The Overthrow of Hawaii, CNN's Trust Betrayal and Forcing Politicians To Watch Dystopian Sci-Fi | Non-Obvious Insights #309

Dear Newsletterest,

Why is history boring? Could we make our world better by forcing our legislators to watch sci-fi showing them how much worse it could be? Do agencies deserve credit when one of their ideas goes viral on behalf of a client, or is creative silence part of the job? And what happens to national loyalty in a time when we can choose our allegiances as a part of our amplified identities? These are a few questions we'll explore in the curated stories from this week's newsletter. As always, let me know your thoughts on these stories and questions by hitting reply and sending me a personal note after reading!

**The Overthrow of Hawaii and How We Should Study History**

History should never be boring. It was only after school that I discovered how much I like it, but talking to my two boys and seeing what they study in school--I understand why a lot of people grow up disliking it. What would it be like if we could learn through stories instead? This video from TedEd about the Overthrow of Hawaii offers an example. Instead of textbooks filled with dates, this engaging five minute video offers insight into the history of Hawaii, the truth about how it reluctantly became part of the United States and tells the heroic story of Queen Lili’uokalani, a leader that American History has largely forgotten.

Alongside this type of curated story, the other way we learn about the past is through modern explorers. This week there was also a story of former magazine editor Tara Roberts who is now working with National Geographic to document the wreckage of slave ships. Her efforts may help to address what genealogists call the "1870 brick wall," a reference to the fact that many African-Americans cannot trace their ancestry back beyond that date because before that the US Census "did not count the identifying details of those who were enslaved." Both of these stories are perfect examples of what we need more of in history courses ... and in our discussions about the past as well.

CNN's Betrayal and the Problem When Journalists Make Mistakes

Real journalists seek the truth and aim to deliver it in as impartial a way as possible. And sometimes, they screw up. Those issues tend to be high profile, as you might have read this week in the story about CNN's "betrayal" of its audience through their recent lapse in journalistic ethics related to the Cuomo brothers. The idea that one sibling could interview another in an impartial way was obviously flawed. Yet the bigger problem is how mistakes like this are interpreted by a public that has been manipulated by self-serving politicians to already believe that all journalists are liars. When you believe everyone is lying to you, any evidence of falsehood reinforces your mistrust of the entire system. So CNN's problem has become the media's problem.

How the Olympics Shows the Complexities Of Nationality

Superstar American-born Chinese skier Eileen Gu chose to represent China at the Winter Olympics, seeming to be equally at home in China or America and fluent in both languages. Other American standouts like Nathan Chen, Elana Meyers Taylor, Chloe Kim and Erin Jackson all showed a more diverse portrait of Winter Olympics champion than usual at the notoriously elite and undiverse sporting event. Then there was Kaillie Humphries, the legendary Canadian bobsledder who switched to join the rival US team amidst controversy and won a Gold Medal in Beijing. Aside from their dominant performances, these athletes are also inspiring people to rethink what nationality really means in a time of amplified identity.

There was a time when you were "from" the country where you were born. Immigrants and their children have driven a shift where many people believe they are "from" the place that they grew up. Today, the truth is you can be "from" multiple places at once, and nationality has become an extension of identity. It is about more than your place of birth, what language you speak or where you took your first steps. If there's one thing the Olympics showed us, it's that nationality has become a choice.

Gunmaker Creates Junior Version of "JR-15" Assault Rifle For Kids

I don't often come across a story that should anger all of us, but this one should. Last month at a big sport shooting and hunting trade show, firearms company Schmid Tool and Engineering introduced an assault rifle known as the "JR-15." The gun is designed to be lightweight and "friendlier" to smaller arms, while it still "looks and feels like Mom and Dad's gun." Their stated goal is to "safely help adults introduce children to the shooting sports." As if this story could get any more appalling, consider the fact that AR-15 rifles were the weapons used in 11 out of 12 of the most well-known school shootings.

Introducing younger children to a gun in this way is wrong. We don't teach kids how to do liquor shots, or race motorcycles or do free solo rock climbing. Some things aren't for children. Especially things that they might use to accidentally or intentionally kill other people. Sadly, it seems some companies and people don't agree.

What If We Could Force Politicians To Watch Dystopian Sci-Fi?

It's the nightmare scenario of any early technology adopter. A company called Second Sight was once creating and implanting so-called "bionic eyes" to help near-blind patients to see the world. Now the company is going under, their software is obsolete and those patients are in danger of going blind from their now unsupported bionic eyes. The story isn't science fiction, though it certainly could be.

The work of Chinese architect Quin Wu is fiction, though a series of dystopian images he released seem eerily plausible. Whether works of art, or dystopian fears becoming reality, what makes them so powerful and memorable is that they are all stories. Fact or fiction, these stories shift perspectives and in a world where tech-illiterate politicians routinely struggle to grasp the implications of technology, perhaps dystopian science fiction is the answer. If fiction can help legislators imagine the future we don't want, they could more effectively pass legislation to try and prevent that future from happening in the first place.

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

Every week I always curate more stories than I'm able to explore in detail. Instead of skipping those stories, I started to share them in this section so you can skim the headlines and click on any that spark your interest:

How are these stories curated?

Every week I spend hours going through hundreds of stories in order to curate this email. Want to discuss how I could bring my best thinking to your next event as a keynote speaker or facilitator? Watch my new 2022 speaking reel on YouTube >>

Want to share? Here's the newsletter link:
https://mailchi.mp/nonobvious/309?e=f7921ac548

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The Overthrow of Hawaii, CNN's Trust Betrayal and Forcing Politicians To Watch Dystopian Sci-Fi | Non-Obvious Insights #309

**The Overthrow of Hawaii and How We Should Study History**

CNN's Betrayal and the Problem When Journalists Make Mistakes

How the Olympics Shows the Complexities Of Nationality

Gunmaker Creates Junior Version of "JR-15" Assault Rifle For Kids

What If We Could Force Politicians To Watch Dystopian Sci-Fi?

Even More Non-Obvious Stories ...

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