Humility, Listening & Understanding

Mike shares his thoughts on the declining state of American society, emphasizing the loss of humility and genuine understanding in online and real-life conversations. Social media encourages "listening to respond" rather than "listening to understand," contributing to a culture of outrage and performative engagement.

Mike also expresses his deep concern for the political shift in his home state of Ohio, attributing it partly to demographic changes linked to the shale gas boom and the departure of educated progressives. He concludes with an emotional plea for greater civic engagement and a rejection of complacency, urging listeners to step away from screens and reconnect with their communities to prevent further societal decay.

Good morning; this is Mike George coming at you on this beautiful Sunday morning here at Crimson House in Alexandria, Louisiana.

Sometimes I think the biggest virtue we're missing in this country is humility. It's satisfying to see powerful people being humbled these days. I believe we've lost touch with the art of humility, especially in the age of social media. In fact, I'd propose a new "humbled" reaction option on Facebook, signifying that you admit you were proven wrong and that logic and good-natured debate changed your mind. This would enrich a lot of the conversation these days on social media, especially regarding politics and fake news.

The world is complicated. And while it's easy to get consumed by the news, we must remember how much of social media is outrage-driven. Over time, I've noticed it has changed how we talk to each other in real life. It feels like we've been trained to "listen to respond" rather than "listen to understand." This has become almost like a plague, changing how we interact on a broad scale.

I love when people comment during these broadcasts; it makes me feel less like I'm talking to a blank wall, which is how I often feel in conversations down here in Louisiana.

I'm not blaming the people of Louisiana, but rather a few factors: social media and the meth problem. The meth phenomenon is a gut-wrenching problem. I've used meth before, but I'm extremely careful with it. I'm a big advocate for marijuana; it should never have been illegal. There's no medical evidence to suggest it's more dangerous than alcohol. In fact, if you're going to ban something, I'd choose alcohol over weed. I've never gotten high on weed and wanted to fight someone; if anything, it sedates you and calms everyone down. It's a "vibe stabilizer."

The concept of "listening to respond" versus "listening to understand" is an art that has been lost on us. This relates to humility. It would be nice to read something on Facebook that I didn't already have a preconceived notion about. I'm probably just as guilty as anyone, skimming headlines and thinking people are "crazy" or "full of it." Most of us have many Facebook friends we don't even talk to in real life, so skimming is the only practical way to consume content. I don't have an easy solution to make news feeds less outrage or clickbait-driven, but a small change Facebook could make, or perhaps something Elon Musk could consider for Twitter, is a "humbled" react.

Speaking of Elon Musk, I consider him one of the most overrated, entitled white men out there. He masquerades as a brilliant engineering guru, but he's just another white guy playing with daddy's money, like many other so-called leaders. As someone who is 36, I feel enraged and ashamed that our generation has allowed certain things to happen. I refuse to lose this country. I won't be able to live with myself if we let this country fall to some of the worst people imaginable. I'm seeing this happen rapidly in my home state of Ohio, and it fills me with fury.

Let me give some context about Columbus, Ohio, where I've lived for at least five years and have a long history. I'm watching my beloved home state change in real time, starting with Steubenville. Steubenville, historically an industrial powerhouse, has suffered a gradual and seemingly inevitable decline for most of my life. Businesses would close down, and favorite restaurants would disappear. I've accepted that things come and go, and Steubenville was simply a city where more things left than arrived.

However, around 2010, there was a sudden injection of success with the Shale Gas phenomenon, which also occurred in Texas. The discovery of the Permian Shale Basin, coupled with fracking technology, brought much-needed economic relief to Steubenville. For the first time, people were moving into Steubenville, not out of it. While I don't personally support fracking due to its environmental impact (like faucet water catching fire from methane), it was refreshing to see my hometown not suffer for once.

The situation is complicated. It seems we were a bit hoodwinked. The economic benefit didn't primarily go to the city of Steubenville itself. Many workers who came for the shale gas facilities were "country people" who settled in more rural outposts of Jefferson County. Steubenville proper didn't reap the full benefits of this energy discovery. The growth was dispersed over rural areas, leading to a large influx of new Republicans into the area—these "country boys" working the wells.

This shift became apparent to me around 2016, with the Trump election. I knew Hillary Clinton would never win that region. I admit I was guilty of hating Hillary, but it was because I supported Bernie Sanders and lumped her with corporatist elites. A big reason for this was Bill Clinton signing NAFTA in the 90s, though that's not Hillary's fault. Steubenville and Jefferson County have become red, whereas in the 90s, Steubenville was a union-held Democratic stronghold. The county shifted red around 2000, due to factors like the decline of the steel industry and diminished union influence.

