He's right that the press is harder on him than any other president. Rightfully so. Because he's the worst man to be a president, and the press is who we rely on to tell the story. The truth of his behavior is why the press is harder on him. He deserves it all.
But press, shut the fuck up about the trivial. Just because it would be a major story of any other living politician, candidate or famous person did it doesn't mean you have to elevate the petty hypocrisy to a major story. THERE ARE PLENTY OF REAL FAILURES every week in this man's dossier to address before sinking to perverse trivia.
We don't need new evidence each day about the following realities about Trump:
1. He's a constant liar. 2. He embellishes everything about himself. 3. He does so by criticizing others whenever they disagree or point out his painful or embarrassing truths. 4. He's white and as an extension of his inferiority complex, he needs for that to be supreme as well. 5. He's incapable of complex thought. 6. He doesn't care about anything that doesn't specifically make him look good or bad, and (see #1) he will lie to make himself look good to himself (no one else really believes him -- his supporters know in their souls he's full of shit).
Be hard on President trump because he's a terrible president, and be hard on his proposed policies that are making America the worst it's been in my lifetime. Race relationships have been worse, and treatment of African Americans has been worse (watch The Vietnam War on PBS if you think otherwise), but this is our biggest backslide ever. The economy has been worse. The state of war has been worse (with the exception of our current North Korean situation, for which Trump is partially to blame, but not entirely -- the Korean problem has escalated with the advancement of their march toward nuclear capabilities which would have happened no matter who is in the White House.)
Saturday, October 21, 2017
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
The Benefits of Self Reflection - Any Mirror Will Do
A friend's Facebook post: [paraphrase] "This scriptural study of Job was a good reminder ..."
Whatever the strawman around which you want to wrap a personal reflection, it's your wrapping around it in which the benefit lies, not the strawman. Whether you take a moment of intentional analysis of one of the universal conflicts of the human condition using the Bible, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, an episode of Sex In The City, or a scholarly article by a clinical psychologist, your throw your life experience and natural attitude up against some idea or principle and compare and contrast, judge, butt and rebut, accept and deny and so forth. It's particularly useful when there's another thoughtful member in the room making it a threesome (you, them, and the literature) or three or more (with diminishing returns).
An open dialogue with the expectation that you will come away from the encounter with a better understanding, able to understand and incorporate a heftier hunk of some small part of the universal whole.
I've come to believe that it's sometimes useful to deconstruct the universal principles of human existence to appreciate in explicit detail the nuance of any given circumstance, and later reconnect it to the singular octopus, to remember that for certain, it really always abuts the oneness of all.
About the strawmen: for any individual, different strawmen may be more accessible (a literal minded person may struggle with something spiritual or metaphorical, a Christian may find their history with scripture richer), but it's also a great exercise in expanding our perspective by branching out to less natural strawmen. For a scientist to spend more time with a piece of literature to explore selflessness and altruism, or an acolyte to dissect the implications of kin selection in evolutionary psychology to explore how "goodness" can be baked into the human psyche through the invisible hand of our genetic drive to replicate itself. Either way, it's in the ping-pong of ideas that we grow.
Whatever the strawman around which you want to wrap a personal reflection, it's your wrapping around it in which the benefit lies, not the strawman. Whether you take a moment of intentional analysis of one of the universal conflicts of the human condition using the Bible, Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, an episode of Sex In The City, or a scholarly article by a clinical psychologist, your throw your life experience and natural attitude up against some idea or principle and compare and contrast, judge, butt and rebut, accept and deny and so forth. It's particularly useful when there's another thoughtful member in the room making it a threesome (you, them, and the literature) or three or more (with diminishing returns).
An open dialogue with the expectation that you will come away from the encounter with a better understanding, able to understand and incorporate a heftier hunk of some small part of the universal whole.
I've come to believe that it's sometimes useful to deconstruct the universal principles of human existence to appreciate in explicit detail the nuance of any given circumstance, and later reconnect it to the singular octopus, to remember that for certain, it really always abuts the oneness of all.
About the strawmen: for any individual, different strawmen may be more accessible (a literal minded person may struggle with something spiritual or metaphorical, a Christian may find their history with scripture richer), but it's also a great exercise in expanding our perspective by branching out to less natural strawmen. For a scientist to spend more time with a piece of literature to explore selflessness and altruism, or an acolyte to dissect the implications of kin selection in evolutionary psychology to explore how "goodness" can be baked into the human psyche through the invisible hand of our genetic drive to replicate itself. Either way, it's in the ping-pong of ideas that we grow.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
Take a Knee. Take Five of Them.
In America, you can take a knee and not be put away. Sure, some people can be against you for it, but if they weren't, then you wouldn't have to take a knee.
The question you should be asking is not should they or shouldn't they. But "Why do some Americans feel the need to make a statement like this?" And then, "What do we need to do to fix it?"
The men and women of the Armed Forces defend our freedom to take knees if we want and are proud of their job and I don't know a single person who doesn't support them. Standing up for the flag does not equal supporting our troops. I was a troop once, and I support both the troops (past, present and future), and the need to improve our treatment of minorities and immigrants in this country and the right (and responsibility) for citizens to speak their mind as they see fit with whatever platform they have.
A president who singles out individuals for his harassment, on the other hand is anathema to his office and good leadership in general. I've always stood during the National Anthem, Pledge, etc., because the flag does not represent Trump, and he is definitely not representing America or our values.
To me, the flag, the Anthem and the Pledge are symbols of our aspiration to live up to our values. We want to be a more perfect union, we want to liberty and justice for all. We want our country to be a beacon of hope to the world and a leader by example: strong, firm, compassionate, inclusive, resolute, innovative. Not shrill, strident, peevish, defensive, flip-floppy, fear-driven, hyper-reactive.
The question you should be asking is not should they or shouldn't they. But "Why do some Americans feel the need to make a statement like this?" And then, "What do we need to do to fix it?"
The men and women of the Armed Forces defend our freedom to take knees if we want and are proud of their job and I don't know a single person who doesn't support them. Standing up for the flag does not equal supporting our troops. I was a troop once, and I support both the troops (past, present and future), and the need to improve our treatment of minorities and immigrants in this country and the right (and responsibility) for citizens to speak their mind as they see fit with whatever platform they have.
A president who singles out individuals for his harassment, on the other hand is anathema to his office and good leadership in general. I've always stood during the National Anthem, Pledge, etc., because the flag does not represent Trump, and he is definitely not representing America or our values.
To me, the flag, the Anthem and the Pledge are symbols of our aspiration to live up to our values. We want to be a more perfect union, we want to liberty and justice for all. We want our country to be a beacon of hope to the world and a leader by example: strong, firm, compassionate, inclusive, resolute, innovative. Not shrill, strident, peevish, defensive, flip-floppy, fear-driven, hyper-reactive.
