#5SmartReads - May 10, 2022

Hitha on health equity, the impact of the leaked Roe opinion for queer rights, and the power of being a triangle

May 10, 2022

The state of the stock market dominated much of our family’s conversation on Sunday. And while I repeat that the stock market is not the economy, knowing what’s happening in the market and who stands to win/lose/survive is helpful to know.

Big Tech - especially those with significant cash positions - will be fine. Pre-revenue companies (especially tech ones) will find it difficult to secure their next round of funding, either through a raise or going public.

And there’s the whole lot more, so you should read Axios’ smart primer on this very subject.

Axios is a key part of my daily news diet - I highly recommend subscribing. I read the Daily 6, Vitals, and Generate every single day. I highly recommend subscribing and reading it daily to be better informed without devolving into an emotional tailspin.

“I feel like what makes life precious is its vulnerability. Like a china cup. Part of its value is that we only have it for a short time. Which is why I love things like the arts. Anything that causes us to appreciate the moments, because we won’t have that many of them.”

You might need a box of tissues when you read this incredible interview with David Hyde Pierce, whose humanity, character, artistry, and humility are incredible.

He is such an open book in this interview, where he doesn’t shy away from talking about his work, his longtime love, his family, and the memorable characters he’s played and what Paul Childs and Niles Crane have in common.

It’s such a satisfying read. Grab a cup of your favorite drink and curl up with this when you need a break today. And yes, I did pick this article for you, Keren :)

First of all, I don’t believe for a second that overturning Roe (and abortion rights being turned over to the individual states) is the endgame. I fear a federal abortion ban passed by Congress and signed into law when the Republicans regain control of the House, the Senate, and the White House.

Second, I worry what the leaked draft opinion will do with other rights for the queer community - and I’m not alone.

“Legal experts are concerned about the potential impacts of language in the draft opinion and its intersection with the 14th Amendment, which granted Americans equal protection under the law. Decisions in cases including Lawrence, Obergefell and Griswold v. Connecticut — which established a right to access contraception — relied on a right to privacy typically defended by the 14th Amendment’s right to due process. “

The 19th* does a better job of explaining the impact this opinion could have on queer rights, so I highly encourage you to read their smart reporting and analysis of this issue.

You’ll want to download Lilly’s new book (a very quick read/listen), so go ahead and do it now. I personally recommend the audiobook.

But onto the interview, which is centered on Singh’s new book and what it was like to do her late-night show (with a fraction of the resources that the Jimmys and Stephen have, no less).

This quote is something I’m printing out and keeping at my desk, because…well, it speaks for itself:

“I think part of the reason I had an unhealthy relationship with social media for so many years is that I assigned it more value than I think it should be given. It is a great tool that we should use. It should not use us. It used me for many years. I think knowing that there’s a level of performativeness to it is something we can embrace.”

I touched on health equity in yesterday’s #5SmartReads, but the subject is so important that it deserves its own comprehensive read - and this is the best one I’ve come across.

The CDC describes health equity as:

“Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to attain his or her full health potential and no one is disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.”

We are far from achieving health equity, and are only now gathering the data (which requires us to focus on race and ethnicity) to understand just how far we are. We also must gather data beyond these two metrics, and focus on immigration history, preferred language, disabilities, and gender identity if our data collection is truly inclusive.

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