Name: Roxane Gay - How to Help People Directly During Coronavirus | The Daily Social Distancing Show
Uploaded: 2020-04-13T17:29:40.000Z
Duration: 6 min 54 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

Roxane Gay, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.

Present continuous

I'm doing okay. I mean, sometimes, I feel like

the world is ending, and I stress about everybody.

And then, at other times, I feel like we're gonna get out of it.

I know I'm extremely lucky that I can still work.

-How are you doing? -You know, it's the same.

But I'm also worried about the state of the world

what are people who are living paycheck to paycheck

and on the margins of society-- like, how are they feeling?

You... you've had a really interesting, um, role

in shaping a conversation in and around coronavirus

and what we can do as people to help each other.

And that conversation has been around how we help.

You know, um, there are many organizations

But you've come out with what many people think

Why do you say this, and how did you get to this idea?

that if we're gonna sit around waiting for the government

people are gonna go hungry in the meantime.

Their electricity is gonna be cut off in the meantime.

A lot of what people need right now is just cash,

and I just thought: Well, I can probably weather this

for a few months, but what about people who can't?

give some people some money, because I know that...

right now people are trying to stock up on groceries

And so I wanted to be able to help a few people to do that.

And, you know, especially when you have to wait, like,

four or five weeks, or more, for a $1,200 one-time check

from the government-- you know, it's not enough.

we live in this world, and so those of us with means,

I think, have to do our part to whatever extent we can.

I won't lie, when I first saw your tweets

and what you were doing, the-the-the pessimist in me

immediately jumped out, and I... 'cause I panicked.

I was just, like, you know, I saw you tweeting,

people are gonna scam you, how do you trust everybody,

how do you know that people need the money,

with the conflict of information in your mind?

And most... most people seem to be really worried

You know, I don't have time to play detective and CSI everyone.

So if you are really running a scam for $100,

then your karma is, you know, whatever happens to your karma

(chuckles): is what happens to your karma.

but I can live with that knowing that more people

who are genuine and who actually need the help

are being helped than people are scamming.

You, um, have received praise from so many different people

Um, I would argue one of the biggest names

who came out in support of what you're doing,

who tweeted about you and said: What Roxane is doing is amazing.

As communities, we need to come together and help.

Um, you-you... I've heard you say that you had

because on the one hand you were happy that Barack was...

I mean, it's Barack Obama who's saying, you know,

congratulations, and he's inspired by your cause,

but at the same time you felt like he could be doing more.

-What did you mean by that? -You know, I think that he

as is his right, being decidedly apolitical,

and I... right now we need leaders to step forward

and say that what Donald Trump and his administration are doing

They are absolutely letting American people die.

And, you know, a former president has some clout.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Roxane Gay - How to Help People Directly During Coronavirus | The Daily Social Distancing Show

vulnerable

extremely

engage

panic