Tuesday, September 19, 2017
What We All REALLY CAN Agree On. Let's Start There.
1. It would be nice if more and more people had decent health insurance every year. Maybe we could figure out how to make that happen.
2. It would be great if we could put more of our money toward educating our young than incarcerating our adults. Let's find a way to systematically shift every dollar spent on prisons and jails to educating and meeting the mental health needs of children.
3. Discrimination sucks. It brings people down for no reason. It never brings people up. Let's continue to fight for fair treatment for humans, and humane treatment to animals. Death to mosquitoes!
4. Trust in government is important, so fighting corruption and increasing transparency is vital.
5. People having faith in the electoral system is an important factor to trust in government. Everything we can do to make it more transparent and secure is worth it. Things to take a really good look at: The Electoral College, Gerrymandering, Term Limits, and Citizens United.
6. Our workforce must meet today's needs. People need to be thinking about the future when they start their careers, with a viable plan B always there in case something happens to the industry, job, etc. This is more important every day as we see automation and AI taking on more and more. Examples: Online banking and learning (changes the role and focus of teachers from purveyors of information to facilitators of learning techniques and critical thinking)
7. Education can be greatly improved: What we teach, how we teach, when and where we teach. All are due for some serious overhauls.
2. It would be great if we could put more of our money toward educating our young than incarcerating our adults. Let's find a way to systematically shift every dollar spent on prisons and jails to educating and meeting the mental health needs of children.
3. Discrimination sucks. It brings people down for no reason. It never brings people up. Let's continue to fight for fair treatment for humans, and humane treatment to animals. Death to mosquitoes!
4. Trust in government is important, so fighting corruption and increasing transparency is vital.
5. People having faith in the electoral system is an important factor to trust in government. Everything we can do to make it more transparent and secure is worth it. Things to take a really good look at: The Electoral College, Gerrymandering, Term Limits, and Citizens United.
6. Our workforce must meet today's needs. People need to be thinking about the future when they start their careers, with a viable plan B always there in case something happens to the industry, job, etc. This is more important every day as we see automation and AI taking on more and more. Examples: Online banking and learning (changes the role and focus of teachers from purveyors of information to facilitators of learning techniques and critical thinking)
7. Education can be greatly improved: What we teach, how we teach, when and where we teach. All are due for some serious overhauls.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Non-Partisan DACA Reality
DACA was enacted with the full knowledge by the President at the time of its borderline legality. He chose to proceed, I assume, because it was better than the alternative of not acting to support those who fell under the provisions: children brought here as minors. With Congress locked into its ridiculous "oppose everything the president does, have no real plan of your own", the sort of immigration reform that we all know needs to happen through actual legislation was an obvious non-starter.
So, along comes a new president who campaigned on undoing everything Obama did, and who proceeds to live up to his promise, sets some dumb time-frame within which Congress is now supposed to come up with a solution... Yes, its tragic.
But what can we all agree on? How about this: we enact an immigration policy that allows enough hungry, wanna-be Americans in so we can continue to employ people do keep our country going, we provide an environment of welcome to those people so they want to integrate as productive citizens/residents who wish to contribute to and benefit from what our country has to offer, who don't feel outcast and ripen for radicalization, but rather have a real hope of climbing whatever they see as the ladder of success to achieve some idea of their American dream.
I don't think anyone wants to eliminate the boarders, so find a way to police that humanely, but make the pathway to becoming an American citizen/legal resident straight-forward and viable so it makes sense. That's a tough thing to do, but with thoughtful, minimally racist (inasmuch as that's possible) people working hard, listening to the arguments all around the dial, and coming up with a solution that accomplishes our immigration goals, it's not impossible. It will never be perfect -- that's not the universe we live in -- but it can be good, and we can work to improve it as we watch the results of our initial efforts closely.
Our brainless political hatred (liberal versus conservative) in this country is making this a horrendous non-starter, so we've got to be busting that shit up. It's going to take a willingness to admit where we've been wrong and where the opposition has been right, although the right is going to have to move a little further than the left to the left than the left will to the right. You know it, but the left has started to adopt the unquestioned hatred for everything the opposition does regardless of merits (though admittedly, there's not much happening on the right these days that doesn't deserve heavy derision, but where it exists, the left needs to give credit where it's due, even if there are some disagreements about the details).
So, along comes a new president who campaigned on undoing everything Obama did, and who proceeds to live up to his promise, sets some dumb time-frame within which Congress is now supposed to come up with a solution... Yes, its tragic.
But what can we all agree on? How about this: we enact an immigration policy that allows enough hungry, wanna-be Americans in so we can continue to employ people do keep our country going, we provide an environment of welcome to those people so they want to integrate as productive citizens/residents who wish to contribute to and benefit from what our country has to offer, who don't feel outcast and ripen for radicalization, but rather have a real hope of climbing whatever they see as the ladder of success to achieve some idea of their American dream.
I don't think anyone wants to eliminate the boarders, so find a way to police that humanely, but make the pathway to becoming an American citizen/legal resident straight-forward and viable so it makes sense. That's a tough thing to do, but with thoughtful, minimally racist (inasmuch as that's possible) people working hard, listening to the arguments all around the dial, and coming up with a solution that accomplishes our immigration goals, it's not impossible. It will never be perfect -- that's not the universe we live in -- but it can be good, and we can work to improve it as we watch the results of our initial efforts closely.
Our brainless political hatred (liberal versus conservative) in this country is making this a horrendous non-starter, so we've got to be busting that shit up. It's going to take a willingness to admit where we've been wrong and where the opposition has been right, although the right is going to have to move a little further than the left to the left than the left will to the right. You know it, but the left has started to adopt the unquestioned hatred for everything the opposition does regardless of merits (though admittedly, there's not much happening on the right these days that doesn't deserve heavy derision, but where it exists, the left needs to give credit where it's due, even if there are some disagreements about the details).
Friday, August 18, 2017
I'm Not Afraid of Those People
I'm not afraid of whites. I'm not afraid of Black people or Mexicans. I'm afraid of desperate people. People who are not secure in their careers with families to provide for or with no healthy avocations to fill their down-time with life-enhancing or home/community improvement endeavors. People with little hope and little to keep them gainfully employed with healthy self esteem.
When I think of who's going to break into my home or threaten my family, it's anyone who, for whatever reason, feels the need to harm others, whether to take their things or try to make themselves feel better through harming others (it's a real thing people do, ask a clinical psychologist). Someone who feels afraid, backed into a corner, DESPERATE (either physically, emotionally or mentally).
