Good morning, Quartz readers!
This Thursday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden held a town hall in Philadelphia, answering questions about his pandemic plan, his past policy mistakes, and his position on adding seats to the Supreme Court. At the same time, a thousand miles and a TV channel away, president Donald Trump refused to deny the conspiracy theory that a pedophile ring runs the Democratic party, shared false data on the effectiveness of masks, and cast doubts on the fairness of the election.
The conflicting events exposed America for what it is: no longer a country where people of different political leanings struggle to talk to one another, but a country where they have stopped even trying.
It could hardly be otherwise. Biden’s supporters call for unity and bipartisan cooperation, but it’s become difficult to imagine ways in which representatives and supporters of the two parties will come together. What’s playing out is no longer, as perhaps it was before 2016, tension between different social or economic views. It’s no longer even about holding two different sets of values, like disagreeing about the rights of immigrant children or the persistent role of racism.
What was on full display on the two stages this week were completely different realities. In one, there are facts—America has been ravaged by the pandemic, it is a country of growing economic inequality and great racial disparity, and a land threatened by climate change. In the other, are beliefs—that the US is thriving and will continue to do so, that the media are the enemy of the country, and that science shouldn’t be trusted.
These two versions of America, and the people who support them, run parallel to one another, with no meeting point in sight. In less than three weeks, Americans will have chosen which version they want to believe. —Annalisa Merelli
Five things on Quartz we especially liked
Simple things everyone can do. Massive wildfires and tropical storms have reminded millions around the world about the very real impacts of climate change, but there are still things people can do every day to help tackle this global issue. Tim McDonnell’s calm and clear suggestions guide readers on how to direct their energy and agency, including in the upcoming US election. It’s a comprehensive and honest prescription of the work involved, and the power we all still have to improve the world around us. —Karen K. Ho, global finance and economics reporter
Compensating Africa for the slave trade. As part of Quartz’s roadmap to reparations, Lynsey Chutel explains how 9/11 and maneuvering by former slave trading nations weakened the continent’s 1990s-era determination to extract reparations for the transatlantic slave trade. She outlines the amounts and modes that scholars and politicians have already developed, and argues that only two things missing from the equation are the West’s willingness to acknowledge its wrongdoings—and Africa’s resolve to demand that it do so. —Annabelle Timsit, geopolitics reporter
A retirement party unvitation. The golden rule for retirement funds—stash 60% in reliable, dull bonds and play the markets with the rest—isn’t looking smart in today’s low-rates environment. And the Covid-19 pandemic has guaranteed that rates won’t rise for years. Now what? John Detrixhe looks into alternative strategies for saving, including the increasingly popular (but risky!) option of just working for longer. —Lila MacLellan, senior reporter
The QR code revolution. The humble “quick read” code has long been a black-and-white blob whose presence was more of a nuisance than anything: Did sneakers and melons really need scannable codes? But now in the age of avoiding physical touch, the QR code is finally having its moment, Nicolás Rivero writes. They’re replacing restaurant menus, becoming boarding passes, and are even the basis for future Covid-19 testing apps. —Katherine Ellen Foley, science and health reporter
Green Apples? If you order a new iPhone 12, launched this week, you’ll get a much smaller box containing no wall charger and no terrible earbuds that you weren’t going to use anyway. Max Lockie argues that the new charging method might actually be better, and also make shipping more environmentally friendly. —Hasit Shah, deputy editor, global finance and economics
Fun fact about lungs
You’ve probably heard that deep breathing can help you relax, but did you know that scientists have actually seen it work (in mice)? In 2017, researchers from Stanford published work showing that by snipping out a select group of neurons responsible for arousal, mice were unable to become stressed, and their breathing stayed deep, slow, and steady.
Take a deep breath, and let Katherine Ellen Foley, an enthusiastic lungs fan, tell you more in the latest Quartz Weekly Obsession. To get it delivered straight to your inbox every week, sign up using the button below.
Consulting’s new challenges
This week’s field guide took a look at an industry behind so many industries, and how it’s had to change its tack in order to guide its clients to safe harbor—and stay dry in the process.
- How consulting is casting itself as essential during Covid-19
- It’s a good time to be a consultant, and a terrible time to become one
- How six executive coaches (and their clients) are handling the pandemic
- Can consultants consult without whiteboards?
✦ We have consulted our maps, and can confidently guide you towards a Quartz membership. Start your one-week free trial today.
Five things from elsewhere that made us smarter
What is wisdom? For Aeon, Pam Weintraub writes that the quest for that answer began 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia and culminated in Toronto in 2019, where a group of philosophers and social scientists gathered to synthesize several millennia of thinking on the subject. Wisdom, they decided, is the combination of “moral grounding” and self-reflection. And apparently we’re wiser when reasoning about others’ lives than about our own. —Walter Frick, membership editor
Rising waters don’t lift all boats. Governments have two main strategies to help coastal communities adapt to climate change-related flooding: Build protective infrastructure, or buy homeowners out and encourage them to move. New research from the US shows the inequality baked into that system: Beneficiaries of the former are most likely to be wealthy and white; recipients of the latter are typically low-income people of color. Hakai Magazine breaks down a new dimension of climate gentrification. —Tim McDonnell, climate and energy reporter
1619 in 2020. In the space of a year, the New York Times’ 1619 Project, which confronts the US’s long history of racism, metastasized from a journalism project to a school curriculum aide to a conservative cause celebré. If you, like me, are a bit baffled about the chronology and cast of characters in this drama, the Washington Post’s Sarah Ellison uncovers 1619 Project’s well-intentioned origins and subsequent critiques. —Oliver Staley, culture and lifestyle editor
The medium is the merchandise. In this piece for Frieze magazine, Kyle Chayak discusses the history of patronage and Patreon’s recent success—$500 million in pledges made last year alone—before digging into what makes some creators prosper on Patreon while others remain permanent paupers. The answer has to do with the dynamics of the paywall, “it’s easier to offer free teaser clips to draw in new subscribers than to preview an oil painting.” — Max Lockie, deputy news editor
SPACs before SPACs. David Nussbaum was a SPAC pioneer before they became a cool (or at least hyped) alternative to the regular IPO process. These days SPACs, also known as special purposes acquisition companies, are booming, raising $53 billion, compared with $4 billion in 2015. For The Information, Ross Matican tells the story of how Nusbaum’s firm, EarlyBird Capital, is seeing big investment banks crowd onto his turf. —John Detrixhe, future of finance reporter
Our best wishes for a relaxing but thought-filled weekend. Please send any news, comments, inhales, and exhales to hi@qz.com. Get the most out of Quartz by downloading our app and becoming a member. Today’s Weekend Brief was brought to you by Annalisa Merelli and Susan Howson.