Populism is quite easy to define. It is the separation of people into two warring classes. Let’s call them “the righteous masses” and “the power elites.” The populist, of course, sides with the righteous masses. It’s as simple as that. But the devil is in the details of defining those two classes.
Tag: politics
On the Harvey Weinstein Scandal
I have two daughters and there is a good chance I will have more. I imagined what I would tell them about it if they were 8-14ish. I realized that my reaction would be different and I would desire to relay different information than most people. So I thought I might share some of what I might say.
Tax Reform
As with every Congress, talk of tax reduction is in the air. They pump up the promise by multiplying by years. The current pie in the sky is calculated to be $1.5 trillion over 10 years.
Rookies
Decades ago, it was common wisdom that the Hunt Brothers could not go broke if they threw away hundred dollar bills as fast as they could pick them up and toss them. It was thought to be an NP-Hard problem. But the Hunt Brothers did figure out how to do it.
Corey’s Journey (1h35m) – Episode 089
Episode 089 welcomes Corey Christiansen to the podcast for a chat with Skyler. Topics include: video gaming and their business models, Amazon Prime, Google’s Project Fi, cell phone norms in Europe, taking risks growing up, rock climbing, sibling’s politics, political simulations in school, anarchist dating, digital rights management, Ron Paul, celebritarians, quality vs. quantity in production, his soon-to-launch student loan refinance consulting business.
You Can’t Handle the Truth, So You Bully
Threatening aggression against someone who disagrees with you is a cowardly thing for a loser to resort to. It is also an indication that the statist is stupid. If you have no arguments, just threaten to punch or murder the person who exposed your lies.
Jesse’s Journey, and Electoral Activism (1h36m) – Episode 088
Episode 088 welcomes Jesse Riddle to the podcast for a chat with Skyler about why he strongly believes that libertarians and anarchists should participate in the electoral process. Topics include: Libertarian Party politics and growing up in Indiana, alcohol laws in Indiana and Utah, unschooling and peaceful parenting, the purpose of life, his reasons for participating in the electoral process as a libertarian anarchist, Utah’s Libertas Institute, Letters to the Editor, and more.
Resentment Not Hate
Full-blown “hate” is a rare motive. But that hardly means that political actors are well-intentioned. The emotional spectrum is wide. And the emotion I routinely see in politics is not hatred, but its milder cousin: resentment.
“Reasonable” Non-Solutions
I understand it is inconvenient to work strictly within your rights, and respect the rights of others. It is easier to cheat; to use the political method to get what you want. I will always see that as a cop-out. As lazy and wrong. Even if you claim it is necessary to get where you want to go.
The World Doesn’t Pay You Enough to be Nasty
There’s a reason why we like to get nasty. It’s a lot easier to start a fight than it is to take charge of your life when things seem out of control. Our desire to manipulate others often stems from the need to compensate for our own inability to feel a sense of agency in relation to our goals. We enjoy pulling other people’s strings because those are usually the only strings we know how to pull.