If we want to keep society moving in a positive direction, we need to adjust our institutions so people of whatever race and creed feel they are getting a fair chance (by giving them an actual fair chance and helping them FEEL that truth -- but it has to be true, for Pete's sake!). That means every shred of evidence they have to the contrary (institutional racism -- also a real thing, corruption in politics and government, police treatment of the public -- especially where there is a visible history of unfair treatment/racism, etc.) needs to be actively and measurably reduced to the lowest levels possible.
When I think of who's going to break into my home or threaten my family, it's anyone who, for whatever reason, feels the need to harm others, whether to take their things or try to make themselves feel better through harming others (it's a real thing people do, ask a clinical psychologist). Someone who feels afraid, backed into a corner, DESPERATE (either physically, emotionally or mentally).
If we want to keep society moving in a positive direction, we need to adjust our institutions so people of whatever race and creed feel they are getting a fair chance (by giving them an actual fair chance and helping them FEEL that truth -- but it has to be true, for Pete's sake!). That means every shred of evidence they have to the contrary (institutional racism -- also a real thing, corruption in politics and government, police treatment of the public -- especially where there is a visible history of unfair treatment/racism, etc.) needs to be actively and measurably reduced to the lowest levels possible.
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
False Equivalency
To reason with someone who would try to equate groups espousing the elimination of other races with groups that exists to fight oppression is like trying to debate the merits of drunk driving with an utterly wasted 17 year old. There's no basis for a meaningful discourse. Just take away the keys for their own good and the good of others. They'll get angry and lash out, and that's OK, because if you let them get in and drive without doing what you can to stop it, you share the blame for the results.
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Immigration -- Problem Solved
The big fear in immigration is that they will not assimilate. That's an easy problem to solve.
1. Be kind to immigrants. Show them how awesome America can be and they will want to be like us. Yes, they can keep their food insomuch as they can find the right ingredients here in America. I love the multiethnic foods that come along with our immigrants. They can keep any of their beliefs, and act on them as long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others (American value). That means if it's not fair, if it wishes to take away the rights of women, if it wishes to supersede or undermine our law, then not so much. No. But if we treat people in our country fairly and with appreciation, we'll get the same in return. People want to be part of a good thing, part of a supportive and productive community. We need to help people realize this basic human need. Failure to do so, and we foment the types of problems we're seeing now.
When children or second generation immigrants are here and they feel the unkindness and unfairness, a portion of them will be radicalized, as would a portion of us if we found ourselves surrounded by haters and became desperate. Hating causes disenfranchisement and ultimately despair and finally uprising. You will reap the punishment of your hate by creating, with your hate: violence to the haters (and the silent who allow the hate to go unstemmed.
The how...that's a big, barely tractable problem. But if we can put a man on the moon, we can do it.
1. Be kind to immigrants. Show them how awesome America can be and they will want to be like us. Yes, they can keep their food insomuch as they can find the right ingredients here in America. I love the multiethnic foods that come along with our immigrants. They can keep any of their beliefs, and act on them as long as they don't infringe upon the rights of others (American value). That means if it's not fair, if it wishes to take away the rights of women, if it wishes to supersede or undermine our law, then not so much. No. But if we treat people in our country fairly and with appreciation, we'll get the same in return. People want to be part of a good thing, part of a supportive and productive community. We need to help people realize this basic human need. Failure to do so, and we foment the types of problems we're seeing now.
When children or second generation immigrants are here and they feel the unkindness and unfairness, a portion of them will be radicalized, as would a portion of us if we found ourselves surrounded by haters and became desperate. Hating causes disenfranchisement and ultimately despair and finally uprising. You will reap the punishment of your hate by creating, with your hate: violence to the haters (and the silent who allow the hate to go unstemmed.
The how...that's a big, barely tractable problem. But if we can put a man on the moon, we can do it.
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
9 Reasons Not To Hate Trump
Here are 9 reasons not to hate Trump:
1. Because the Republicans were so very hateful toward Obama. Hate and you become what you hate -- simple enough. Don't meet them in the gutter, you don't respect that and you don't deserve respect when you go there. What tradition (religious or cultural) is proud of their vengeance and quid pro quo retribution on their opponents? Is that the level of maturity you've been striving to reach?
2. Because of his physical characteristics (hands. hair, weight, etc.). It's not about that, and you know it. If you're a late-night comedian going for the cheap laugh, or you like to judge people based on appearance, then by all means, but it will get you no respect from people care about important things, and you demean yourself in doing so. Is that your goal?
3. Because of his wife or his family. It's not about them -- any feelings you have about Trump as president should be about Trump AS PRESIDENT (there's enough to deal with without bringing family into it. Period.) I have friends who have done things they regret, and I love them. You can rail against nepotism, a real and insidious form of corruption, but not against Trump because of the character of his family. You can criticize any behavior of any government official, family or not, based on their performance as an appointed/elected official (or even campaign activist), but leave the personal lives of family members alone.
4. Because he was elected. He just ran, his base and others hoping for something different and, understandably, not wanting Hillary to be president (I didn't either, though I believe she would have been less damaging than Trump). The integrity of the election itself is still under investigation, and any campaign activity that may be implicated needs to be adjudicated and held fully accountable, but until that time, that is not a reason to hate Trump.
5. Because he lies all the time. It's a defect in personality or psychological disorder or part of his narcissism complex. No reason to hate him for it. It's not smart to trust him with important things, of course, but don't hate HIM for his mental limitations. We don't hate dogs because they don't understand English, and we don't hate other mentally challenged people because of the limitations their conditions impose on them. Do we? I don't. For sure, those who buy into his fake narrative don't earn respect, but they can't help it -- it's where they are.
6. Because he's mean and vindictive, and he bullies people. He needs treatment and therapy, not hatred. Who ever changed from being a bully because people hated them back? Just makes them worse.
7. Because hate makes you, the hater, less. You are not living your best, acting your best, or at your most effective when you are hating. You are your best coming from a place of confident competence, full of bright energy, fighting for something positive you believe in. Keep your focus on a goal that makes the world better and work hard for it. If that means being part of electing someone who is worthy of being America's leader, or fighting for policies that bring us closer to a more perfect Union like ethical government or universal human rights, then get to it and shut up about the water under the bridge. Not to mention, chronic hate and resentment and contempt is damaging to your health.
8. Because others rightfully will question your integrity when you come from hate (or pettiness, snarkiness, cynicism, or derision). Regardless of your motive, if you're perceived to be biased, the only people who will hear you (whether they agree or disagree) have already made up their minds anyway, and you're relegated to the echo chamber. Why even bother. Because it makes you feel good? If you want to feel good, better to just grab a beer/joint, put on your favorite music, and hang out with friends. Or get in a good workout. People who hate in order to feel good are...what?
