What I’m Reading
May 12, 2020
With the photographic post from last week out of the way, let’s return to selected reading recommendations from the world of journalism.
What I’m Reading continues with three pieces somehow related to COVID-19: a sign of hope for democracy, a love letter for press freedom, and a slice true to nature of the bizarre continent we call Europe.
Hope For Democracy Amidst The Pandemic
When I received Trump, Xi and other nationalists are less united than ever by recommendation of a dear friend, I knew I had a potential recommendation to share in this space.
So, what is it? It’s a Financial Times opinion piece by Janan Ganesh. And it’s a spirit lifter for anyone interested in living in a strong and healthy democracy as well as an open-minded, global world.
Ganesh discusses the state of populistic governments around the world. His argument is that the pandemic has exposed their most critical weakness. Isolated by nature, they can’t find common ground. They’re drifting apart; if there ever was anything of substance that connected various leaders from said group.
Some who at least appear to take governing seriously and some who don’t, Ganesh says, concluding, that “a club that encompasses them all is likely to be meaningless.”
I try enjoyed this read and recommend you give it a try. But first, here’s my favorite quote:
An empire of illiberalism, on which the sun never sets, assumes more unity than could feasibly exist among national egoists. It just took a crisis to show it.
A Love Letter For Press Freedom
I usually stay away from tabloids. But I found this column interesting and important, despite or maybe even because of its origin. Shared by an Al Jazeera correspondent on Twitter, Without journalism, coronavirus would kill more people. Take a moment to think about what the world would be like without us is a column from the British Mirror, but it isn’t about British tabloids.
It’s about journalism in general. It’s a reminder of the role journalism plays in our society, a reminder of the small part it plays in keeping the world moving, the public informed, and (in the case of the pandemic) hopefully a bit safer and healthier.
Go, read for yourself, and see if you agree.
The Bizarre Continent Called Europe
Finally, a small story from the Dutch-Belgian border I read in the New York Times. It’s a dispatch written by Thomas Erdbrink, with illuminating pictures by Ilvy Njiokiktjien.
In a Town Split by a Border, Virus Rules Vary From Door to Door brings us to the town of Baarle-Hertog-Nassau. It’s a town located in the Netherlands, close to the Belgian border. But the town has a Dutch side and a Belgian side. And several enclaves within both parts.
Different lockdown regulations during the current pandemic have created a rather bizarre, and somehow very European, labyrinth for locals to navigate.
The usually almost meaningless border markings on the ground (which cross through squares, streets, and buildings), now mean that businesses that have to close stand right next to others that can remain open. A clothing store that is allowed to open — but only the part of the store that’s on Dutch territory; the “Belgian sections” have to be cordoned off.
Europe can be a bizarre continent where the ideas of a unified family of nations clashes with each nation’s attempts to retain its sovereignty and identity. This dispatch is an example that might just bring a smile to your face.
That’s a wrap for this week’s What I’m Reading post. While I’m prepping a totally new, more active, series in the background (I’m just not quite there yet), more reading recommendations continue next week. Until then, happy reading.
