Tappy Got His Arm Stolen by Huawei, and Other Stories: From Aristotle to Venezuela to Colin Powell's Flat Tire
Today is the Lightning Round.
In 25 minutes, Chris and Shayna take a tour of Aristotle’s taxonomy of good and bad types of government (in honor of the recently ended government shutdown); touch on the chaotic developments in Venezuela; and reflect on the accusations against the giant Chinese telecommunications company Huawei. Finally, Chris shares a couple of Facebook posts from Uncle Mark in West Virginia.
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Here are timecodes to help you navigate through today’s show:
00:28 Chris explains that he is not funny.
01:04 The recently ended government shutdown prompts Chris to reflect on Aristotle’s taxonomy of different kinds of government. The key question: does the ruler rule for the sole benefit of the ruler (bad government), or does the ruler rule for the benefit of the whole (good government)?
05:41 Chris introduces the “lightning round,” in which Shayna and Chris take different news stories, and see what insight or angle theological reflection might add. (The real reason Chris wants to do this, is so he can insert the thunderclap sound effect.) If a country is in chaos, like Venezuela, does theological reflection allow us to see something we otherwise might miss?
08:23 The thunderclap announces the next topic: the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. Great power rivalry—the United States and China, in this case—spurs tension and retaliation. Our deeply interconnected world: what are the challenges of such a world, and can religion be helpful in forming people who can meet those challenges?
14:29 Uncle Mark in West Virginia re-posted a recent Facebook post of General Colin Powell, who had had a flat tire on I-495 around Washington DC. A man stopped to help General Powell, and they made a connection. Chris and Shayna reflect on this Facebook post, in the context of the question: do we have to experience ourselves and others fundamentally through the lens of political partisanship (the red team and the blue team), or can we find a deeper way to see ourselves and each other?
20:10 The final thunderclap: as we head towards Super Bowl Sunday, we reflect on the deeply human desire to feel like a winner—and the lengths we are willing to go, in order to feel it.