5.09.23: How America Designs 🇺🇸
Designing History, a House Market, Education System & The Perfect QB...
America is a country that encompasses many contradictions. It can be beautiful, horrifying, fair, unfair, complex, and idiotic; all rolled into one. Yet, at the heart of this duality lies a nation filled with beautiful landscapes, a diverse population, and a rich history of innovation and unique designs worth examining.
Unfortunately, the positive impact of these designs has not always been distributed fairly. To make matters worse, these unique designs' history and intention have often been swept under the rug or forgotten altogether.
Despite these complexities, one thing is clear: America is a unique country, designed to be unlike any other, and today we’ll explore a handful of foundational designs that impact us…
Designing History
Watching WHO WE ARE (trailer here) as a young black man in America shook me to my core. It’s a raw and unfiltered view of the history of racism in America, particularly the designs and mechanisms that emerged from it.
This is just a clip from the Documentary, but the entire thing should be MANDATORY viewing for all Americans.
Designing the House Market
I came across this vid as someone currently searching for an affordable home and trying to make sense of these ridiculous prices. It’s a year old, but the data is fascinating and tells the story behind the housing supply shortages — Spoiler alert: It’s not a coincidence.
Another important design of the housing market is gentrification, but for most, it’s just a buzz term that doesn't really mean much. These two videos unpacked the root cause of Gentrification, and its impact on our neighborhoods.
Designing an Education System
Here’s a look at teaching in the US compared to the rest of the world. As a global economic power, it’s terrifying how little we have invested into a legitimate education system that can scale or into the curriculum itself.
Designing Public Transportation
As a Brooklyn kid, I was completely spoiled by the public transportation system but had no clue until I moved to other states. Do you think we will ever get to the level of Europe? I don't understand why not.
I think the only thing I’m still itching to check out in the US is some of our National Parks. Here’s a peek at how that was all established.
Designing the Quarterback Position
What’s more American than the game of Football? Instead of studying the game's history, this focuses on the evolution of arguably the most prestigious position in team sports, The QB. Another Spoiler Alert: Black QB’s are relatively new to the game.
How America’s Government Designs vs Everyone Else
Lastly, Here’s another documentary that should be mandatory for every American. Where to Invade Next explores every system that makes up America and how it measures up to the rest of the world.
I was tempted to write a dense thought piece about America, but this movie speaks for itself. Check it out and let me know what you think. — My mind was BLOWN checking out the school lunches in other places 🤯
I definitely owe ya’ll a handful of Newsletters but thanks for the patience and support 🥹. — I got three more in the backlog, so don’t sweat.
Any questions or suggestions? Don’t hesitate to reach out or leave a comment. This is infinitely a work in progress, and I appreciate all the readers willing to roll with me on the journey.