Jessie Spangler

Hello and welcome to the first in my weekly series, Shit You Should Care About! I’ll be mostly linking to recent news articles about current events and pop culture, and sprinkling in some fun things to distract us from the horrors happening around the world!

So, here’s the shit you should care about this week:

• Unfortunately, we’re about to enter another election year. I tried my best to stay in denial about it as long as I could, but it’s time to start paying attention. This series of articles from The Atlantic is a good reminder of why we don’t want another Trump win. I recommend reading in small doses to keep your sanity intact.
• The U.S. vetoed the United Nations Security Council’s proposal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, further isolating itself on the world stage. The U.S. is actively supplying military funding to Israel as they continue their ceaseless bombing against innocent people, most of them children. This article from Axios provides a good overview.
• Taylor Swift is TIME’s Person of the Year, and her photo shoot with her cat has inspired animal shelters across the country to participate in the #TaylorSwiftChallenge on Dec. 13th. The challenge encouraged animal lovers and Swifties alike to donate $13 to their local shelter in honor of T’s birthday.
• Shit is expensive. Axios came up with a fun interactive story on why things are so expensive, and the most searched “Why is __ so expensive?” item (apparently, all 50 states CAN agree on one thing!).
• One of the officers who was part of Breonna Taylor’s murder in 2020 is being tried (again) after being accused of violating her civil rights.

Want to help Palestinians in Gaza? Resources are below!

• Anera is an organization committed to getting medical supplies and other much-needed items to those in Gaza, and they’re always looking for donations. They also have a series highlighting voices from Gaza.
• Write your state reps using this tool. It includes a letter template and takes almost no time at all.
• Additional actions to help can be found using this toolkit.