The New York Times published an incredibly tone-deaf opinion piece trying to give coping strategies to people for a world on fire and it failed miserably.

The New York Times had an opinion piece featured yesterday in its paper called, "How I Build a Good Day when I'm Full of Despair at the World." Seeing as I've experienced some of that lately, I decided to read. The author is Mary Pipher. I'm not familiar with their body of work. But one thing came across instantly: they have astounding privilege and wealth. The piece was immediately what I would brand "tone deaf." I actually busted out laughing by the end of the second paragraph. Below are those paragraphs, for your reading pleasure.

In the morning, I sit with a cup of coffee and organize myself for the day. I watch the sunrise over the lake by my home and I listen to the sounds of the sparrows and wrens. Orioles come and go from our grape jelly feeder and each one makes me smile. I breathe deeply for 10 breaths to ground myself in my body. I remind myself of my many blessings and set my attitude to positive. My old calico, Glessie, sits by my side. Even though I am ragged with grief at the news of the world, I am ready to face whatever happens next.

Over the decades, I’ve acquired skills for building a good day. Especially in the summer, when I can swim, work in my garden, attend outdoor concerts and read in my hammock, life is fun. I have work I enjoy — sponsoring an Afghan family, participating in an environmental group and writing.

Wow! I think I finally understand what conservatives have been telling me for years: that liberals are tone-deaf and smug. I (who identify as liberal and vote democrat) always grew up in Trump country. So I never encountered tone-deaf and smug liberals. Those few liberals I actually got to know who believed as I did about what was right and what was wrong were usually raised in the same way as me. In other words, we went through heaps of trauma, and many live paycheck to paycheck. But we are the gun-totin' liberals, raised by Republican parents. I've used a shotgun to kill ducks and put down other animals. I've slung hay and moved pipe on the farm for years. I've plowed thousands of acres of dirt on countless weekends. I'm not the liberal who was raised to paint and perform music with the viola. I'm the liberal who had three jobs to afford a car.

We don't have lakes in our backyards to take a swim. There is no hammock strung between pines, and we don't have orioles eating from the grape jelly feeder. Many of us have 600 square foot apartments with no windows and no access to natural light, surrounded by baking asphalt in 100 degree heat, and who have to work at lousy jobs 40 hours or more a week. There are no sounds of the sparrows and the wrens, no time to sit around writing poetry or sponsoring an Afghan family. I couldn't believe this piece that I was reading, and I couldn't help but think that this "Mary Pipher," whoever she is, has lived an entitled existence.

So in full satire of this piece in the New York Times, I decided I'd take a shot at writing an out-of-touch and tone-deaf advice column, and offer all of you some advice that will solve all of your problems. So, here goes:

1) If you are struggling with financial instability, have you thought about starting a multi-billion dollar company today? By Friday, all your problems will be yesterday's news.

2) If you want a beautiful partner, you should just go out and get one today. Stop waiting. Just do it.

3) In my area, the great Salt Lake is drying up and is 1/3 of its size. We should just fill it with ocean water. Easy peasy. Done!

4) If you struggle with car breakdowns, what you need to do is just buy a brand new car every year. Problem solved.

5) If it is too hot where you live, go and stay in your home in Ireland. You will love it this time of year.

6) If long lines at the airport are not your thing, fly your private jet instead. Being in a private jet will also give you more "me" time to destress yourself.

7) If you are a writer who is struggling to sell books, have you considered just being famous? Just do it. You won't regret it.

8) If you are worried about access to clean air for your children, you should take them skiing in Vermont. It's a great way to get some fresh air.

9) If you are worried about college admissions for your child, here's a secret: donate five million to the university you want them to attend. More than likely, they will get right in.

10) If you are worried about being too old and tired when you finally retire, my advice is to retire when you are 30. Think of all the energy you'll have to do the wonderful things you want to do.

There! That was easy! Look at all of the answers I have provided you to common problems. I'm going to cut it off here, but if you want me to give you some really tone-deaf and "out of touch" advice, just leave your question in the comments below. Also, how did I do? Was this advice helpful? Thanks for visiting.

