Rowdy Kids, Historical Moral Judgments, & Legacy Media Sensationalism (26m) – Episode 299

Episode 299 has Skyler giving his commentary on the following entries to r/unpopularopinions: Larrysbirds writes, “If you can’t control your kid at a public place, then go home”; SatoshiSounds writes, “Criticising historical figures by today’s moral standards is like criticising 70s computers for being slow”; and pathemar writes, “US mass media should carry some of the blame for contributing to this culture of fear.”

What I’m Doing

Most smart people aren’t doing what I’m doing.  Shouldn’t I be worried?  Only slightly.  Even smart people are prone to herding and hysteria.  I’ve now spent three months listening to smart defenders of the conventional view.  Their herding and hysteria are hard to miss.  Granted, non-smart contrarians sound even worse.  But smart contrarians make the most sense of all.

On Stoicism III

A thought occurred to me recently that I attribute to my study and practice of Stoicism. I drive all around a small metro downtown area (Salt Lake City) for six hours a day delivering food. I am often stopped at a green light by a homeless person walking more or less swiftly across my path.

Gouge Is Good

If you’ve bought anything in the past six weeks, you’ve seen shortages.  In grocery stores, you’ve see empty shelves.  Online, you’ve seen long waits. If you know econ 101, there’s an obvious explanation: price-gouging laws.  When supply falls, the market’s normal reaction is to raise prices.  Government’s reaction, however, is to paint the market’s normal reaction as vicious exploitation – and order prices to stay flat despite reduced supply.  Shortages inevitably result. While this story has great merit, you don’t have to look closely to realize that it’s not the full story of shortages.  Why not?