Afleveringen
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I'm curious where I stand these days on the political spectrum. I identify as a radical centrist, giving both sides their due and chosing neither (most of the time). But I suppose our views are relative to one another, so my moderate thoughts might seem more leftist or conservative, depending on the populace I'm a part of. Anyways, you be the judge, based on my answers to each question.
A video version of this podcast is available on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/pew-research-98011067
I would love your support over there, where I have a lot more video content. -
Martin Luther King dreamed that people would one day be judged not by the color of their skin, but the content of their character. How are we doing with that?
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Zijn er afleveringen die ontbreken?
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It is the moral impulse of many that Palestine is an oppressed victim, exploited by a colonizer apartheid Israel. History doesn't explain this, nor do the religious and cultural differences between Israel and Palestine.
It is more just and virtuous to advance society through education, medicine and technology, to recognize the human rights and dignities of women, children and gays, to attract tourism of all sorts, and to defend an existing homeland... than to wage constant war against your neighbors, to pursue above all else their destruction, to fight for the spread of your religious zealotry, to insist on the utmost word of one's god, to use humans as shields, to continually advocate for war while also crying victimhood.
Here is my reasoning for supporting Isreal. -
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been going through quite an interesting set of controversies lately, surrounding their LGBTQ Pride Night in June. It's been pretty silly to watch. And it makes me wonder: why are things that are meant to be inclusive so often actually divisive? Is it wrong to focus on celebrating truly universal things? Given that people's interests and experiences vary so wildly in a pluralist society, what's the proper amount of compromise?
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A New Yorker died on the subway recently. He was mentally unwell, and the city hadn't done anything productive to deal with his situation, which was ultimately decided in a complicated and controversial form of vigilante justice. This is a teaching opportunity for New York and our society - it'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Hopefully radical politics don't interfere with what can certainly be a rational and popular solution: mandatory institutionalization.
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I was banned from several subreddits recently, for merely commenting in a totally separate community. Maybe you think it's a good thing, that certain voices be silenced in order to protect others from dangerous ideas, or something like that. But it must be recognized: an insidious trend is growing - people are power-tripping, possessed by idiology, and turning everything political. Conversations are getting harder, people more radical, and spaces less tolerant. I shouldn't be banned from participating in a photo community merely for having certain skepticism about lockdowns. That doesn't make sense. And dare I say it: it's something straight out of 1984 and Big Brother - all activity is being monitored and screened for wrongthink. I hate to sound paranoid, and I really don't care too much, but even if you're on the side of power, why would you want to alienate your "enemies" to this degree? Nothing good comes from it.
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Climate change is a real thing, and I'm not going to say that I don't care about it. But I will say that I don't worry about it to the extent that it feels like we're asked to. I don't see it as the biggest crisis of our time, and in fact, I think that mindset can be quite dangerous. I'm more just confused why we don't appreciate our ability to master our environment, and aim to harmonize with the planet, instead of remorsefully deify it. I don't relate to the worship of this earth goddess concept - nature is amazing, but it's also terrifying. Our ability to control and coexist with it should be commended and encouraged, not demonized and shamed. And indeed, it is the poorest of humans who pay the price for our seemingly virtuous environmentalism. How arrogant are we to shill these sorts of ideas to the less fortunate?
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A new study shows that mask mandates were essentially ineffective. The lab-leak hypothosis is being strongly favored by a broad consensus. The impact of the actual corona virus seems less and less fatal, while draconian lockdown measures are proving worse and worse for individuals and society as a whole. And yet, throughout the havoc of the pandemic, we were told to "trust the science", as if science were some sort of authoritative monolith, not to be questioned. Ironically, that's the very opposite of what science teaches us to do. And in fact, there were plenty of scientists who doubted Faucci's policies, but who were effectively silenced by a mainstream narrative. What the hell happened?
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What counts as violence? Certainly a mass shooting, but how about being bumped on the subway? How do we balance our sensitivities with the brutal facts about the world? Can we regulate away everything that offends us? Is it really possible to live in a safe world? I think not. And I wonder what the point even is to the whole gun control debate. The real issue to be dealing with, in my opinion, is mental health care and support. I'd rather work towards a more compassionate system for derranged people than to pretend than anything substantive can be done about gun culture (which, by and large, is harmless).
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Determing the worth of something is difficult enough... we usually let markets decide for us. But value? There are so many more factors than price and quality. Opportunity costs, time and energy, other people's influences and perspectives - it's a tricky endeavor, and one I've been sort of obsessed with lately. Whether it's a commodity, experience or life decision, deciding on what I value - and how to best do that - is something I really need to think through.
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I recently returned from another trip to the Caribbean, this time centered on the Panama Canal. It wasn't the most amazing trip. In fact, I don't really even recommend going to Panama (unless you have a clear reason to).
