When I feel overwhelmed by local, national, or world events, especially in a week like this one as we await election results that could determine the future of American democracy, I remember one thing. Even when I feel like I have nothing left, my attention is a currency.
As we become more and more glued to the disintegrating circus of social media and a 24-hour news cycle driven by the profits of outrage and fear, we can still choose what we pay attention to. Stories about the Philly cultural scene can't compete with headlines about war and revolution and pandemic and election deniers and venal, incompetent billionaires...or can they? You're here, aren't you?
Every time you give your attention to independent local media like BSR, which, as you will see this week, covers artists whose work grapples with the issues we care about as a city and a nation, you're rejecting the canned, immobilizing fury and terror. It might seem like a small thing, but it can be a radical daily act that sustains your community and its work. (If you want to get even more radical and see how it feels, you can support BSR with your dollars as well as your readership.)
We know there's a LOT going on this week. We appreciate that you continue to spend time with us.
Alaina Johns
BSR editor-in-chief