9. Because hate is part of the problem. Every bit of hate you bring with you diminishes us all.
There are things worth fighting for or against: Powerful people who exploit those they have influence over, anyone trying to silence a free press, abuse of government power, incompetence in government, hypocrisy (this is a tough one because being beyond reproach is no easy task), dishonesty in public service, special interests buying politicians, mistreatment of people because of (any reason here), etc. Take on those issues with passion and energy -- the strength of America depend on as many people as possible working as hard as they can for something they believe in (that's how we started this crazy experiment in the first place), and we have a long way to go to become a more perfect union. If you want to change things, envision the better world, figure out how to make it happen, make your plan, and execute. But stop the ridiculous hate.
1. Because the Republicans were so very hateful toward Obama. Hate and you become what you hate -- simple enough. Don't meet them in the gutter, you don't respect that and you don't deserve respect when you go there. What tradition (religious or cultural) is proud of their vengeance and quid pro quo retribution on their opponents? Is that the level of maturity you've been striving to reach?
2. Because of his physical characteristics (hands. hair, weight, etc.). It's not about that, and you know it. If you're a late-night comedian going for the cheap laugh, or you like to judge people based on appearance, then by all means, but it will get you no respect from people care about important things, and you demean yourself in doing so. Is that your goal?
3. Because of his wife or his family. It's not about them -- any feelings you have about Trump as president should be about Trump AS PRESIDENT (there's enough to deal with without bringing family into it. Period.) I have friends who have done things they regret, and I love them. You can rail against nepotism, a real and insidious form of corruption, but not against Trump because of the character of his family. You can criticize any behavior of any government official, family or not, based on their performance as an appointed/elected official (or even campaign activist), but leave the personal lives of family members alone.
4. Because he was elected. He just ran, his base and others hoping for something different and, understandably, not wanting Hillary to be president (I didn't either, though I believe she would have been less damaging than Trump). The integrity of the election itself is still under investigation, and any campaign activity that may be implicated needs to be adjudicated and held fully accountable, but until that time, that is not a reason to hate Trump.
5. Because he lies all the time. It's a defect in personality or psychological disorder or part of his narcissism complex. No reason to hate him for it. It's not smart to trust him with important things, of course, but don't hate HIM for his mental limitations. We don't hate dogs because they don't understand English, and we don't hate other mentally challenged people because of the limitations their conditions impose on them. Do we? I don't. For sure, those who buy into his fake narrative don't earn respect, but they can't help it -- it's where they are.
6. Because he's mean and vindictive, and he bullies people. He needs treatment and therapy, not hatred. Who ever changed from being a bully because people hated them back? Just makes them worse.
7. Because hate makes you, the hater, less. You are not living your best, acting your best, or at your most effective when you are hating. You are your best coming from a place of confident competence, full of bright energy, fighting for something positive you believe in. Keep your focus on a goal that makes the world better and work hard for it. If that means being part of electing someone who is worthy of being America's leader, or fighting for policies that bring us closer to a more perfect Union like ethical government or universal human rights, then get to it and shut up about the water under the bridge. Not to mention, chronic hate and resentment and contempt is damaging to your health.
8. Because others rightfully will question your integrity when you come from hate (or pettiness, snarkiness, cynicism, or derision). Regardless of your motive, if you're perceived to be biased, the only people who will hear you (whether they agree or disagree) have already made up their minds anyway, and you're relegated to the echo chamber. Why even bother. Because it makes you feel good? If you want to feel good, better to just grab a beer/joint, put on your favorite music, and hang out with friends. Or get in a good workout. People who hate in order to feel good are...what?
9. Because hate is part of the problem. Every bit of hate you bring with you diminishes us all.
There are things worth fighting for or against: Powerful people who exploit those they have influence over, anyone trying to silence a free press, abuse of government power, incompetence in government, hypocrisy (this is a tough one because being beyond reproach is no easy task), dishonesty in public service, special interests buying politicians, mistreatment of people because of (any reason here), etc. Take on those issues with passion and energy -- the strength of America depend on as many people as possible working as hard as they can for something they believe in (that's how we started this crazy experiment in the first place), and we have a long way to go to become a more perfect union. If you want to change things, envision the better world, figure out how to make it happen, make your plan, and execute. But stop the ridiculous hate.
Monday, July 24, 2017
The Threats and The Solutions
Threats:
Wage Inequality: When enough people are exploited, when wages are driven down instead of buoyed up, when capitalism leads to desperation to the dependent segment of our population, we flirt with instability, rebellion, and revolution. There is enough wealth in this nation to avoid this if we find a way tin incentivize businesses to increase the wages of the lower tier workers. With the blatantly unequal rise of wages for different classes in America, how can those directing and litigating and legislating how we compensate different levels of society need the excuse to make those annual raises more equal. And with the recent mutation of those annual increases tilted so extremely toward the rich, there is a growing capacity for this remedy. Business people, MBAs, the C Suite, Financial institutions, Boards of Directors, this is your chance to build in institutional structures that tie compensation at the highest levels with those at the middle and bottom, AND correct the imbalance that's manifested itself withing the last 30 years. You're smart motherfuckers. You can figure this out, and for the long term strength of your current hegemony, you better do it now or it's going to come crashing down on not only the underclass, but the rest as well. Your move, power brokers. Do the right thing.
Equal Opportunity: The strength and stability of our nation begs that we optimize the participation of every human being living in our boarders. Every person on the public dole, in prison, unemployed, disenfranchized from productivity for whatever reason is a drag on all of us. What can we do individually and institutionally to bring those outcasts back into the productive side of our economy? The ROI in moving any of those out-groups into the in-group pays off more than any other endeavor to the overall health of our country. What are we doing to neutralize the forces that oppress anyone or allow them to fall into the takers? Drug addicts, prisoners, released prisoners, the sick, physically and mentally disabled, welfare recipients, young single mothers and fathers, the poor, homeless, PTSD victims (vets and non-vets), etc. Getting those individuals the focused assistance they need to return to productivity is worth every single penny over and over. Every person we leave behind will live to haunt the world of our children's future.
National Security: Being a global force for good is a fine tagline for the US Navy, but contributing to the worlds down-trodden both within our borders and around the world is the single best thing we can do to keep America great in the eyes of the world. We can lead or take a back-seat, or we can lead by example. The world, for sure, needs to do their best in their borders, and we can be an inspiration or just another failed experiment.
