The alt-right/alt-light rift that opened in December 2016 continues to widen. As most already know, a rendition of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” held in New York City’s Central Park was disrupted by agitators Laura Loomer and Jack Posobiec. It’s possible they were paid to disrupt the event. Because paid protesting and disrupting events is normally associated… Continue reading Pharisees of the alt-right
The Healthcare ‘Cost Disease’ Demystified
Months after Scott’s original article, there is still considerable discussion about ‘cost disease’ in healthcare. Everyone wants to know why prices seem to be going up so quickly. From Kurt Spindler Identifying Sources of Cost Disease Cost disease is one of, if not the, most important problem for society to be tackling right now. Cost… Continue reading The Healthcare ‘Cost Disease’ Demystified
The Atlantic: How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration
This article is going viral: How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration Liberals must take seriously Americans’ yearning for social cohesion. To promote both mass immigration and greater economic redistribution, they must convince more native-born white Americans that immigrants will not weaken the bonds of national identity. This means dusting off a concept many… Continue reading The Atlantic: How the Democrats Lost Their Way on Immigration
Political Violence Is a Game the Right Can’t Win, But There is Hope
From Jacobite magazine: Political Violence Is a Game the Right Can’t Win. As of 6/22/2017, the article has been shared over 7,000 times on Facebook and over a dozen times on Reddit, so obviously it struck a nerve with readers. Of course, that’s not necessarily going to be the case. Political violence isn’t fun for… Continue reading Political Violence Is a Game the Right Can’t Win, But There is Hope
Do big words make you look dumb? How BS spreads on the internet
It’s well-established that the internet is a vector for bullshit. So how does such infectious stupidity spread? There are two ways: fast and slow. ‘Fast’ are hoaxes that are shared thousands of times on Facebook and Twitter until, long after the damage is already done, sites such as Snopes debunk them. ‘Slow’ is more pernicious… Continue reading Do big words make you look dumb? How BS spreads on the internet
Has democracy become too expensive for capitalism? Part 2
Continuing on yesterday’s post Has democracy become too expensive for capitalism? Part 1, in reference to the article Has Western-style democracy become too expensive for capitalism?, by the Financial Times: This subsidisation process has become so ingrained in modern Western social democracy that few can imagine a world without it. What was originally a stop-gap… Continue reading Has democracy become too expensive for capitalism? Part 2
What a Bet Shows
From Bryan Caplan, What a Bet Shows: But someone who wins 10 out of 10 bets – or, in my case, 14 out of 14 bets – almost certainly has superior knowledge and judgment. This is especially true if someone lives the Bettors’ Oath by credibly promising to bet on (or retract) any public statement.… Continue reading What a Bet Shows
Has democracy become too expensive for capitalism? Part 1
This article is going viral, having been shared on Xenosystems, Slate Star Codex, and elsewhere: Has Western-style democracy become too expensive for capitalism? This short article offers a lot to unpack. The central reason why Western democracy is in decline is that its capitalist bedfellow can no longer afford the financial demands that full-blown democracy… Continue reading Has democracy become too expensive for capitalism? Part 1
The Boomer Backlash, Part 2
It seems no one likes the boomers. From Vox Day Boomercide We know why Generation X hates the Boomers. We’ve had to listen to variations of their “70 is the new 50” narcissism all our lives and endure their babbling about how their inferior, mush-sounding, crudely recorded analog music played by inept musicians with rudimentary… Continue reading The Boomer Backlash, Part 2
Today in stupid: math edition
This is from someone presumably smart enough to know better Exponential curves feel gradual and then sudden: After the fact, exponential curves look relatively smooth. When you are in the midst of them, however, they feel like they are divided into two stages: gradual and sudden. Exponential curves are always exponential. Consider the outputs of… Continue reading Today in stupid: math edition