or around the corner. He moved out there to work in the public schools, as part of a diversity initiative. At first, it was a great opportunity, even if we worried about the culture shock and what kind of people he might be around out there. Admittedly, I don't know much about Denver except skiing and the Nuggets, so forgive my ignorance, but even though South Florida isn't perfect, there are pockets of the state where a mixed family can blend in seamlessly, and communities where Caribbeans flourish in business and culture. As for the other parts of the state, as Black Thought said, we know where all of the monsters is. Still, he's smart, patient, and, most importantly, a good man.

But we still worry.

Now my oldest daughter is moving to Georgia, and it feels like it's happening all of a sudden. It's not as far as Denver, but it feels like it. My daughter is white-presenting, but her fiancé and her two kids are brown and Black. One looks mixed, and the other - let's just say he didn't get much of his mom's DNA. We worry, will they be accepted there, where people don't know them, in places that have a history of racism?

Photo by Robert Thiemann on Unsplash

"I've heard of empty nesters, but this ain't that. We're losing bigs and littles at the same time, and keeping bigs and littles at home somehow."

And then there's the fallout for the littles. For years, they've had this odd relationship, auntie, niece, and nephew all around the same age, close enough to play together, even to be in the same class sometimes. They know how they're related, but they carry on more like cousins, and even siblings sometimes, even though it took some time to get all the names straight, like a couple of times when my granddaughter found out what happens when you slip and call your mom by her first name, even though your auntie gets away with it, and she's almost a year younger than you. Interesting times.

Less interesting ... having to tell the littles that we're breaking up the band, that this week is the last chance they get to play together. Sure, they had a great time together at the trampoline park (last minute change of venue from the zoo because of that Florida summer rain), but those kindergarten emotions ran so hot that there was at least as much crying as there was bouncing. And the worst part? I'm not convinced the reality has even sunk in yet. They were crying about everything except the move. I'm pretty sure that first FaceTime from Georgia is going to require some therapy.

No more sleepovers with all the littles.

No more trips to the zoo with all the kids and grandkids.

We have some of the most inconvenient birthdays ever, so we're probably not seeing them for birthday parties either. For example, my middle daughter was born on Christmas Eve. She might be the only one who gets everyone to come to her party. For the others, we might end up Zooming to backyard barbecues like we did during the Covid shutdowns.

What do people do when this happens? I've heard of empty nesters, but this ain't that. We're losing bigs and littles at the same time, and keeping bigs and littles at home somehow. What do parents do when their older kids move farther and farther away from home, into unknown places they don't love like home, places that might not love them back? Besides send money for emergencies and worry?

I don't want to worry. I want to believe they'll be just fine, but the country is changing so much and so quickly, how can I trust that a biracial family moving in the South isn't going to meet problems? I trust their decisions, but this is uncharted territory, both geographically and culturally. And for the first time, I won't be there to kick down doors or pick up kids. 

So I guess we'll have to manage our worries. We'll pray for them, like we always do, but, I guess, without the laying on of hands so much. We'll trust them to make good decisions out there, and to keep in touch, to visit whenever they can, but we'll also make ourselves available for (hopefully) good advice. We'll probably help them out with travel costs when they need it, just to get them back in town for a while. 

And who knows? Maybe the winds of chance will blow them back to South Florida with a tropical storm one summer. Maybe they'll get tired of the far country and come back home. Or maybe they've found a spot on earth to plant roots and grow, and that's good, too.