Love & Wisdom
Debate, Devour, Divide
How weaponized language spreads disinformation
Now, those on the left are using it to attack one another. In these online spaces, people tend to panic at the idea of being part of the problem. As a result, they try to position themselves as champions of a very perfect model of social justice that quickly shuts down anyone who doesn’t fit. People are trying to position themselves as the most moral individual with the best ideas and perfect grasp of language.
Taking Shots From a Screen
Social media has become a hotbed of misinformation. It doesn’t have to be this way.
Porismata Borah, a social media expert at Washington State University, delves into media psychology. In a conversation with Seattle magazine, Borah, along with Mike Caulfield and Joseph Barnes, prominent Seattle social media experts, discusses the challenges in modern communication and the potential for meaningful conversations on online platforms.
Papa and His Pronouns
A parent works to adjust to his young daughter’s preferences
I love my daughter. Although I’m not sure she’s my daughter. I now call her my child. My little monkey. Sparky. Love of my life. My kiddo. But never, ever, my little girl, even though she attends Seattle Girls School. Because when Valen turned 11 last year, she told her mother and I that she…
You’re Not Doing it Wrong
Navigating the soiled nest of family life
This morning, I found myself running late as I tried to get my daughter to the bus, but I wasn’t alone in my rush. There was a parade of cars driven by grumpy, frazzled parents eager to position themselves in front of the bus before the next stop. No one wants to miss the bus….
Capturing Hope
A picture is worth more than a thousand words
A year ago, 23-year-old Anika wouldn’t have recognized the person she is today, emerging from a scattered and difficult past with deep gratitude for the support she’s received. “My journey has been broken, lots of broken roads, and very narrow,” says Anika, who asked that her last name not be used. “But I’m on a…
Publisher’s Note: The Lost Art of Civility
How to bring back respectful discourse
Can a city be too “woke”? That’s a provocative question. If we root the term to its original definition from early 1900s to 1950s African American culture, “woke” is an adjective generally defined as “being alert to racial prejudice and discrimination.” Beginning about 10 years ago, it came to also encompass a broader awareness of…
Where Innovation Meets Education
Seattle Girls School empowers girls to change the world
An innovative experiment at a small school in Seattle’s Central District may hold the key to the future of education. The Seattle Girls School serves students that identify as female or gender nonconforming. Rather than abiding by a traditional grading system for every assignment, students at the private middle school get letter grades only at…
The Grind Of A Grudge
MOVING PAST ANGER AND LETTING GO OF TOXIC ENERGY
I was watching a Seahawks practice when the man I’d shunned for three years offered me an apology. “I’m sorry,” said Dave Mahler. You might know him as Softy. He hosts the afternoon sports-talk show at KJR 93.3 FM. “I was wrong, and I shouldn’t have said what I did.” He then offered me his…
Live, Laugh, Bomb
A ROOKIE TRIES STAND-UP COMEDY, WITH MIXED RESULTS
As with many Tinder dates, things didn’t go quite as I expected. For example, I didn’t intend to have multiple guys I’d matched with in the same place, at the same time. Especially when that place was a comedy open mic that was going to be my first and possibly only attempt at stand-up. After…
Letter to Seattle: Bank Statement
YWCA opens door to financial career
This is a letter from Tameka Siplin, a program graduate at YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, the region’s oldest and largest nonprofit organization focused on the needs of women; providing services and advocacy to support stable homes and economic advancement; reduce violence and improve health; and promote racial equity and social justice. Dear YWCA…
Fitness and Friendship
Couch potato finds camaraderie in running clubs
I never thought I would be the type of person to join a running club. Picture a subpar physique lacking in muscle and mental fortitude, throw in an admittedly too-long stint of smoking cigarettes, and add an aversion to hills as the cherry on top. However, when I moved to Seattle, I quickly learned it…
Clarity: Defeating Depression
Seeking help is a starting point, not the finish line
I was 20 years old and in my second year at the University of Washington when I stumbled into a rut. It was summer. I was the only one left in an apartment I’d rented with three other guys that school year. Everybody else had gone home, but I was taking classes and became something…
Dr. AI? Not So Fast
Health systems across the state are grappling with how to use AI
For more than a year, Kaiser Permanente has been using artificial intelligence chatbots to help patients navigate care options. Leaders at UW Medicine are working to understand how AI applies to both clinical care and medical research. Overlake Medical Center is integrating AI into many of its business practices. ChatGPT and Midjourney have garnered headlines…
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