I'm talking about this because I'm seeing my state change, and it's not for the better. I can't help but feel a little responsible. Growing up in Steubenville, the measure of success was often "to get the f*ck out of Steubenville." We had this mentality that only the "losers" stayed behind. Alexandria, Louisiana, has the same vibe. It's trendy to leave your hometown for bigger, better things, like going to Ohio State or LSU. But seeing this phenomenon happen en masse, with an entire population shift and migration pattern, we are now seeing the net effect.

Steubenville and Ohio are not the only regions experiencing this. I witnessed a profound change in Portland, Oregon. While I suffered some of the worst times of my life there, my story isn't unique. I watched Portland develop from 2010 to 2020, and it's not pretty. In 2010, Portland was a wonderful place, full of hippies and stoners, a loving place that cared about the environment and social justice. Comparing that to Portland in 2020, it's heartbreaking to see an entire city collectively lose hope.

When I was homeless in Portland in 2020, it was a bombed-out landscape of abandonment and meth. I'm not exaggerating when I say that probably 40% of the queer population there is homeless. There are no more joints left to give. The influx of homeless people profoundly impacted everyday people. You could see the look on a middle-class person's face when a homeless person asked for money – they wanted to help, but either they couldn't afford it, or they had accepted that their dollar wouldn't change anything. That collective loss of hope permeated the city. It's one of the worst feelings I've witnessed in my life.

I refuse to let that happen in Ohio. The difference in Ohio is the right-wing people, the self-proclaimed Republicans. I will never vote for another Republican in my life, unfortunately. But I still hold on to being a conservative because I like conserving things. Tell me one thing the modern-day "conservatives" want to conserve besides the delusion that their former president won the election. Is it freedom? Economic stability? Values? What is it?

The hypocrisy of the Republican Party became apparent when they started trying to tell me who I can marry. The "party of small government" then curtails the freedoms of everyone who isn't a white man. When someone tells me they're conservative, it's meaningless.

I've been reading about what recently happened in Columbus, Ohio, where a drag queen story time at a bookstore was disrupted by a group of armed right-wing protesters. I'm a big fan of free speech and the right to assemble peacefully, but how does bringing a gun to an event imply peaceful assembly? What are they trying to hunt down with their guns at a children's event? It's the same people who claim we're "corrupting our children" with "the gays," then they bring guns around children. It's utter ridiculousness.

It wasn't that long ago that Ohio was a boring state, the "Bellwether State." The most exciting thing was getting new Target concepts before other places. Now we're known as a "shit show" where right-wing militias show up at drag story events. How quickly an entire area can lose its mind. I'm utterly ashamed of my home state for allowing this to happen. As someone living in the South, looking north at Ohio and feeling disgusted and embarrassed is a strange world.

I can't help but feel somewhat complicit in letting this happen. Those of us who are college-educated progressives, or whatever you want to call us, contributed to the vacuum we left behind in our state. This vacuum has been filled with some of the worst people imaginable. I'm tired of seeing this happen. Our generation, Class of 2004, Gen Z, Gen Y, whatever you call us, we are allowing this to happen. The longer we do nothing, the more we face the reality of losing our country.

I'm not saying this out of patriotic bravado; it's real. The news is chilling. I don't know how many more incidents it will take for us to wake up. The term "woke" is now an insult, which is ironic coming from a party that espouses personal responsibility. Their only alternative seems to be to remain asleep. It's amazing that this is happening in real time on television, and we're letting it happen. We're losing rapidly.

It's easy for us, cloistered in our middle-class bubbles, to become complacent. We must remind ourselves that every moment we sit on Facebook and do nothing, the worst people on Earth gain more momentum. I don't like where it's going. I will not let this happen on my watch. I don't have kids yet, and I have very few f*cks left to give. If I need to be that poor fool who stands in front of a tank, like in Tiananmen Square, I will.

I truly admire the Taiwanese people. I've seen their student protests, and they are fighting for democracy and freedom on a core level, in a way that I don't think we will until it's too late. I refuse to let this happen. I refuse to stay silent and regret not having spoken up before. I remember the 2020 wildfires in Portland, and as an environmentalist, I thought, "My God, I have utterly failed this world."

When I think of the black girls playing in the street in Columbus, just being kids, I think, "My God, we owe them the childhood we got to enjoy." Lord knows we destroyed our planet, so the least we can do is stand up for this country for them. I will not let this country fall to the worst people ever. We have let this happen too long, and we have to start doing something. This is not tenable.

Happy Sunday, y'all. I had to get that off my chest. I've stopped giving a f*ck, as you can tell. Make sure to get off your phone and television for a second and just enjoy life in person. Put your phone away for a day or so. Say hello to your neighbor, say hello to someone random. Enjoy life in real life, because I have a feeling it's not going to last forever. Enjoy it now, kids.

This has been Mike George, coming at you live from Crimson House. Y'all have a blessed day, enjoy your Sunday. Get out there and say hello to somebody random. And as I always say at the end of all these broadcasts, take care of yourself, and take care of somebody else. Toodaloo.