The New York Times in an opinion post answered some burning questions I had and made me realize the importance of self-awareness and accountability.

Yesterday, the New York Times printed something that gave me pause, because it answered questions for me that I thought didn't have an answer. Or to elaborate, it gave me an answer that I thought would have been more elusive than it was. Here is the quote:

"Those falling behind [in America] face a serious threat to their self-worth and well being: Not only are the societal markers of personal worth and status becoming unattainable but, according to the dominant cultural narrative of individual responsibility, this is supposedly the result of their own lack of hard work or merit. Instead of focusing on the economic system and its elites, Right-wing populists usually identify what they call liberal elites in culture, politics, and the media as the 'enemies of the people.' Combined with the rejection of marginalized groups like immigrants, this creates targets to blame for dissatisfaction with one's personal situation or the state of society as a whole while leaving a highly unequal economic system intact."

I was shaken to my core, because it explained so much about people who I interact with everyday. It explained why when I was at a conservative friend's house, I showed her the famous national debt counter. She took one look at it and immediately said, "That's the immigrants doing that. Lord almighty." And I was puzzled why she said that. Well, the answer is in that paragraph above.

I have another conservative friend who is just a mediocre middle-aged man who is unemployed with no bachelor's degree, but (because of his narcissism) believes that he should be the powerful CEO of a company. If you're wondering how he survives, he lives in an apartment subsidized by his non-working aunt with his wife (who works) and pays off the bills while he plays video games and takes out loans on new vehicles. But those delusions aside...when I try to show him that liberal politics are (in fact) better for unemployed people like himself he gets pissed off. When I try to show him that medicare for all would help him and his wife both, he gets angry. Why? The answer is in the paragraph above.

It's weird to come across something with such profound clarity. But I felt like I was searching for this answer for years, and then (suddenly) there it was. Neatly summed up by someone who could put what I was observing into words. And folks...that paragraph is not good news. I don't know how our country is ever going to address low "self worth" from folks who lack any kind of self-awareness or accountability. Because that is exactly what it takes...self awareness and accountability. Without that...we're screwed.

The New York Times was right NOT to collaborate with the Panama Papers Leak because paying subscribers want original content that no one else has.

This weekend on NPR's "All Things Considered" program, the host Ari Shapiro interviewed several people at the center of the Panama Papers Leak, which has an estimated 11.5 million files and has been a collaboration of hundreds of media outlets around the world. The interview, which is pretty fascinating, went over how the whole thing got started and how a team worked in more than 25 languages so that they could all publish their stories at the same time.

Of particular interest to me was a section of the interview in which Ari asked (I think it was Gerard Ryle but my memory fails) the question, "Why do you think this hasn't been a bigger story in the United States?" He offered up the answer that the major newspaper outlets like The New York Times refused to collaborate on the story, and it just wouldn't work out. He claimed that newspapers like The New York Times still have a "We can do this on our own" mentality, and said that this is out of step with the modern times where all information is shared.

I actually had some strong opinions about this. First off, I think that opinion is wrong. I happen to have a New York Times subscription, and I don't subscribe to that paper so that I can read what everyone else is printing. That's what "shared content" means. It's the same as when a Walking Dead episode airs and everyone from Forbes to Vanity Fair to yours truly puts up a post about the episode and tries to single out one or two things that maybe no one else has said (which is impossible to do).

Truly original content is how newspapers make their mark in a digital world overrun by the same
stories printed and reprinted off of the associated press. 

For me, the Times has carefully cultivated a resource of extremely good writers who have (among them) credentials like Nobel Prizes, Pulitzer Prizes, and Peabody awards. In a day and age where everyone and their dog can throw up an opinion online, I fall back on credentials when I look to my news. I also want opinions that I can't find anywhere else, and The New York Times has some of the best opinion pages I've seen. And if I pay for something, I want original content.

I hate that there are journalists out there who despise The New York Times because they have a "we can do this on our own" mentality. That's precisely what makes The New York Times worth subscribing to. Otherwise, why even have news outlets at all? We could all just get our news from Twitter (which would be horrible by the way). The New York Times allows me to read the opinions of some of the smartest, most influential people in the world, and what they have to say has value to me.