Hello, I had some concerns about the reporting in this story. I’m going to assume that this story is not completely unidimensional, and that there are people other than those who say it is all racism, although that is not apparent from the story itself. I am not saying, myself, that using such mascots andContinue reading “From a conversation with a journalist”
Tag Archives: politics
The job of government
The job of government is to codify and enforce the rules of fair play, not ensure equal or specific outcomes. So government needs to make sure that the rules are uniform (which produces freedom and opportunity), not make sure that the results are uniform (which virtually always involves injustice and tyranny, even when well-meant). PrivateContinue reading “The job of government”
Trump and conservatism
From a fiscal perspective, Trump probably did more damage to the conservative role in government than all the liberal presidents put together. He accomplished what no democratic president could ever do; he ran the fiscal conservatives out government. Far from it, the presence of an opposition president often galvanized conservative leaders. People like Paul RyanContinue reading “Trump and conservatism”
College for all?
The idea of college for all is tricky. For two reasons. First, a huge amount of money is already being wasted on college for people who take it for granted (especially those who aren’t paying for it) and don’t have any good reason to be there. They see it as an extension of high school,Continue reading “College for all?”
Suicide, covid, and women
In response to the claim that the reason for the general increase in suicides (in Japan) during covid was due to women being stuck at home with abusive men. I asked, do they have data in that, or is that speculation? To which I received a very frosty glare and the rejoinder that people whoContinue reading “Suicide, covid, and women”
Who is the ideal modern feminist?
I heard a very curious argument from a transgender person today that is hard to respond to. He (or she, possibly, I’m going to assume he was intending to present as a she) was arguing that the whole point of feminism (as a movement) was to free the meaning of being a woman from theContinue reading “Who is the ideal modern feminist?”
The instinct against liberalism
There is an argument to be made that liberalism was an experimental strategy, one that had never been attempted on a large scale before and so had no real proven track record, and other forms of social organization had and have a better one across time and differing conditions. Liberalism ended up going pretty wellContinue reading “The instinct against liberalism”
My application to the DEI board
As DEI programs become more commonplace across the country, it is very easy for such processes to become mired in political concerns and personal and social conflicts. It is easy for them to become reactive, focused on deflecting complaints and liability, rather than on the production of excellence in education. I believe that part ofContinue reading “My application to the DEI board”
Regarding Dan Crenshaw
I don’t agree with Dan about numerous things, but because he has a coherent and rational intellectual system inside which those disagreements could be discussed and progress could be made, I know that I could trust him and we could work together productively to make progress toward both our concerns. In other words, he hasContinue reading “Regarding Dan Crenshaw”
In praise of gridlock
It’s actually a positive feature of our government that it’s easiest to get things done, get laws passed, and get people elected at the lowest and most local levels, and it is at those levels that the government should most impact your life. At its highest levels, the government has the most restrictions, hurdles, checks,Continue reading “In praise of gridlock”
A letter to the superintendent
I read in the newsletter about the DEI initiative. I understand that there is a big push in all public and private institutions to engage in a voluntary inquisition to root out alleged white supremacy and systemic racism, and I appreciate the need to address the concerns of customers or people who make use ofContinue reading “A letter to the superintendent “
Misandry and marketing
I’m getting really, really tired of previews for shows starring women that all center around the conceit of “that’s right, I’m X and I’m a woman!” and all the men are mysogynistic jerks and she’s the clever, modern person schooling them in how awesome she is compared to all those dumb men. And sometimes sheContinue reading “Misandry and marketing”
Three short commentaries: on election struggles, politics and marriage, and human fallibility
It’s unfortunate how much political haymaking is going on right now as the election results are being certified. As someone who has no respect for or investment in either side, the irony and hypocrisy of both is quite shocking. People who are anti-Trump are shocked and appalled, of course, but having witnessed their own previousContinue reading “Three short commentaries: on election struggles, politics and marriage, and human fallibility”
The coming election and likely Trump loss
Trump keeps talking about election fraud. The cost of fraud and the likelihood it will be exposed are very high. And the potential gain of fraud is actually very small in a national-scale election. Error has a far larger actual effect on national voting than any amount of historical actual fraud. Trump just stokes thisContinue reading “The coming election and likely Trump loss”
Can you fix inequality?
The classic question that seems to be being debated in society today at all levels is essentially this: “Why shouldn’t this person or endeavkr be distributed the same goods or status as this other person or endeavor?” Why are things not the same? Why are they not fair, meaning equal, meaning possessed of the sameContinue reading “Can you fix inequality?”
Political parties that can’t lose…or win
People have forgotten how to strategically lose. There is so much pressure to always succeed, especially for politicians because you need to be seen to be doing something and to be a winner. Our whole society is too afraid to fail because we think that if we do it contradicts our entire value and existence,Continue reading “Political parties that can’t lose…or win”
The danger of agreeable people
In an extreme situation, one with high and terrible stakes, it’s highly probable that the most likely people to have caused it will be quite disagreeable, and the people most likely to resist and halt that situation will also be disagreeable. The agreeable people occupy a middle space. They are less obviously dangerous, because theyContinue reading “The danger of agreeable people”
Rehabilitating racism
Anti-racism is a problem because it represents a rehabilitation of racialized thinking. Rather than seeking to reduce the degree to which we assign value and make judgments and sort people according two race, it moves those judgments to the forefront. We’ve seen from history where that goes. The most likely result of such mental sortingContinue reading “Rehabilitating racism”
How Trump helped lose the culture war
As much as I despise Trump for his selfishness and degeneracy, critical race theory, postmodernism, fourth wave feminism, and various other popular ideological movements (which have all cross pollinated into something large enough to be considered a religion) make him look like a silly little middle school bully next to the Maoist revolution. But IContinue reading “How Trump helped lose the culture war”
The shifting strategy of socialism
If nationalism has some basis in racial solidarity, in the identity of the tribe (the French, Germans, Italians, for example), might it not make sense to infer that tribalism is itself part of the reason socialism can’t seem to cohere on a broader international basis? And if that’s an obstacle to the Marxist dream, thenContinue reading “The shifting strategy of socialism”
Making Nobody Happy 