Corruption Busing: Trust in our institutions, with the apex being our federal government from the very top down, is the single most important need for our long-term stability. Everything we can do to identify and illuminate areas where we need to clean house is necessary. Vigorous, continual, continuous, strenuous and unrelenting pressure to be better is central to continuing as a viable nation. Independent and unbiased journalism is essential, so supporting local, state, and national media that prove themselves to be objective and aggressive is worth every penny. Truth, you sons of bitches, not to further your ideologies. Fuck your ideologies. Facts and science and a clear picture of reality will do more to put us on the right track than your conspiracy theories, right and left wing-nut biases, and the blowhards that get all emotional over the Clinton's, Bush's, and Trump's. Follow the money, subtract your emotions (if you have feelings about people (like Obama or Trump), you're not the right person to act on facts). If you have feelings about America and the Constitution, you're getting closer. If you have feelings for the long-term (3 - 10 generations) of our continued global viability, you're closer still. Avoiding spending on objective study of climate change, gun violence, immigration, government effectiveness, national health, defense, energy, science... is dangerous. If we're not making policy on reality, we're at the mercy of merchants whose goals are their short-term (single or two generation) wealth instead of national long-term resilience and stability. Your choice.
Solutions:
Pick one or more of the items above. Think hard about where you want to contribute some of your energy and resources to bust up the negative parts of any of them or to bolster the forces for good. I like working toward the positive side and let the negative side starve for lack of attention. Promote strong, independent journalism at whatever level. Support organizations that bring people to productivity. Lobby your company to raise your minimum wages -- if you're the CEO, check your greed and find a way to share the wealth to strengthen your company's standing in the world. Whatever your level, throw some support at one of these worthy enterprises and drag some friends along with you.
By the way, one of the solutions is stronger education based on students' needs, especially those students who are poor and whose needs are not being met. Equality in education is a force multiplier.
Wage Inequality: When enough people are exploited, when wages are driven down instead of buoyed up, when capitalism leads to desperation to the dependent segment of our population, we flirt with instability, rebellion, and revolution. There is enough wealth in this nation to avoid this if we find a way tin incentivize businesses to increase the wages of the lower tier workers. With the blatantly unequal rise of wages for different classes in America, how can those directing and litigating and legislating how we compensate different levels of society need the excuse to make those annual raises more equal. And with the recent mutation of those annual increases tilted so extremely toward the rich, there is a growing capacity for this remedy. Business people, MBAs, the C Suite, Financial institutions, Boards of Directors, this is your chance to build in institutional structures that tie compensation at the highest levels with those at the middle and bottom, AND correct the imbalance that's manifested itself withing the last 30 years. You're smart motherfuckers. You can figure this out, and for the long term strength of your current hegemony, you better do it now or it's going to come crashing down on not only the underclass, but the rest as well. Your move, power brokers. Do the right thing.
Equal Opportunity: The strength and stability of our nation begs that we optimize the participation of every human being living in our boarders. Every person on the public dole, in prison, unemployed, disenfranchized from productivity for whatever reason is a drag on all of us. What can we do individually and institutionally to bring those outcasts back into the productive side of our economy? The ROI in moving any of those out-groups into the in-group pays off more than any other endeavor to the overall health of our country. What are we doing to neutralize the forces that oppress anyone or allow them to fall into the takers? Drug addicts, prisoners, released prisoners, the sick, physically and mentally disabled, welfare recipients, young single mothers and fathers, the poor, homeless, PTSD victims (vets and non-vets), etc. Getting those individuals the focused assistance they need to return to productivity is worth every single penny over and over. Every person we leave behind will live to haunt the world of our children's future.
National Security: Being a global force for good is a fine tagline for the US Navy, but contributing to the worlds down-trodden both within our borders and around the world is the single best thing we can do to keep America great in the eyes of the world. We can lead or take a back-seat, or we can lead by example. The world, for sure, needs to do their best in their borders, and we can be an inspiration or just another failed experiment.
Corruption Busing: Trust in our institutions, with the apex being our federal government from the very top down, is the single most important need for our long-term stability. Everything we can do to identify and illuminate areas where we need to clean house is necessary. Vigorous, continual, continuous, strenuous and unrelenting pressure to be better is central to continuing as a viable nation. Independent and unbiased journalism is essential, so supporting local, state, and national media that prove themselves to be objective and aggressive is worth every penny. Truth, you sons of bitches, not to further your ideologies. Fuck your ideologies. Facts and science and a clear picture of reality will do more to put us on the right track than your conspiracy theories, right and left wing-nut biases, and the blowhards that get all emotional over the Clinton's, Bush's, and Trump's. Follow the money, subtract your emotions (if you have feelings about people (like Obama or Trump), you're not the right person to act on facts). If you have feelings about America and the Constitution, you're getting closer. If you have feelings for the long-term (3 - 10 generations) of our continued global viability, you're closer still. Avoiding spending on objective study of climate change, gun violence, immigration, government effectiveness, national health, defense, energy, science... is dangerous. If we're not making policy on reality, we're at the mercy of merchants whose goals are their short-term (single or two generation) wealth instead of national long-term resilience and stability. Your choice.
Solutions:
Pick one or more of the items above. Think hard about where you want to contribute some of your energy and resources to bust up the negative parts of any of them or to bolster the forces for good. I like working toward the positive side and let the negative side starve for lack of attention. Promote strong, independent journalism at whatever level. Support organizations that bring people to productivity. Lobby your company to raise your minimum wages -- if you're the CEO, check your greed and find a way to share the wealth to strengthen your company's standing in the world. Whatever your level, throw some support at one of these worthy enterprises and drag some friends along with you.
By the way, one of the solutions is stronger education based on students' needs, especially those students who are poor and whose needs are not being met. Equality in education is a force multiplier.
Let's Keep Our Eye On The Ball, People.
Nature abhors a vacuum, so when there's no real crisis, we make one up to fill our emotional space. Like a gas, whatever the latest drama is will expand to fill our container.
This, in itself, should be something we keep in mind all the time. The consequence, if we don't, is that the real crisis will sneak up on us and fuck us from behind. The important, somewhat non-urgent things, have to be kept in check and on our radar, because the little peccadilloes will distract us if we're not shrewd.
It's part of being an adult, and as a country, it's part of keeping the long-term programs strong and effective. For example, the existential threats to our way of life are economic stability, maintaining our trust in government (bigger picture: making sure our government is competent, which we're struggling with at the moment), and keeping ourselves on a positive trajectory as a people -- united and aligned.
Our little differences can be dealt with, like what sort of healthcare will keep us together, but we need real leadership in bringing us together on the overall goal: providing adequate healthcare for everyone so we can pretty much get on with our lives.
It's better if more of us are involved in substantial ways in working toward solutions to our major threats: International Security, Wage Inequality, and Equal Opportunity. Pick one and get to work. Click here.
This, in itself, should be something we keep in mind all the time. The consequence, if we don't, is that the real crisis will sneak up on us and fuck us from behind. The important, somewhat non-urgent things, have to be kept in check and on our radar, because the little peccadilloes will distract us if we're not shrewd.
It's part of being an adult, and as a country, it's part of keeping the long-term programs strong and effective. For example, the existential threats to our way of life are economic stability, maintaining our trust in government (bigger picture: making sure our government is competent, which we're struggling with at the moment), and keeping ourselves on a positive trajectory as a people -- united and aligned.
