Fight, Flight, Freeze -- or Face and Focus

When humans encounter a threat we typically respond in one of three ways: fight, flight or freeze. 

We can choose to confront the threat by fighting, either physically or verbally. We can run away from the threat in an act of self preservation; again, this can be literal or it can be an emotional and psychological retreat. Or we can freeze, an experience of physical or psychic paralysis that won’t let us fight or flee but temporarily immobilizes us. 

While these 3 options may be involuntary and natural responses to physical threats, there is another choice: face and analyze a threatening situation, focus on the desired outcome, and then choose a rational, reasonable, sensible response. 

If you ever witness bullying or harassment, remember to focus on the 5 Ds of bystander intervention: 

Distract by casually talking to the person being harassed while ignoring the harasser. Put your body between the harasser and the target if you can. Pretend you know the person being harassed and make friendly small talk to deescalate the situation.

Delegate by asking for assistance from a third party; another bystander, a business employee, etc. Work together. Call 911 if the person being targeted is comfortable with law enforcement involvement.

Document the situation by recording what is happening with your cell phone. Do not post any video to social media without permission from the person being targeted.  

Delay leaving to continue supporting the person being targeted. Offer to stay with them for a while or accompany them to their next destination. Ask them what they need, and if they want you to share your documentation video with them.

Directly respond to the harasser if you feel safe doing so but do not escalate the situation by arguing. Stay calm and be careful. 

If the threat is racial bias information overload, Jemar Tisby offers practical suggestions to keep from freezing or going numb to continuing news. He developed a model called the A.R.C. of Racial Justice to help work through feelings of helplessness and numbness. Breaking down actions into three areas -- Awareness, Relationships and Commitment -- helps make the prospect of moving again more manageable.

Awareness can be achieved by doing heart work to tap into your feelings, through writing for example.

Relationships can be cultivated by reaching out and being gentle with one another. Start simply by letting people know you’re present without demanding attention or affirmation.

Commitment is about choosing to change certain aspects of ourselves and society. There may be internal biases or bad habits we need to confront and dismantle. Outdated institutional policies and practices need to be addressed as well. 

If you feel overwhelmed by negative news cycles, make a concerted effort to seek out feel good positive stories. The Good News Network is an excellent source that helps renew faith in mankind.  

If you feel isolated or frozen, focus on small acts of kindness. If you stay home most of the time, reach out to connect with family and friends by email, phone, text or video chat. When you go out, wear a mask and smile with your eyes while making eye contact with people. Hold a door open for the person behind you.

Start with small steps in your community rather than stressing over national or international problems. 

• Connect with local mayors, council members, and law enforcement leaders to learn their positions and to make your thoughts known. Contact local and state officials to advocate for changes and reforms. 
• Donate to and support local organizations. 
• Insist upon public transparency in the negotiation of city contracts.

10 Reasons to Support Black Lives Matter 

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

Michael Che discussed controversy over phrase Black Lives Matter.  

Daily pandemic update:  

Indonesia reported 1,331 new coronavirus infections, its biggest daily increase since the outbreak started locally, taking its total number of cases to 42,762.  Aljazeera.com timeline

18 June 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
11:48 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	8,287,295	8,467,046	446,667	451,954	4,341,849	4,439,352
US	2,208,486	2,234,854	119,133	119,943	903,136	918,796
NY	405,785	406,367	30,998	31,046	86,221	86,367
CT	45,349	45,429	4,210	4,219	8,764	8,794
NC	45,906	46,933	1,169	1,181	29,219	29,219

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 and the first 100,000 in the US.

As of today 12% of closed cases in the US resulted in death; 88% recovered.

Globally 9% of closed cases resulted in death worldwide; 91% recovered.

Currently 2% of all active cases are considered serious or critical.

