Introducing The Doomscroller's Antidote
A newsletter for doomscrollers — with zero doom
Hello, fellow doomscroller. I’m Kate, I’m a news junkie, and I feel your pain. If you’re like me, you could really use some good news in your inbox.
Despite my general cynicism (I’m a Gen Xer / Xennial, after all), I recognize that a positive news story can brighten your day a bit, even when you’re close to losing your faith in humanity. That’s why I’ll be sharing positive news through this newsletter, The Doomscroller’s Antidote1. (Also, I’m rounding out the worst year of my life, no exaggeration, so I could use a capital-P Project right now.)
What you won’t find in The Doomscroller’s Antidote: (1) toxic positivity (happiness is not a choice, as it turns out), (2) platitudes you might spot on HomeGoods home decor, or (3) links to religious or unreputable news outlets. (I admit I may toe the line on “orphan crushing machine” stories — you know, like “Student Raises Money to Pay Lunch Debt of Every Single Student.” Clearly, schools shouldn’t put families in debt in the first place if they can’t afford lunch … but at least that debt is gone, right?)
Let’s get the ball rolling with four positive stories from the past week(ish).
“Addiction Telemedicine Has Saved Lives. Let’s Keep It Going” — Scientific American
This op-ed highlights the lifesaving benefits of using telemedicine to treat substance abuse. Currently, you can get a prescription of buprenorphine, a drug used for opioid-use disorder, during an initial telemedicine visit, and not solely in person. Partly due to this option, yearly overdose deaths in the U.S. have dropped to fewer than 100,000. (In 2023, that figure was 111,0292.)
This op-ed advocates for making this rule permanent after it expires in December 2025. By the way, if the Trump administration doesn’t do so, Congress can take action itself — so, if you’re a big planner, make sure to contact your congressperson next year to advocate for an extension.
“Watch a walk in the park with their kids become therapy for the Daddy Stroller Social Club” — USA Today
USA Today recently highlighted a man who’s doing his part to help parents in his community — and parents in America can certainly use all the help they can get: Kalvin Bridgewater of Fort Worth, TX, who faced postpartum depression as a new dad, founded the Daddy Stroller Social Club to provide a “safe space for fathers and father figures of color,” as the group’s website shares.3 Bridgewater has plans to expand the group to other cities. The great thing about efforts like these is that it’s free to get started.
“400,000 Kids Now Have LEGOs to Play with Thanks to Parents Donating 1.2 Mil Pounds of Used Bricks So Far” — Good News Network
To mark the fifth anniversary of LEGO’s Replay program, the company announced that since creating the program, it has distributed 1,229,072 pounds of used LEGO bricks, or 300,000,000 individual pieces, to almost 400,000 children in need. While, sure, mountains of LEGO bricks weren’t exactly piling up in landfills, I’ll salute any effective reuse program.4 The bar is pretty low for corporations, after all.
“Shirley Chisholm’s Legacy Lives On: Congress Passes Bill To Posthumously Honor Her With Congressional Gold Medal” — Essence
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first Black woman elected to Congress, representing New York’s 12th Congressional District. She was also the first Black woman to seek the presidential nomination from a major political party. This month, the House of Representatives recognized her pivotal role in U.S. history by posthumously awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal. (She had already received the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 2015.)
As Essence noted, “Known as ‘Fighting Shirley,’ she introduced 50 pieces of legislation during her seven terms in the House, advocating for racial and gender equity, low-income communities, and ending the Vietnam War.”
Let’s pause to recognize the person who popularized “doomscrolling,” Karen Ho. I’ll also use this footnote to recommend a great song from 2022 by one of my favorite bands, Metric: “Doomscroller” (music video / lyric video). Don’t be put off by its 10-minute length!
The site notes everyone is welcome, “granted they keep these spaces safe for our other members,” so … let’s hope everyone is respecting that?
Other ways to pass on unwanted LEGO bricks include donating them to a local toy library or giving them away in a local community sharing / Buy Nothing group.