Our little differences can be dealt with, like what sort of healthcare will keep us together, but we need real leadership in bringing us together on the overall goal: providing adequate healthcare for everyone so we can pretty much get on with our lives.
It's better if more of us are involved in substantial ways in working toward solutions to our major threats: International Security, Wage Inequality, and Equal Opportunity. Pick one and get to work. Click here.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Real and Surreal - Consciousness
Those of us who have pondered the nature of conscious awareness and consciousness have concluded that this hard-to-express, hard-to-define, hard-to-explain phenomena is unique. The brain (and body neurosystem and its chemistry) contains it, but it is not of the brain. It's of time, geometry, residence, and electrochemistry all mucking up together, with its mixture of realtime sensory input, stored neural pathways and memories, neurotransmitter concentrations and distributions, and contemporaneous fluctuations in all of that which give us this sensation of being. To try to deconstruct it into any momentary or sub-system of all that mixtures is to remove some of what it means to be human. As such, even if we were able to download all of those complex and chaotic algorithms into another brain or artificial intelligence system, it wouldn't be the same being. If it (that consciousness) were able to be cloned (and I'm way dubious), it would exist as its own separate entity. I couldn't go there with it, because the me is wholly existant only within THIS body/mind system. The new person might be another, different me, and HE might be able to feel like he's me inside another being, and as far as YOU are concerned, it might be an good enough version of me to carry on as me (because you don't feel me like I feel me). As I interact with you, I don't feel the you-ness of you -- I only sense the you as I know you to be through observation, interaction, and our history along with all the assumptions, understandings and comprehensions that I apply to all my thoughts and feelings of you. But I can't know the feeling YOU have while being you. That's yours alone, never to be able to be shared with an "other." So the idea that I would be able to live as another person, immortal or transcending my own body, is not a thing. At least not for many millennia of advancement... Here's a scientific thread for you to turn into a novel: A person is merged with a mindscape and lives with it over time, allowing me and it to grow together directly connected to my mindspace until it becomes more and more of part of me and when it's been able to share enough experience where I have direct mental access to it directly connected to my brain, and if I can train myself to access and store and live from that space until they are mutually connected as if I had the two brains and I was intentionally duplicating my memories and experiences with that secondary mindscape, then perhaps after years and years, I could start letting my original brain slowly drift off-line (maybe as it dies), then, like someone having a hemisphereectomy or severing the corpus collossum (which happens sometimes due to brain tumors or severe, life threatening/debilitating conditions), the original could be removed and much of my conscious self could continue on Brain two. If you do choose to go that route, let me know so I can take credit for this pretty cool idea. I've never seen it talked about like this before, so as far as I know, this is the first time it's been proffered as on option. We could start developing the protocols today and in the next hundred years or so of brain research, they could start developing the interface technologies to accommodate it. Good luck!
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Rationalism and American Politics
If your angry (the natural symptom of fear or pain) or afraid or hurt, you're going to have a really hard time seeing beyond the filters to clarity.
If you're invested in one side or the other, you're going to struggle to have unbiased thoughts regarding what you see, and are likely to either cherry pick your information (unconsciously or deliberately) to justify your position.
If you're not too bright, or if you're pretty ignorant (sometimes caused by anger or investment), you should be rightfully suspect of any opinions that form in your head. Although those who aren't too bright are less apt to question their own judgment, and many people who are ignorant don't know grasp enough of the full breadth of the topic to even be aware how ignorant they are ("Who thought healthcare was so complicated?")*
So what's a person to do when you have a "no right answer" world and you want to really understand the big-picture circumstances, and then advocate or act accordingly?
1. Find someone who is totally not invested, who is learned about the topic at hand, who is really intelligent in systems analysis (in the system you're interested in), and has a very broad understanding of the world in general, and has kept skeptically informed about the issue, and ask what they think. Have them give you a detailed analysis from both (or the several) sides of the issue, and from different perspectives (internal, outside, immediate and long term, and in technical details and broad scope of the scenario). Then ask a few more people who fit the bill but with deep understanding of a different aspect of the topic. These people are rare, and very valuable. But be careful to avoid people who have espoused their pet theory because they often are blind to evidence that doesn't support their preconceptions.
2. Triangulate: Get your information from your best sources, and listen to what a wide variety biased and mainstream sources are saying, evaluating their motives and what you know of their personality by their behavior and interests (never what they say, because they speak after their actions). See below for some thoughts about best sources.
3. Follow the money. Rarely are people disinterested in financial reward. Even the meager will vote their pocketbook (or at least believe they are) against their principles most of the time.
Who you can never really trust to speak truth? Businessmen, Politicians, Idiots, Zealots, Ideologues (unless their ideology is "I just don't care."), the angry, the hungry, the scared, the vain, the ambitious, the overly polite (nice) people.
Who does that leave? How about people who are scientifically (show me verifiable/repeatable evidence) minded, socially aware agnostics, fiscally-stoic deep thinkers with a journalistic bent, and are experts in their fields. If we can get the AI community going, and have them ensure their huge brain-machines are built without their emotion chip, and can feed them information like they do for IBM's Watson... Use them to help best understand what's real and what the implications are, bounce the results off a few ethicists, and then support a decision maker who can understand their best conclusions but also has a heart.
*I just wanted to grab an example that everyone would be able to grasp, not being political.
If you're invested in one side or the other, you're going to struggle to have unbiased thoughts regarding what you see, and are likely to either cherry pick your information (unconsciously or deliberately) to justify your position.
If you're not too bright, or if you're pretty ignorant (sometimes caused by anger or investment), you should be rightfully suspect of any opinions that form in your head. Although those who aren't too bright are less apt to question their own judgment, and many people who are ignorant don't know grasp enough of the full breadth of the topic to even be aware how ignorant they are ("Who thought healthcare was so complicated?")*
So what's a person to do when you have a "no right answer" world and you want to really understand the big-picture circumstances, and then advocate or act accordingly?
1. Find someone who is totally not invested, who is learned about the topic at hand, who is really intelligent in systems analysis (in the system you're interested in), and has a very broad understanding of the world in general, and has kept skeptically informed about the issue, and ask what they think. Have them give you a detailed analysis from both (or the several) sides of the issue, and from different perspectives (internal, outside, immediate and long term, and in technical details and broad scope of the scenario). Then ask a few more people who fit the bill but with deep understanding of a different aspect of the topic. These people are rare, and very valuable. But be careful to avoid people who have espoused their pet theory because they often are blind to evidence that doesn't support their preconceptions.
2. Triangulate: Get your information from your best sources, and listen to what a wide variety biased and mainstream sources are saying, evaluating their motives and what you know of their personality by their behavior and interests (never what they say, because they speak after their actions). See below for some thoughts about best sources.
