Knowing what we know now, have you ever thought about what it would have looked like to use freedom as our approach to the coronavirus? Imagine if we hadn’t closed anything down and left it up to people to make their own decisions. People could decide whether or not they wanted to keep their business open or go to work. They could decide whether or not they were going to head to the office or work from home (for those to whom that is an option). People could also decide whether or not they wanted to shop at, or…
Can you please introduce me to a white surpremacist?
For all the white supremacists that are supposedly out there, I can’t say I’ve ever known or seen one. I’ve been white all my life, and according to some, that should give me plenty of access to all those white supremacy clubs and organizations out there. But in all of my travels, including my college years, I can’t say I’ve ever known or met a white supremacist. I’m not sure I’ve ever even seen one. I went to a four-year college, like many. So you’d think I’d have had a chance to see maybe at least one white supremacy…
No sympathy
There’s a difference between empathy and sympathy. When I empathize with someone, I try to consider their circumstances and what they’re going through. I try to understand their motivations and why they’re doing or saying what they are. Empathy helps me be more understanding and patient when problem solving or listening to another. Sympathy is how bad I feel for someone who underwent a tragedy or bad experience. My sympathy becomes pronounced if someone experienced a misfortune through no fault of their own. However, my sympathy all but disappears when something bad befalls someone who put themselves in that…
Experiments in marketing
Humans are capable of anything. Usually, that means we can rise to great heights and achieve beyond expectations. But it also means we can be exceedingly cruel and unreasonable. We can almost literally shield our brains from logic and our emotions from empathy. In 2020, Americans are showing off just how low they can go. While Democrats have rationalized what is quickly becoming one of the greatest streaks of barbarism in national history, Republicans have turned their back far enough to pull their phones out of their back pocket to Tweet about how mad they are that this time,…
The wisdom of Scott Adams
One of the purposes of this site is to share opinions which I think are underrepresented, or not at all represented, anywhere else. So it’s seldom I spend time on events or people that have been well-covered. But the more I read Scott Adams, the man behind Dilbert, the more he stands out from everyone else. (Just like me.) In just the last two days, he has contributed more critical thinking to “the conversation” than any other source I’ve seen. Here’s an example of what he’s shared via his Twitter account, @ScottAdamsSays: As a political science major who’s studied…
Is it “white privilege” or “white respect”
“White privilege” is supposed to speak to the idea that white men think they can do anything because, well, they’re white men. On the other hand, “white privilege” also means that white men do get away with anything, as statistically and proportionately, black men are convicted of more crime than white men. Is it possible what some see as “white privilege” is really the respect and healthy fear that white men have for the rules, the police, and going to jail? Are white men less likely to break the rules because they understand them and fear the consequences? We’re…
Freedom is dynamic
Democrats never account for changes of behavior. They insist on new regulations or make new laws based on what is. Whatever the current conditions, they figure they’re new rules, based on those conditions, will create whichever favorable outcome they seek. But they never anticipate that free people, being creative problem solvers when necessary, will always make adjustments that favor them. However many loopholes Democrats think they’ve closed, people will always find the workaround. Democrats think it’s a good idea to defund (or decrease funding for) the police. They appear to believe people will hang in and just call the…
Actions have consequences reform
It seems we’re all talking about police reform these days. As usual, I have an idea I haven’t heard yet. It’s not necessarily specific to police so much as laws and societal norms, in general. I think it’s time to bring back the idea that actions have consequences. In recent days, we heard about the officer in Miami who punched (or slapped, depending on who you believe) a woman who had gotten in his face and started yelling at him. Meanwhile, a car ran into two people in Seattle who were occupying the I-5 freeway with a group of…
BLM vs blm
Black Lives Matter was an extremely clever name for the organization. People and companies all over American are rushing in to stand with, donate to, or fly the flag of Black Lives Matter. They want to show their solidarity with the idea, but in fact, they’re contributing to the organization. Who can’t get behind the idea that black lives matter? It, like “white lives matter” or “asian lives matter,” is simply a subset of “all lives matter.” When you say you root for the Seattle Mariners, you are inherently saying you like baseball. If you say you like “all”…
A familiar GOP marketing failure
Earlier today, President Trump reacted to Mayor DeBlasio’s decision to paint “Black Lives Matter” in front of Trump Tower in New York City by tweeting: “Maybe our GREAT Police, who have been neutralized and scorned by a mayor who hates & disrespects them, won’t let this symbol of hate be affixed to New York’s greatest street.” Like Bush before him, Trump turned an obvious opportunity, with the right intent behind it, into a huge blunder. He was right about Black Lives Matter, but didn’t offer any explanation as to why. This leaves a vacuum for the Democrats to fill…