Idaho
David Brooks gives North Idaho Distinguished Lecture
COEUR d’ALENE — A bright light shined on the humanities Thursday evening as David Brooks addressed the largest crowd to ever attend the Idaho Humanities Council’s North Idaho Distinguished Lecture and Dinner at The Coeur d’Alene Resort.
Brooks, a best-selling author and journalist, carried the more than 800 audience members on a poignant and sometimes humorous journey of introspection, reflection and thoughtful communication as he discussed how to inject some humanity into a society riddled with bitter divisiveness.
He shared some of his personal experiences of opening up to others and to life in general.
“The sad thing is, as I was taking a little step toward being more human, the broader American culture has become more dehumanized,” Brooks said.
He spoke of increasing mental health problems, rising suicide and depression rates and how so many Americans feel sad, lonely and isolated.
“When you get sadder, you get meaner, because when you’re not seen or you’re invisible and neglected, you feel under threat and you feel it’s an insult on your dignity, which it is,” Brooks said.
He said some hospitals struggle to keep staff because patients have become so abusive. He touched on the increase in hate crimes and gun violence and other statistics, including how 20 years ago, two-thirds of Americans gave to charity while now fewer than 50% of Americans do.
This dehumanization is happening across society, he said, and people are seeking unity in politics. This seems to give people a sense of community, but it’s not a true community.
“You’re just hating the same people,” he said. “Politics seems to give you the illusion you’re taking moral action on behalf of the country, but you’re not sitting with a widow or serving the poor. You’re just being indignant on Twitter. Politics takes loneliness and turns it into culture wars.”
He said Ryan Streeter of the American Enterprise Institute conducted a study that found that those who say they are lonely are seven times more likely to be involved in politics than other people.
“That makes a lot of sense when you realize our politics is dominated by people who are lonely and angry at the world,” Brooks said.
Several attributable factors include technology, social media, the reduction in community involvement, economics and more.
Above all are basic social skills — how to be good listeners, how to gracefully end conversations, how to appropriately reveal vulnerability, how to break up with someone without crushing their heart, how to host a dinner party where everyone feels included, he said.
“For a couple generations, we have neglected to teach each other how to be considerate to each other in the complex circumstances of life,” Brooks said.
The one skill that tops the rest is the ability to make others feel understood and respected.
Brooks said there are “diminishers” and “illuminators.” Diminishers never ask questions. While pleasant, they’re just not curious and may tend to stereotype others. He said they do what is called “stacking.”
“They learn one fact about you and make a whole series of assumptions about who you must be: ‘You voted for Trump, therefore you must blah, blah, blah,’” he said. “I met a woman at a Trump rally years ago who was a lesbian biker who converted to Sufi Islam after surviving a plane crash. What stereotype does she fit into?”
Illuminators, on the other hand, are curious about others and pay close attention.
How do you become a better illuminator?
“The first thing you do is be deeply involved in the humanities,” Brooks said. “The humanities, these kinds of cultural products, they furnish your mind with emotional knowledge and wisdom. They help you take a richer and more meaningful view of your own experiences. They help you understand, at least a little bit, the depths of another human being. They help you answer the deepest question, which is, ‘How should I live my life?’”
Another step can be found in the gaze of another’s eyes.
“We think as we go through life we’re being measured by how confident we are,” Brooks said, “but mostly we’re being measured by how warm we are.”
Accompaniment — helping others shine — is an important illumination piece; as a pianist gives his attention to a performer, the audience’s attention is also pulled in that direction.
The art of conversation is another critical piece of helping others feel understood.
“Treat attention as an on-off switch, not a dimmer,” Brooks said. “Make it 100% or 0%, don’t 60% it.”
Be a loud listener, he said.
“I’ve got a buddy, when you talk to him, it’s like talking to a Pentecostal charismatic church, he’s like, ‘Yes, yes, yes! Amen, preach that, preach that,’” Brooks said as audience members laughed. “Love talking to that guy.”
Don’t fear the pause, Brooks advised, and don’t be a “topper” who one-ups others.
Finally, he said, to keep the “gem statement” in the center. When conversations become difficult, there is usually something deep down upon which both parties can agree.
David Brooks addresses the largest crowd to ever attend the Idaho Humanities Council’s annual North Idaho Distinguished Lecture and Dinner at The Coeur d’Alene Resort as he speaks Thursday night on the importance of basic social skills and other aspects of restoring humanity to a dehumanized society.
We’re lucky to live in a place as safe as the Treasure Valley. Despite our growth, one of the things that makes our area so special is the way that we look out for one another–for our neighbors! That’s a principle that seems to have held on as Boise has boomed.
Despite low crime rates, there seems to always be one incident or so that makes us scratch our heads.
A recent string of fraud incidents in the Treasure Valley area is one of those.
Nampa Police initially warned the public of this because cases of fraud began to ‘mushroom’. Then, it took an interesting turn–people that HAD their credit cards were being ‘taken to the bank’, so to speak.
In a statement originally released on April 30th by the Nampa Police Department, officials advised the following:
We are not sure how the suspects are gaining access to the victim’s credit cards. There is a growing fraud scheme, “ghost tapping”, that scammers are using to access victims’ credit cards. This is possibly occurring in these instances. “Ghost tapping” uses stolen credit card details in Apple Pay or Google Pay, then remotely relays the tap signal over the internet to a ‘mule’ at a store, allowing them to make high-value purchases that appear completely legitimate. (We’ll share more information on ghost tapping in a later public service announcement that will also suggest ways to protect yourself.) The app used by these criminals obscures the actual credit card number, making it harder for investigators to link a victim to a particular crime. Keep in mind that victims still have their physical credit cards while suspects use the stolen card information to make purchases, which also affects how victims are alerted. So far, local investigators have not been able to identify a common theme among the victims (e.g., a specific bank, a website they visited, a gas pump they used, etc.) in the fraud cases we are investigating.
The investigation spans far and wide.
Authorities say that some suspects are in custody, others are being contacted, and others are still at large.
Now, a week later, the police are back to reaching out to the public–this time, urging people to check their bank accounts.
Nampa Police say that they have caught onto a pattern– there are fraudulent charges at Albertson’s to purchase gift cards, at Costco to purchase Apple products, and at Best Buy, also for Apple products.
Check those bank statements!
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The USDA has issued a public health alert for various meat and poultry products containing FDA-regulated dairy that may have been contaminated with salmonella. The recall was originally issued on April 30th, but the contaminated product list could continue to grow as more products are identified.
The Food Safety and Inspection arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued the public health alert and there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of the products listed below, consumers are still advised to dispose of the items or return them to the place of purchase. Great Value and Pork King Good products sold at Idaho Walmart stores are included in the alert and recall.
Public Health Alert and Food Recall Issued For Pizza and Pork Rinds Sold in Idaho
As of right now, the food list includes pork rinds, breakfast pizzas, and chicken bacon ranch pizzas. The list could grow and the USDA advises consumers to check the list frequently. We will also update the list here when possible. The contaminated products carry a variety of ‘Best By’ and ‘Produced On’ dates, so check the lists carefully to make sure you don’t consume a contaminated product.
The nationwide brands to look for are Mama Cozzi’s from Aldi stores, Pork King Good, and Great Value at Walmart Stores.
Photo Credit USDA – 1
Photo Credit USDA – 1
You can also look through these label photos to see if you have the product in your freezer.
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
Photo Credit USDA Recalls
If you feel sick and have consumed a contaminated product, the USDA advise you to contact your health care provider.
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