Jordan Neely's Funeral and Why Our Tears Matter
The podcast is back after a monthslong hiatus! This first one back is a doozy.
Hello friends,
How are you? I hope you’re feeling hopeful and energized in all that you’re doing. Or maybe you’re feeling terrible like me?
To be honest with you, I don’t feel hopeful and energized this morning. In about 45 minutes, I’ll walk six blocks from our apartment to attend Jordan Neely’s funeral right here in Harlem.
How in the actual fuck are we still here? How are there not millions of us protesting in the streets demanding that justice be served here? How is Daniel Penny’s—the man who murdered Neely because he felt uncomfortable—fundraiser raising money 20x faster than Jordan Neely’s fundraiser? Sometimes I feel very out-of-place in this exceptionally unexceptional country of ours. Today is definitely one of those days.
Before we move on, click below for a video of Jordan doing what he loved doing the most.
He should still be entertaining the hell out of people on the subway today. Instead, I’m minutes away from seeing his lifeless body.
*sigh*
As you know, the podcast has been on a bit of a break since February. I needed the break for so many reasons. But I’m truly excited to be back. The first conversation back is not only a perfect way for us to get back into the swing of things but it’s, also, a perfect podcast for what I’m feeling and what so many are feeling during this difficult days.
This week’s podcast is about our tears and why they matter. My friend Benjamin Perry went over a decade without crying. And then he cried every single day for months. In the book he talks about how we can (and should!) make space for our tears to change us and to help us change the world around us.
Our friend and former podcast guest, Simran Jeet Singh, has this to say about the book: “Alternatively tender, sharp, and funny, Cry, Baby speaks beautifully to the power our tears carry, how they can transform both people and culture. The attention to crying's social dimensions—how our ability to weep is shaped by racism, patriarchy, homophobia, and other forces—make it particularly timely. A gift to all who cry, and all who long to.”
If you give a damn, you need this book. After listening to the conversation linked below, make sure to buy a copy for you and some friends.
Before you listen to the full podcast, click below for a one-minute snippet from my conversation with Benjamin Perry:
Now, listen to the entire conversation here or by clicking on the Spotify link below!
Also, if you can donate to Jordan Neely’s fundraiser—even a few dollars—please donate today.
I know this was a shorter email and I know it’s not a very hopeful one but…some days I just don’t feel hopeful. Today is one of those days. I trust tomorrow will be different.
Thank you for reading. I'm truly grateful. Consider forward this email to a friend? Or send them this link so they can sign up. And you can always email me. Always. I’ll be back next week with good news and steps we can take together to make our world a much better place. We have a lot of work to do. Love y'all.
Peace and love,
Nick Laparra
Neely wasn't killed for "entertaining the hell out of people on the subway." He was killed (not murdered: learn the meaning of words before embarrassing yourself online any further) in a fight on a train, after threatening to hurt or kill everyone on his car. You misleadingly portray him as a harmless MJ impersonator posting a video from years ago, when in actual fact the REAL Hell he was bringing to people in the last decade was anything but harmless: trying to kidnap a 7-year-old and punching a woman in the face and being arrested 40+ times is not entertaining at all. The fact that a Democrat Party propaganda-peddling armchair militant like you is falsely portraying facts of the case, babbling about "racism, patriarchy, homophobia" while at the same time quoting Reverend Sharpton - probably the biggest bigot in NYC - is truly hilarious. YOU and all your fellow Democrat Party voters are the reason a criminal thug was free to harass innocents, and you are also the ones to blame for his demise: as your Antifa comrades like to say, he FAFO'd. Stop shrieking, get a grip, and stop promoting thuggery and criminality and spare a thought for the real victims.
Is this satire?