Life in the Box: Team Name Part Two
August 17, 2022
Team Reality, Continued
So, I’m still thinking about that Team name for people who believe in reality. I’m landing on the name “Team Reality.” It’s simple, easy to remember, and has a nice ring to it. I think the visual for this would be a single star. A white star on a blue field just like on American flags. One star implies one nation and also one reality. Our slogan could be STAnd with Reality. STAR.
The star could be further decorated with words on red and white stripes. I’ve tried to make one, and I came up with four basic points of reference: Biden Won, Evidence, Ethics, Facts.
At this point, let me summarize the “one reality” that I think Team Reality should embrace. What do you think about this set of statements:
- Biden won the 2020 election, free and fair.
- Vaccines, masks and distancing helped fend off some of Covid’s spread. Covid deniers worsened the outbreak. More than 1 million Americans have died as a result.
- 99% of environmental scientists say human activities are responsible for recent decades of climate change.
- Mainstream journalism can be trusted for the most part.
- Right-wing media makes things up, leaves out important facts, and also uses innuendo and vitriol to ruin trust in our government, in trusted public servants, scientists, teachers, the court system, checks and balances, and anyone who doesn’t embrace their twisted narrative. They are to be avoided for the most part.
- Trump and his followers are attempting a coup to end democracy in America, to replace it with an autocracy of the ultra-right. There is a huge pile of evidence for this. They should be stopped.
Does this sound like sturdy ground to stand upon? Together?
There are a few problems with adopting the phrase “Team Reality.” One is that there are already web sites by that name. The other problem is Reality can be confused with Realty… and that name is also on the web. On the bright side, one company has already started making Team Reality T-shirts! They have a little icon with a man and a banner that is, yes, red, white and blue. Stars and Stripes. They also use the phrase, “Real News Saves Lives,” which I like.
I also looked up “Stand with Reality” online, and unfortunately that website is also already spoken for and there is a Facebook page. I was glad that I saw it though, because the story that is told there is a reminder for us all. The “Reality” they are referring to is a young woman named Reality Winner. That’s her real name.
Her story goes like this: she was in the US Air Force, and she leaked classified information that proved that Trump got help from Russia in the 2016 election. She did this out of patriotism, as a whistle-blower. But this was the Trump epoch, and so she was thrown in prison for 4 years and is currently on a very restricted parole that doesn’t allow her to get on with her life. Her supporters are calling for her to be released fully. She was convicted of espionage.
As we know, as of this writing, Trump and his followers are probably going to be charged with much worse. Will they get a similar treatment? We don’t know yet. If Trump is charged and imprisoned, will the rest of us be able to get on with our lives? Or will his followers (continue to) make our lives a living hell?
If Trump and his gang are not charged and punished, his followers will definitely continue to make our lives a living hell, so let’s hope that the justice system doesn’t hold back.
Another story came to the forefront while I was researching acronyms and catch phrases. I found a TED talk, 15 minutes long, “How I Made Friends with Reality.” More than 2.5 million viewers saw this 2018 video of comedian Emily Levine. She reveals that she has “stage 4” lung cancer. Then she talks about how she came to embrace that reality. Her stories are solid and flighty and scientific and impudent, and I recommend watching it. It has heart. She died the following year.
I must add one more coincidental finding during my internet search. In 2019, there was a study in Quantum Physics circles. The study found that “two people could see the same photon, come to different conclusions about the photon, yet still both be correct.” The funny part about this is that it was reported by Fox News. Under the headline: “More than one reality exists—shocking study says.” Um, luckily, they aren’t talking about the realities I’m talking about. Just something about photons. Oh, I suppose I should add that it was also reported in mainstream science news, with more or less the same lurid headlines.
Going back to our Team Reality phrase, “Stand with Reality.” I don’t think the folks who have the website “Stand with Reality Winners” will mind if we absorb them into our plan. They might even chip in for our T-Shirts. Now we need a designer and web team, etc. Let’s see where this goes!
Oh, one last thought. We really need to get back to real reality. Last week, the Polio virus was found in New York City. (Measured in the waste water.) Anti-vaxxers’ untruths have crept into the minds of enough young parents that they have not been vaccinating their children against this horrible disease. I hope our country doesn’t have to go through another unnecessary plague. Can’t they find someone they trust who survived Polio the first time—to attest to the miracle that the vaccine represents?
That ties in with an internet joke that my mom sent today: “So you’ve been eating hot dogs and McChickens all your life, but you won’t take the vaccine because you don’t know what’s in it. Are you kidding me?”
On that note… send a link to this essay to everyone you think might care to join in. We sure need each other!
Nancy Heather Brown is a retired, Emmy Award-winning television producer whose career has included interviewing, writing, narrating and editing for a span of four decades. Today, she enjoys learning new things and reflecting upon the creative process and life issues, both inside and outside the box. Her opinions are her own, and are not necessarily those of this web site.
TED Talks: Emily Levine “How I Made Friends with Reality.”
Friends of Reality Winner Facebook (requires log in)
And web page Stand with Reality Winner
Quantum Physics says two realities can exist at the same time. Fox News report!! 2019
Someone else’s T-Shirts for Team Reality
Nancy, thanks for this discussion, light hearted yet important. I called some of my buddies and couldn’t come with a better or catchier name so “Team Reality” it is. We also appreciate you on our “EIL team”.