Our Favorite Stories of 2018
What a wild year. 2018 was full of deep discussions—both constructive and combative—on climate change policy, health care, refugees, endemic discrimination and how we treat each other. It all came down to this: What do we want our future to look like?
The Lowdown has collected our wackiest, wildest and most thought-provoking stories from 2018 and shared them here for your end-of-year reading pleasure. Curl up with a mug of cider and a delicious cookie (see above), and dig in.
1. “I think we’re just getting a taste of it now, and I think domestic terrorism is going to get worse before it gets better.” David Neiwert, a reporter and book author who has covered white nationalists for decades, told us about false equivalency and how to combat radical, far-right violence.
2. Reason #1,245,987 every worker should be guaranteed healthcare: “Service with a Smile” is making people sick.
3. Confession: We haven’t used those fancy Dyson hand dryers since we learned that they function like a bacteria-spreading, electronic sneeze. Pass the paper towels, please.
4. The health care in Gilead is garbage. Researchers examined two decades worth of ER heart attack admissions, and found women were more likely to die if their doctors were dudes. So, why are female physicians still paid less than their male counterparts?
5. Believe it or not, the world is running out of sand. And where there is scarcity there are people looking to profit. Enter the sand mafias, international gangs that make beaches disappear overnight.
6. This fall, the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a new definition of gender that would essentially write transgender people out of existence. Not so fast, said GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) Executive Director Janson Wu. “Regardless of where you are, the fight for change is always a long game. I have hope for us and for all movements across the globe that progress really only goes in one direction.”
7. Need a cup of sugar or a dash of milk? You’re probably heading to the grocery store instead of your neighbor’s place. Research shows we’re interacting less within our communities, which has led to a decrease in trust among neighbors, depressed voter turnout and Americans increasingly out of touch with what’s happening right outside their door.
8. Get off the post office’s back, you guys! They have a hard (unique) job to do, and a little bit of forward thinking could right the USPS financial ship and help out communities underserved by traditional banks.
9. When kids demanded the right to literacy and a livable environment, the courts told them to shut up and sit down. Thank goodness they haven’t reached the existential despair part of adulthood yet. A group of teenagers is suing the government to protect their future from short-sighted climate policies.
10. Sex education in the U.S. is as awkward and ill-informed as a middle school makeout session. Only six states require consent in the curriculum, and in seven states teachers are banned from mentioning anything to do with LGBTQ sex. No wonder STD rates are on the rise and folks are asking Reddit their most intimate questions.
Bonus pick: People like feeling appreciated, a lot. So, start 2019 by sending some “Thank You” notes for those holiday presents and spread holiday cheer right into January. Turns out gratitude is the gift that keeps on giving.
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