If we’re going to have a president, why not keep him or her in Washington — at a desk with a stack of paperwork, away from television cameras and smartphones — instead of centering every aspect of public life around his or her actions and utterances?
Tag: culture
Does Immigration Shrink the Welfare State?
People normally assume that immigration will expand the welfare state. The lazy version says (a) immigrants are net beneficiaries of the welfare state, and (b) people vote their self-interest. The better version says that immigrants’ countries of origins favor more redistribution than natives – and immigrants’ bring their political culture with them.
Feminism is Not an Ideology
I have been in debates with many feminists. I have found one point quite powerful that I have often brought up, and I find it an interesting how feminists have responded to it. I believe it really highlights their psychological disposition and view of the world.
Less Voice, More Exit
The fact that voice has become 1000x easier, while exit has become only maybe 2x easier in the last half century is interesting. It means, I think, that things are better overall, but the relative ease of voice over exit seems to have tilted culture heavily towards a “say something about it” vs a “do something about it” mentality.
What’s in a Lie?
I believe absolutely nothing that exits people’s mouths just because they want to say it. People don’t say things because it is truthful, people say things because they believe it will benefit them to say it. If you have a good culture where honesty is beneficial, you are more likely to get honesty. A courtroom, a classroom, a senate committee and a poker table aren’t these environments.
On Identity
It has struck me as a peculiar thing that each of us should choose our identities. Humans have a knack for identifying and labeling other things.
Better — Not Good Yet
I am reading Hans Rosling’s book, Factfulness. Its subtitle is Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think. I’m only up to reason #5, and I’m already convinced. It’s too bad that Alex Jones has usurped the name, “Info Wars,” because he is a malefactor in those info wars. Rosling, et al, are benefactors.
We Need More, Not Less, Separation of State and Journalism
The rise of free content and ease of entry into the field has us getting more “journalism” … but less real information. Opinion writers (like me) are a dime a dozen. Amateur stringers and glorified copy editors cover five-point-lede “hard news” on the cheap. But the shock troops of news, full-time investigative journalists, have to learn the ropes and they have to be paid. That’s not happening. The result: Many important things get missed and many things that aren’t missed get only insufficient, inaccurate — or worst, sponsor viewpoint biased — coverage.
Workplace Personalities, Self-Knowledge, and Office Conflict Immunization
Relating to new personnel in a job can be hard. When scaling happens fast or when you’re busy, it can seem unnecessary. But if you want to avoid unnecessary conflict and gain necessary wisdom with these outsiders, try “inoculating” yourself to all the different kinds of people who make up the world of business, for better or for worse.
What is The Value of Loyalty?
Everyday I wake up the slate is clean. No one owes me anything. I treated my wife and kids wonderful the day before for myself along with them. I treated friends, associates, and employees with respect the day before to harvest a culture and live a good life. However, when I woke up today I don’t think they owe me a thing.