American Self-Centeredness

It's often claimed that Americans have little knowledge of the rest of the world. It's the source of jokes. You know, like the report of the American tourist in Japan surprised by how many American brands he sees all around: Toyota, Sony, Nikon. Today we have evidence of self-centeredness in the White House (as if more evidence on that front is needed).

In the East, it could be the COLDEST New Year’s Eve on record. Perhaps we could use a little bit of that good old Global Warming that our Country, but not other countries, was going to pay TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS to protect against. Bundle up!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2017

Here's the context for that quote: a world map from the University of Maine's Climate Change Institute showing today's temperatures in relation to average temperatures from 1979-2000. Regions colder than average are shown in blue. Regions warmer than average are shown in red.

When our president can't see farther than the end of his nose, our country is in great peril.

May I Have a Word: Racial Resentment

Before the election, racial resentment closely predicted who was going to vote for  [Trump], and after the election, it absolutely nailed who had voted for him.
So what is it? If the nation elected its president on that basis more than any other factor, shouldn't we know better what racial resentment is? Can't we just call it racism?

-- Jim Schutze

No we can't. Nothing gets a racist to plug his ears and say, "Nyah, nyah, I can't hear you" faster than to use the word racist to describe him. Racists have managed to make even the word "racism" politically incorrect, even when applied correctly, that is, to racists. You see, racists believe that if their racism can be defended with anecdotal evidence, then, ipso facto, it's not racism. Against black people? Point to a black criminal. Against Hispanics? Point to an immigrant without correct documents. Against Muslims? Point to a terrorist who shouts "Allahu Akbar." It can't be racist to be against blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims if one can point to a bad black, Hispanic, or Muslim. (Or alternatively, point to a single good one: "One of our attorneys is a Jew" as Roy Moore's wife infamously put it.)

That brings us to Richard Spencer. As Jim Schutze says, he's a racist who doesn't rely on euphemism. He's also on The Dallas Morning News's short list for "Texan of the Year." He sounds much like what I imagine Adolph Hitler must have sounded like to Germans in the 1930s.

"Because, for us as Europeans, it is only normal again when we are great again. Hail Trump! Hail our people! Hail victory!"
-- Richard Spencer

Hitler had electoral success then. So too do Richard Spencer's preferred candidates today. Allowing him, the politicians he supports, and the racist next door shame you into dropping the word "racism" from your vocabulary is already a minor victory for racism. Call racism what it is: racism.

Blockchain Blog

It occurs to me that this eponymous blog deserves a proper name. I'm thinking of "Blockchain Blog." Thoughts?

The Long Island Iced Tea Corporation's stock rose by 432 percent on Thursday after the company announced that it would be changing its name to 'Long Blockchain Corp.

Bloomberg

Tax Cut and Jobs Act

Congress passed and the President will sign the "Tax Cut and Jobs Act." The "Tax Cut" is assured. The "Jobs" are an act of faith. All Republican senators voted in favor of the bill. All Democratic senators voted against it. What does this tell us about the state of American politics?

It tells us that Republicans are in favor of small government. Their governing philosophy is that by cutting taxes, they'll starve government of revenue and benefit cuts (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act in particular) will inevitably follow.

It tells us that Democrats are in favor of government benefits. Their governing philosophy is to pay for those benefits through taxes. Those taxes are needed to pay government benefits (again, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act).

The tension lies in the fact that the voters have a foot in both camps. Voters like both the benefits and the tax cuts. That way might lie ruin, but there we are.

The Life Cycle in Christmas Cards

In early middle age, more and more Christmas cards you send aren't returned, because your friends' addresses no longer change so much from year to year.

In late middle age, sending Christmas cards gets more depressing as first a few and then more each year get returned marked "deceased."

Be thankful for middle, middle age. It's not a stable state of nature and it won't last forever.

May I Have a Word: Uggianaqtuq

According to the New York Times:

The Inuit have a word for changes they are seeing to their environment: uggianaqtuq. It means "to behave strangely."

Tragically, according to Vox:

The Trump administration is backing away from calling climate change a national security threat, a move that contradicts nearly three decades of military planning.

Behaving strangely, indeed. 

Can I have Bocce Balls in my Carry-on Bag?

Yes.

May I Have a Word: Just Joking

When Al Franken defended his boorish behavior towards a woman on a USO tour, his defense was that he intended it as a joke that, in hindsight, was never funny. Donald Trump "jokes" repeatedly, for example encouraging rough treatment by police when arresting suspects. Or at least that's how his apologists explain his statements: just joking. Most people don't accept the "just joking" defense (and for the record I don't either), but I read something today that explains where it comes from:

Humor is often a kind of aggression. Being laughed at is aversive and feels like an attack. Comedy often runs on slapstick and insult, and in less refined settings, including the foraging societies in which we evolved, humor can be overtly sadistic.

Steven Pinker, How the Mind Works

So, yeah, many people find cruelty to others to be funny. For them "just joking" is not just a defense. It's the simple truth of what those people find to be "funny."

Introducing Donald Trump

Searching the archives of this blog, I notice that there is no mention of Donald Trump. Maybe that's not surprising, as I took an extended hiatus from 2010 to 2017. In any case, it's time to rectify that. In case you didn't know (i.e., in case you have been living under a rock for that last two years), Donald Trump is a bully, a blowhard, a narcissist, a compulsive liar and a political know-nothing. It doesn't surprise me that such people run for political office. It doesn't surprise me that they occasionally even get elected (I'm thinking of you, Louie Gohmert). What does surprise me is that 46.1% of all American voters knew all that about Donald Trump and still said, "Yeah, that's who I want running the country."

The Future of Conversation

Someone just forwarded me an email that began "You didn't get this?" When I went to reply, Gmail offered me three ready-made answers, the first of which was "No, I didn't get it." I clicked that and then clicked Send. The entire text of my reply was generated automatically by Gmail and suggested to me. Soon our conversations will be nothing but Google talking to itself.

I'm Back

I'm back. Expect random thoughts at random intervals.