July 18, 2024
Hello and welcome to The Society Newsletter!
Every week we're publishing this newsletter exclusively for you all at The Society Premium level where Chelsea shares her personal thoughts on a different topic, as well as her latest Flea Market Finds.
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❤️ TFD
When people talk about the destructive effects of social media -- especially platforms that my generation is less likely to actively use, like TikTok -- I will usually come to its defense. Now, obviously I am somewhat biased as a person who has built essentially her entire career creating content on the internet, much of which has been educational in nature. If I didn't believe in the power of the internet, and in social media specifically, to create communities and foster understanding, it would be a pretty big problem. And besides, I'm only on YouTube in the first place because of our longstanding relationship with the Green brothers, who are in many ways the most classic examples of internet-optimism, and using their platforms for good in the world.
That being said, there are still times when these same platforms feel a little hopeless to me. And the past few weeks, between the disastrous debate for President Biden and the attempt on former President Trump's life at his rally in Pennsylvania, have been one of those times. Living through events like this on social media is basically an inevitability these days -- even if you're not posting something yourself, you're likely consuming other people's reactions and analyses, and forming your opinion through the prism of their content. And I am not saying this as though I'm different, or above that. There are platforms I gravitate towards in moments like this, creators whose words I seek out, and I personally prefer the filter of social media than simply turning on the TV and getting unfiltered footage beamed into my eyes.
So it's not that I think it's wrong to use social media as a kind of third party news source, but I do think the cultures we've created on these platforms and the people we're following have a huge impact on how we perceive that news. For example, on the day Trump was shot, I opened Twitter for the first time in months. I haven't tweeted in well over a year, but I do occasionally log on during newsworthy moments, and now I remember why I usually avoid it entirely. I saw, before I stopped counting, six different people with huge audiences posting about how this moment and the photos that accompanied it basically guaranteed a victory for Trump in November. These are people who speak frequently about politics, people whose audiences look to them for those analyses, and people whose words shape the opinions of the people who follow them.
I admit, even knowing on a rational level that this was likely not true, I still felt incredibly panicked. When I heard about the shooting, my initial thoughts were that, especially given that it took place in July, it would likely not have a significant impact on the results in November. It might animate his base, but his base is generally animated 24/7, and in the absence of a moment like that would have latched onto other things to fuel their sense of urgency. For people who weren't decided, or people who were already committed to not voting for Trump, it would likely just be perceived as more chaos in a near-decade of chaos he has inflicted on our political landscape. (And given that we didn't even know who the shooter was at the time, it was definitely too early to tell what narrative that would be feeding into.) But even with all that common sense, given everything we know about how voters think, it was almost impossible not to catastrophize at the sight of so many people insisting this was a huge win for Trump.
Several days out, and it seems clear that the catastrophizing was premature, if not completely pointless. The shooter turned out to be pretty indisputably Republican, the benefits to Trump seem unclear at best, and we're largely back to talking about whether or not Biden should stay in the race (a whole other subject about which social media seems incapable of being normal). Either way, at a time when we are most in need of focus and clarity, the slot machine algorithms of social media are pushing us towards whatever will elicit the most emotional reaction, and in the case of politics, that's usually scary news.
And especially on platforms like TikTok, where ultra-progressive sentiment has a stronger foothold than on others, the cynicism about our politics can easily curdle into a kind of nihilism. In the days following the shooting, I scrolled through video after video of people making jokes about the election being over, talking about how they are going to move to a new country, or just generally spreading the idea that it's not worth fighting anymore -- before the Democratic convention has even taken place! I've said it before and I'll say it again: as long as you are able, and have even the slightest investment in your country being a better place, it is always time to fight. But especially in this moment, when the next President will be likely decided by a very small number of voters in a handful of states who will make their choice in the days and weeks before the election, it is essential to fight. That means phone banking, canvassing, donating, fundraising, helping coordinate voting plans, or just old-fashioned speaking to people in your life. The nihilism isn't helping anyone but the opposition!
And I must just digress here briefly and say this -- and I say it as someone who lived out of the country for several years, and has a husband here on a green card -- please shut the hell up about how you're going to move to Canada or Europe or whatever come November. If you are in a privileged enough position to pack up and move to a high cost of living country, find work and housing there, and rebuild your life, you are going to be fine. The people who will be most affected by any political decision are the people who do not have those options, both in terms of money and support systems, and who are going to be stuck behind to deal with whatever choices we make as an electorate. (This is also, by the way, why treating people who live in red states as lost causes is also such an inhumane view -- it is not realistic for people to just pack up and move their entire lives to a different part of the country because they happen to have a lot of neighbors who vote Republican!) If you want to go live in Spain or whatever if Trump gets elected again, and you can afford to do that, then olé. But you don't need to spend your time on social media effectively rubbing it in people's faces that you have that option.
At the end of the day, we will be left with whatever outcome we work for, and feeling discouraged is not a good enough reason to stop trying. If we want to win, and I will assume good faith of my fellow progressives here and say that we do, the worst thing we can do is prematurely concede defeat. It is not chic or intellectual to present the worst-case scenario as inevitable, or to loudly plan for a worse world before trying to achieve a better one. If we want to win, we have to act like it, because I promise you that that is what the opposition is doing every day.
— C
As someone who lives to browse flea markets and estate sales, but can only purchase so many things for her own home, I'm going to be rounding up some of my favorite picks each week. Some will be local to NYC, some will be available nationwide, and they will span a variety of price points. Secondhand shopping can be intimidating at first, but it's — in my humble opinion — the only way to shop for home goods! Join me every week for my journey through the world of vintage home shopping.
1) Hand-Colored Botanical Engravings, 19th Century or Earlier, $55 [LIVE BIDDING]
Not only are sets of botanical prints always a chic option for filling a space, these have lovely framing and some history to them!
2) Large Vintage French Tin Can, $59
You could do a lot of things with this can (it could make for a really cute wastebasket in an office or powder room), but even just as a piece of decor, I think it's so unique and fun!
3) Floor lamp with table, $40
This little lamp/table is cute, functional, and could go in so many different spaces.
4) Jonathan Hallgrey Offset Lithograph "Starting Gate," 2022, $30 [LIVE BIDDING]
I don't know why I'm so drawn to this lithograph -- it's not my usual style -- but I think it would be so cute in a kitchen, or a library, or above a bar cart. There's something so fun about it!