3. Follow the money. Rarely are people disinterested in financial reward. Even the meager will vote their pocketbook (or at least believe they are) against their principles most of the time.
Who you can never really trust to speak truth? Businessmen, Politicians, Idiots, Zealots, Ideologues (unless their ideology is "I just don't care."), the angry, the hungry, the scared, the vain, the ambitious, the overly polite (nice) people.
Who does that leave? How about people who are scientifically (show me verifiable/repeatable evidence) minded, socially aware agnostics, fiscally-stoic deep thinkers with a journalistic bent, and are experts in their fields. If we can get the AI community going, and have them ensure their huge brain-machines are built without their emotion chip, and can feed them information like they do for IBM's Watson... Use them to help best understand what's real and what the implications are, bounce the results off a few ethicists, and then support a decision maker who can understand their best conclusions but also has a heart.
*I just wanted to grab an example that everyone would be able to grasp, not being political.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Thought Experiment
Imagine all you have by which to judge a person is what they do and what they say. Pretend you can ignore everything said about them by anyone else and don't compare them to anyone in particular.
If all you had to go on was the twitter feed and statements of Donald Trump from his own mouth, unadulterated by any biased media, mainstream or conservative or liberal, what would you think of him? Would you trust him with money? Would you defer to his judgment with the best course of action for [a business, a country/state, right living, investing, real estate (based only on legal and business documentation)]. Remember, don't compare him to all the bad things democrats have done, just go on his record and your own understanding of the human condition, the general idea of people you trust and respect.
Ask yourself, would you trust him on his own terms? How would you defend his actual, observed (not reported) behavior, in tweets, on screen, in rallys? Not compared to Hillary but in his own merits as a person.
If you were in the military (which a many of my friends are), would you put him in charge of important decisions? Would you believe him when he reported his actions? Would you want him as your commanding officer? Would you trust him to be loyal to the Constitution over his own interests? Would you trust him to be loyal to the country over some influential person who did him a good turn?
If you were an investor, would you trust him to honestly handle your money without super-close supervision? Wou
If all you had to go on was the twitter feed and statements of Donald Trump from his own mouth, unadulterated by any biased media, mainstream or conservative or liberal, what would you think of him? Would you trust him with money? Would you defer to his judgment with the best course of action for [a business, a country/state, right living, investing, real estate (based only on legal and business documentation)]. Remember, don't compare him to all the bad things democrats have done, just go on his record and your own understanding of the human condition, the general idea of people you trust and respect.
Ask yourself, would you trust him on his own terms? How would you defend his actual, observed (not reported) behavior, in tweets, on screen, in rallys? Not compared to Hillary but in his own merits as a person.
If you were in the military (which a many of my friends are), would you put him in charge of important decisions? Would you believe him when he reported his actions? Would you want him as your commanding officer? Would you trust him to be loyal to the Constitution over his own interests? Would you trust him to be loyal to the country over some influential person who did him a good turn?
If you were an investor, would you trust him to honestly handle your money without super-close supervision? Wou
Comey is too honest
The evidence is clear. There was no right thing to do. If he had kept the investigation of Clinton's latest e-mails (back in October) quiet, he would have been fiercely accused of playing politics to help her win. If you're conservative, you know that's true. He erred on the side of transparency -- maybe being too honest and sided with the American people, if not the Constitution or the norms of his office. And so he was, perhaps justly, accused of influencing the election away from Clinton. (I'm not saying that it made an intentional or significant difference, just that he was accused of influencing the election).
But one thing is obvious. If there's one thing he's not, it's a liar.
On the other hand, the instigator of alternative facts, the person who elevates winning above all, who has even committed members of his own party unable to defend his claims and conservative pundits reminding people not to take what he says literally, if there's one thing Trump is, it's not honest.
There's also a PAC (which, if anything, are never honest whether conservative or liberal), trying to paint him as a show-boater. Are you going to be believe a political PAC ad about anything, ever? Not me.
So when it comes to who to believe, there's no question.
But one thing is obvious. If there's one thing he's not, it's a liar.
On the other hand, the instigator of alternative facts, the person who elevates winning above all, who has even committed members of his own party unable to defend his claims and conservative pundits reminding people not to take what he says literally, if there's one thing Trump is, it's not honest.
There's also a PAC (which, if anything, are never honest whether conservative or liberal), trying to paint him as a show-boater. Are you going to be believe a political PAC ad about anything, ever? Not me.
So when it comes to who to believe, there's no question.
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Ridiculous is the New Normal - Priorities
Watching commercials on American TV is a look into the leisure psyche corrupted to the highest degree so far. It's emasculating to imagine having so much time and money that someone gives a shit about a barely perceptible difference in the shade of blue they want to paint their nursery. I guarantee the baby doesn't give a shit. And, on round two, the elegance of your closet, with its back-lighting and opulence and scope of the closet, the impeccable spacing on the huge shoe rack. And the most troubling aspect is that it's not only seen as normal, but as a completely legitimate achievement worthy of working toward, a real sign of success.
Here's a list of things that are all better uses of our time and money than agonizing over color patterns for baby's room or expanding the sartorial and mahogany finish on the trim of your boudoir. Stop being so damned selfish, self-centered, narcissistic, short-sighted, parochial, sheep-like. If you have the disposable income that has you looking for such useless things to hiring a shopper to help you select between luxury vehicles, think a little about your legacy... (your obit) "His discerning tastes was clear having selected the Lincoln MKZ over the Cadillac XT1..." or "Was able to help several thousand low income students get advanced degrees in science and healthcare"
1. Creating art
2. Ensuring a comfortable hospice experience for members of your community
3. Providing time mentoring troubled teens at the local high school
4. Coordinating small business support for women in economically depressed demographics
5. Supporting an effort to remove historically racist monuments in Jim Crow hold-outs down south
6. Giving grants to support urban gardens
7. Fighting for basic science research funding
8. Electing officials who recognize income inequality is unhealthy for sustained economic strength
9. Giving time and money to further local investigative journalism which shines light on corruption, the poison of faith in government
10. Advocating for medical research for rare diseases which big pharma is happy to ignore because of the low expected ROI for treatment option
11. Developing scholarship programs for poor, talented students who aspire to vocations requiring advanced degrees
12. Work to incentivize doctors and nurses to reside in rural areas where medical care suffers
13. Send money to Doctors Without Borders
14. Fund independent documentary films that expose exploitative industries like sex trafficking and high energy collusion