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

In the news: 

• 57% of US adults rated national response to COVID-19 as fair or poor, particularly in light of the fact that America has the world's most expensive health care system.
• Atlanta police dept denied reports of mass blue flu walk offs after Garrett Rolfe was fired and charged with murder in the death of Rayshard Brooks.
• Aunt Jemima, 130-year-old pancake and syrup brand, will get a new name and logo to distance products from origins rooted in racist southern mammy stereotype. Food company Mars is considering a similar refresh for its Uncle Ben's brand. Some folks are speculating Mrs. Butterworth could be next. Land O’Lakes dairy rebranded in February.
• Beethoven trended as reports re-circulated he may have had black African roots.
• Boogaloo extremists were indicted on terrorism charges in Las Vegas.
• Comedian and actor Chris D’Elia, who plays a pedophile on tv, allegedly made advances toward a 16 year old girl in real life. 
• DOJ head of civil division defending Trump in court, Jody Hunt, announced decision to step down; the third senior DOJ official to quit in a week.
• Fact checkers shine skeptical spotlight on false protest claims from authorities and president.
• Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell urged congress to extend unemployment insurance benefits, support state and local governments, and funnel more help to cash-strapped small businesses.
• FL fact check: Gov DeSantis mistakenly said an airport had 52% positive testing rate among employees last week. Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown clarified data was collected between March and June. Last week only 2 tests out of 500 came back positive, 0.4%.
• Flint MI artists and residents painted Black Lives Matter mural on downtown street.
• Honduras president Juan Orlando Hernández tested positive for coronavirus, hospitalized for pneumonia. 
• India reported no troops missing in action during border conflict with China; talks continue.
• John Bolton book details multiple shocking foreign relations allegations that would have been pertinent during Trump impeachment trial.
• Lincoln Project released a video illustrating Trump’s weakness with China. Meidas Touch released GOP Cowards video. Lindsey Must Go video attacked SC senator Lindsey Graham.
• Little Rock AR mayor Frank Scott announced he is seeking executive order requiring people to wear face coverings in public. 
• Montgomery AL council voted down mask requirement despite pleas from doctors.
• NYPD investigated a Shake Shack after 3 officers alleged they had been poisoned; no criminality found.
• Savannah GA Police officer Stacy Talbert filmed a video of herself crying in a McDonalds parking lot and posted it to social media. Some viewers empathized with her for feeling stressed while others commented her behavior was unprofessional.
• Senator Tim Scott, a republican and African American, introduced Justice Act police reform bill which includes grants for body cameras and incentives for police departments to ban chokeholds. It also increases disclosure requirements for no-knock warrants and the use of force. Senate democrats criticized the bill for not going far enough compared to the Justice in Policing Act they proposed.
• Starbucks reversed ban on Black Lives Matter masks though some employers continue to ban them. OH Taco Bell fired an employee for wearing a BLM mask; corporate is investigating. Publix also bans employees from wearing BLM masks.
• Tensions flared between Reps Cedric Richmond (D-LA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) during House Judiciary Committee hearing on police reform. Eric Swallwell (D-CA) offered to yield his time to any republican colleague who would declare Black Lives Matter; Gaetz defiantly insisted All Lives Matter. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Tom Rice (R-SC) are among defiant GOP lawmakers refusing to wear face masks despite request from Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
• White counter protestors in OH and OR small towns rallied in fear of outsiders.
• WI company developed front door kiosks to detect fevers in workers and customers.

In my personal life…

Wednesday Greg left the house early to work on son Austin’s car and hang out with friends Alan and Ken. He assured me he wore a mask and distanced himself appropriately. While he was gone I read and wrote between naps until 2pm when son Reid called. I’m concerned about him because I could hear in his voice he is down, worried about finding his first career job and transitioning into adulting. We stayed on the phone for 2 hours because I didn’t want to hang up knowing he was not in a good place. Later in the evening I purchased an early birthday gift for Reid’s girlfriend Lauren and sent a small PayPal tip to online musician Matt Kevorkian after seeing him perform live on Carol’s Facebook page. He played a Green Day set that reminded me of concerts Reid and I had attended together.

I started the day with a breakfast fit for champions (not): a cold pop tart and some mini marshmallows. For lunch I ate salami and havarti atop buttery crackers. Greg brought home McDonalds for dinner: big macs, fries and chicken nuggets. We ate fresh cantaloupe and watermelon for dessert.

My daily action for racial justice Wednesday was more reading, thinking and writing.