Democracy. Fear. Cancel. Reality. Nuance. Dumb. Consequences.
… democracy is the worst form of Government
except for all those other forms that have been tried …
-Winston S Churchill
As I mentioned last week, I had hoped I’d be past the politics of the day and on to other things. This was not to be, for reasons I’m certain you’re well aware of. There’s a lot being written about it. Regardless of which side you support, or how strongly you support it, I hope you’ll remain open to reading opinions that may be contrary to your own. (I’m going to try to not overload this issue with takeaways about politics, but check out “Random links” for additional things I ran into that I thought of interest.)
1. “Democracy is not a panacea for human cruelty and ugliness.”
Well, that happened… – Zachary Karabell – (The Edgy Optimist)
Karabell criticizes the intense focus on Trump’s personality rather than actions.
… many Democrats and a large percentage of the commentariat have fueled Trump’s resurrection by demonizing him and his supporters and by pursuing legal action against him.
He also argues that while the words are horrific, they are not actions.
.. his administration behaved much like any other mildly corrupt administration.
It’s an interesting perspective. I don’t know how I feel about it in total, but it’s food for thought.
Do this: Be open to understanding the perspectives of others.
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2. “People vote with their gut, and right now, that gut is full of fear”
No, The Election Wasn’t Rigged – Joan Westenberg – (@Westenberg)
Westenberg uses the concern that some are apparently expressing that the election was rigged in favor of Trump to present a very insightful analysis of more pragmatic and practical issues that lead to the outcome.
And when people are scared, they retreat, they dig in, and they vote to defend whatever feels like “home.”
There were many things both right and wrong about how both sides ran their campaigns. But lacking empathy for the opposition may have been the biggest failure of all.
This was a really insightful essay, I’d recommend reading it.
Do this: I know it’s incredibly difficult, but try to empathise – not with the politicians, but the people.
3. “Social punishment is a core part of how our species works.”
Attitudes one can take towards people who have behaved badly – (dynomight)
This is something I struggle with.
Have you noticed that some people do bad things? And yet those same people sometimes have interesting ideas?
Not just interesting ideas, but various and sundry contributions to society. So when it’s discovered that they’ve done bad things, what should we do with and about their contributions?
You don’t hear any of Bill Cosby’s comedy any more, and that’s probably appropriate. But if a scientist invents something that truly benefits society — I’ll use the “cure for cancer” trope — and turns out to also be a serial rapist, do we walk away from the cure? I think not. Somewhere in between those extremes is a very blurry line. Social punishment, what we often refer to as “cancel culture” these days, is part of the human condition. And yet it’s messy, and even error prone.
Do this: Cancel with care.
4. “It’s time to double down on reality.”
How not to freak out about the US elections, part two – Oliver Burkeman – (The Imperfectionist)
“Focus on the present” has become the advice of the day, it seems, in the wake of the US presidential election. Burkeman gives it more context.
We can’t ignore the deep societal problems that have fueled their rise. But we absolutely can choose to excise from our lives all their distracting psychodramas, their whiny podium speeches, social media bloviating and related bullshit.
It’s not a Pollyanna-ish head in the sand approach, bur rather a more conscious decision on how best to focus our attention moving forward.
There are several good points in this essay, but this one also caught my eye. With respect to technology:
the challenge is to use it as a tool for showing up more fully for life, not for avoiding it.
I see many calls for throwing the baby out with the bath water and disconnecting completely. That’s an impractical mistake, in my opinion. These are tools. Perhaps learn to use them more wisely, and with less negative impact on your own soul.
Do this: Show up for life, here and now.
5. “Gone are the times of detail, accuracy, and nuance”
Algorithms are making political speech more extreme – Adam Aleksic – (User Mag)
Everything you’ve seen in recent elections—the jokes, the extremism, the misinformation—is here to stay, all because we switched from one style of communication to another.
While I absolutely understand how this happened, it makes me very sad. This doesn’t bode well for society, since it’s about much more than just political discourse. “Detail, accuracy, and nuance” are important everywhere.
What’s frustrating is that none of the essays I’ve read on this topic, and there have been many, have solutions. Most, like this one, simply throw up their hands and conclude that it’s inevitable. It’s not even clear if they see it as a problem at all.
I know that this feels like a “get off my lawn” moment, but it feels too important to just accept as inevitable. Solutions may be different than what we’re used to, but if we don’t even see it as a problem, those solutions will never arrive.
Do this: Embrace detail, accuracy, and nuance. Please.
#algorithms #misinformation #nuance
6. “We have enough dumb.”
Dumbing it down – Seth Godin – (blog)
Godin makes the case that we should “simple it up” instead.
There’a an interesting nuance between the two. Dumbing down is easy, and often wrong. Making something complex simple is a challenge and a skill, and requires a deeper understanding of the complexity to begin with.
Of course, if we dumb things down, they become dumb.
This is not the same as simplifying concepts before adding nuance.
One of the threads in my reading is the reluctance to go deep, to read fully, to take the time to really understand something. That’s required before anyone can simplify anything. Instead, we end up with misleading and inaccurate “dumbed down” generalizations.
Do this: Don’t dumb it down. Simplify. The difference is nuanced, but important.
7. “Consequences aren’t optional.”
Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman – (ebook)
This is something I’ve thought about a lot in recent years. People seem to make decisions without considering the consequences, or they refuse to make decisions at all because they fear the consequences (which has its own set of consequences as well).
You’re pretty much free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences.
Anything. But there are always consequences.
The notion that you absolutely can’t do something generally means you’re unwilling to pay the price of doing it. […] It’s easier to wallow in the ‘bad faith’ of believing yourself trapped than to face the dizzying responsibilities of your freedom.
The irony(?) is that accepting and understanding this actually makes decision making easier.
Do this: Understand that there are always consequences, and make better decisions with that understanding.
Random links
- And Yet It Moves – Another insightful analysis of what happened from Ken White, aka Popehat.
- Haunted by History on November 6, 2024 – Draws parallels between the voice she heard on the radio in the late 1930’s and what she’s heard recently.
- A Lighthouse for Dark Times – Maria Popova, on the role of creativity and art in difficult times.
- Why Democrats won’t build their own Joe Rogan – Good analysis of how the Republican party leveraged popular culture in a way that the Democrats didn’t, and perhaps can’t.
- Why are People Voting for Trump? – Written prior to the election.
- #724: What I’m reading about the election – A decent curation of additional post-election reflection, via “Links I Would Gchat You If We Were Friends” by Caitlin Dewey.
What I’m reading
In progress:
- Meditations for Mortals – Oliver Burkeman
- The Morning Fox: Stories of Love, Loss, and Hope – John P. Weiss
- How to Read a Book – Mortimer J. Adler, Charles Van Doren
- Where Good Ideas Come From – Steven Johnson (re-read)
- The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century – Steven Pinker (audio)
Daily:
- A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul, Written and Selected from the World’s Sacred Texts – Leo Tolstoy
A full list of my common sources is on the sources page, and I list the books I’ve read on my Reading List page.
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Your brain and empathy are amazing and I appreciate your thoughts very much. I’ve put in a reserve for Tolstoy’s “A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts…” at my local library. Thank you.
6. “We have enough dumb.”
7. “Consequences aren’t optional.”