15. Organize resistance to intolerant and bigoted institutions, corporations and other organizations
16. Illuminate the dark underbelly of hate groups
17. Petition the local school boards or fund their programs to provide opportunities to troubled students
18. Make high art available to minimum wage workers through sponsorship and ticket distribution
19. Host a political action group to research and discuss candidates for local and state offices
20. Entreat local cable companies to improve their programs to provide low-cost internet to low-income families
21. Take weekend road trips with your kids and visit and discuss blighted neighborhoods and gated communities
22. Join venture capitalists to support education apps.
23. Donate to Wikipedia
24. Rent out your extra room at low cost to students attending the local college
25. Institute a tech/engineering retraining to people in obsolete industries, like coal mining
26. Facilitate athletic and bodily-kinesthetic activities for senior housing facilities
Here's a list of things that are all better uses of our time and money than agonizing over color patterns for baby's room or expanding the sartorial and mahogany finish on the trim of your boudoir. Stop being so damned selfish, self-centered, narcissistic, short-sighted, parochial, sheep-like. If you have the disposable income that has you looking for such useless things to hiring a shopper to help you select between luxury vehicles, think a little about your legacy... (your obit) "His discerning tastes was clear having selected the Lincoln MKZ over the Cadillac XT1..." or "Was able to help several thousand low income students get advanced degrees in science and healthcare"
1. Creating art
2. Ensuring a comfortable hospice experience for members of your community
3. Providing time mentoring troubled teens at the local high school
4. Coordinating small business support for women in economically depressed demographics
5. Supporting an effort to remove historically racist monuments in Jim Crow hold-outs down south
6. Giving grants to support urban gardens
7. Fighting for basic science research funding
8. Electing officials who recognize income inequality is unhealthy for sustained economic strength
9. Giving time and money to further local investigative journalism which shines light on corruption, the poison of faith in government
10. Advocating for medical research for rare diseases which big pharma is happy to ignore because of the low expected ROI for treatment option
11. Developing scholarship programs for poor, talented students who aspire to vocations requiring advanced degrees
12. Work to incentivize doctors and nurses to reside in rural areas where medical care suffers
13. Send money to Doctors Without Borders
14. Fund independent documentary films that expose exploitative industries like sex trafficking and high energy collusion
15. Organize resistance to intolerant and bigoted institutions, corporations and other organizations
16. Illuminate the dark underbelly of hate groups
17. Petition the local school boards or fund their programs to provide opportunities to troubled students
18. Make high art available to minimum wage workers through sponsorship and ticket distribution
19. Host a political action group to research and discuss candidates for local and state offices
20. Entreat local cable companies to improve their programs to provide low-cost internet to low-income families
21. Take weekend road trips with your kids and visit and discuss blighted neighborhoods and gated communities
22. Join venture capitalists to support education apps.
23. Donate to Wikipedia
24. Rent out your extra room at low cost to students attending the local college
25. Institute a tech/engineering retraining to people in obsolete industries, like coal mining
26. Facilitate athletic and bodily-kinesthetic activities for senior housing facilities
Monday, May 22, 2017
False :Pride to Real Progress
Reading an article about Richard Spencer and the roots of his politics... It makes me wonder if or how we could exorcise that limited perspective on society (race-centric). Until we can treat our historical ills and come closer to curing our past misdeeds, transcending them and our* current zeitgeist is but a dream. Understanding the interplaying dynamics (among our psychology, history, education, economics, et al.) of today is an important start.
When a person has no tangible accomplishments to their name, nothing they have created, orchestrated, designed and built through their own devices, there's a tendency in most to glom on to something they're close to and feel they can be proud of. They name drop, they amplify lackluster achievements, they pretend they're something they're not. Out of this same low esteem comes racial identity. They have at least one characteristic with which they can claim as a source of pride -- the accomplishments of ancestors or racemates.
For an oppressed race, and there are many, being able to point to real contributions made by their race can be legitimate in countering oppression because it brings to mind and lays bare the reality that any individual of every race is worthy (and this can be important for both members and non-members of that race). For the dominant race, attaching to the accomplishments of racemates explicitly as the dominant race does the opposite -- highlights their history of oppression. Naturally the writers of history are going to recall and remember all their glorious past and forget or even coopt the accomplishments of history's underdogs.
A healthier approach for all, when we're eventually ready, would be to expand the identity beyond race, faction or country to its logical conclusion. Human. The one glaring benefit to this is it allows anyone from any race to take pride in furthering society for all (in whatever fashionable definition of furthering we might collectively choose). Those with pathological needs to be better than others (for all the reasons that disability might arise) will, of course, be unable to see the world at large in those more objective terms, and how we combat that shortcoming will have to be part of any bettering path forward.
This ethnocentric tendency may be the root attraction I have to scientific thinking. It has greater respect for repeatable, testable facts (reality) than any other school of thought we've yet designed. Adding to that a spiritual respect for the life and legitimacy of the individual, and we have a powerful secular basis for good living. One that does its best to use what we know so far (with the striving to add to our real understanding of all of nature) to serve the future of humanity in the most positive way we can, whatever our best vision of positive is that we can muster.
*"our" meaning that mentality in which it seems a healthy plurality of humanity lead their (mostly) unexamined and unchallenged lives.
When a person has no tangible accomplishments to their name, nothing they have created, orchestrated, designed and built through their own devices, there's a tendency in most to glom on to something they're close to and feel they can be proud of. They name drop, they amplify lackluster achievements, they pretend they're something they're not. Out of this same low esteem comes racial identity. They have at least one characteristic with which they can claim as a source of pride -- the accomplishments of ancestors or racemates.
For an oppressed race, and there are many, being able to point to real contributions made by their race can be legitimate in countering oppression because it brings to mind and lays bare the reality that any individual of every race is worthy (and this can be important for both members and non-members of that race). For the dominant race, attaching to the accomplishments of racemates explicitly as the dominant race does the opposite -- highlights their history of oppression. Naturally the writers of history are going to recall and remember all their glorious past and forget or even coopt the accomplishments of history's underdogs.
A healthier approach for all, when we're eventually ready, would be to expand the identity beyond race, faction or country to its logical conclusion. Human. The one glaring benefit to this is it allows anyone from any race to take pride in furthering society for all (in whatever fashionable definition of furthering we might collectively choose). Those with pathological needs to be better than others (for all the reasons that disability might arise) will, of course, be unable to see the world at large in those more objective terms, and how we combat that shortcoming will have to be part of any bettering path forward.
This ethnocentric tendency may be the root attraction I have to scientific thinking. It has greater respect for repeatable, testable facts (reality) than any other school of thought we've yet designed. Adding to that a spiritual respect for the life and legitimacy of the individual, and we have a powerful secular basis for good living. One that does its best to use what we know so far (with the striving to add to our real understanding of all of nature) to serve the future of humanity in the most positive way we can, whatever our best vision of positive is that we can muster.
*"our" meaning that mentality in which it seems a healthy plurality of humanity lead their (mostly) unexamined and unchallenged lives.
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