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I think of myself as a hedonist - I pursue instant gratifications, even at the risk of long-term goals. Does that make me an addict?
I recently accompanied a friend to a sex+love addiction anonymous meeting. They gave me a pamphlet with 40 questions. I answer them now. -
California: 40 million people, 12% of the USA, 52 House Representatives (down from 53), 1 of 2 senators up for (re)election, a slew of top Democrats up for re-election, including Gavin Newsom. It's not always clear which way to go here, and of the nine offices, I'm splitting my vote somewhat evenly between Dems and Reps, because I think conservatives do have ideas and attitudes worth injecting to our suffering state. I value balance more than anything, and despise ideological indoctrination, so it's worth finding opportunities to side with people who see the world differently. I'll also be abstaining from a few races, including Governor, because neither candidate sits well with me.
CA Senator: Alex Padilla
US Representative (30th District): Adam Schiff
Governor: -
Lieutenant Gov: -
Secretary of State: Shirley Weber
Controller: Lanhee Chen
Treasurer: Fiona Ma
Attorney General: Nathan Hochman
Insurance Commisioner: Ricardo Lara
Member State Board of Equalization: -
Superintendent of Public Education: Lance Christensen -
Everyone running for government positions in Los Angeles is left of center - there are no conservatives or Republicans in these races. That said, some candidates are more radically far left than others, and some are more sensible. This city has been plagued by homelessness for too long, all under the watch of the Democratic party. Crime is on the rise. Am I crazy for wanting a different perspective to hold public office? To balance things out a bit? I'm not eager for conservatives to take over at all, but I have no allegiance to tribal progressive thinking. Instead, I'm scouring the stances of each candidate for sensibility, concern for the commons, and action.
Rick Caruso for Mayor
Hydee Feldstein Soto for City Attorney
Paul Koretz for Controller
Mitch O’Farrell for City Council (District 13)
Adam Schiff for US House of Representatives (District 30)
No on LH
No on SP
Yes on ULA
Yes on LACC LA
No on County measure A
Yes on County measure C -
Liberty, efficiency and respect for the commons - these are my guiding principles as a voting citizen.
I don't believe in moralizing through legislation, and I prefer pragmatism over idealism for its own sake.
It's also crucial to contextualize every policy decision, to consider its costs as well as benefits, and to scrutinize the players, profiteers and motives behind each argument.
All that said, hopefully we can all appreciate our shared goal for the flourishing of humankind.
The California mid-term election ballot is here, and I offer an explanation for the seven propositions:
Prop 1: Yes to officially legalizing reproductive autonomy
Prop 26: Yes to decriminalizing sports betting on tribal lands
Prop 27: Yes to decriminalizing sports betting online, taxed for state funds
Prop 28: Unsure about $1 billion specifically for K-12 arts/music education
Prop 29: No to overcomplicating dialysis clinics
Prop 30: Yes to taxing multimillionaire earners to fund electric vehicle infrastructure and to fight wildfires
Prop 31: No to prohibition on certain tobacco/nicotine products -
I spoke last time about energy as fuel, and as a tradable, creatable commodity. Now I'd like to speak more to this amorphous, spiritual form of energy. This is a quick meditation on the invisible forces in our lives, and how we might perceive them.
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en·er·gy /ˈenərjē/
noun
1.
the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or mental activity. "changes in the levels of vitamins can affect energy and well-being" (Similar: vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit)
2.
power derived from the utilization of physical or chemical resources, especially to provide light and heat or to work machines.
"nuclear energy" -
I'm recuperating in my hometown at my parents' home, passing time with video games and other indulgences, wondering about life and what I should really be doing with myself. It's a balancing act, to be sure: being nice to yourself while also monitoring your habits for dangerous tendencies. We pursue what makes us feel good - that's not exactly pleasure, but more like flow and being present. All sorts of interests can accomplish this; some of us pursue one or two, others like me pursue many of them. It makes me wonder what I should really be doing at any given moment... Life is full of so many possibilities...
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It's inevitable that we feel disappointed, and disappoint others in our interpersonal relationships. How do we handle it? What is to be done with the negative feelings involved? Whose responsibility are these feelings? A close friend disappointed me in a very casual, small way - nothing to fight over at all - and yet we did manage to have a little fight about it. Why? Let's think about it.
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Do our feelings matter? What's the point of them? I feel things, but I try not to talk about them too much, except as they pertain to useful thoughts. Maybe I complain about life as much as anyone, but does anyone want to hear about it? Lately I'm feeling especially disorganized and out of sorts. Maybe it's useful to think through this sort of feeling, this annoying feeling of not having things together. I would very much like to be a more organized person, for everything in its right place.
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