Author's archive
The Wall-Eyed Piker 0
The Arizona Republic’s Elvia Diaz points out that Trump’s wall keeps tumbling down, just like everything else (Trump steaks, Trump vodka, Atlantic City casinos, and almost the United States of America) that Donald Trump has been associated with. A snippet:
It’s true. The $15 billion wall, which Trump claimed over and over again that Mexico would pay for, “is no match for a $15 hand saw.”
Even cheaper tools probably would have poked holes in it.
Vaccine Nation, Mandate Mania Dept. 0
(Short promo at the end.)
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
A black army veteran and father of a teen-age son argues that “stand your ground” laws, are, for all practical purposes licenses to kill. Here’s a snippet:
Lies and Lying Liars 0
Psychologist Christian Hart has studied lies and liars for over a decade. He proposes a three-factor theory to explain when and why persons lie. In the light of the proliferation of perfidy in the polity, methinks his piece is worth a look.
Here are the three factors; follow the link for a discussion of each and the interplay among them.
1. The perceived utility of lying.
2. The perceived external disutility risk of lying (the probability and consequences of being detected) is acceptable.
3. The perceived internal disutility of lying (guilt, regret, shame) is acceptable.
Aside:
It seems to me that, as a corollary, if one is incapable of shame, one might have an infinite capacity for lying.
Not that anyone like that might be in our public lif–oh, never mind.
The Desecrator’s Defense 0
Lauren Boebert defends her act of disrespectful desecration. David dissects the dissimulation. (Warning: Short commercial at the end.)
Afterthought:
The casual vile hate-fullness of it all does rather turn one’s stomac–oh, never mind.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
Canadian professor of communications Robert Danisch offers a taxonomy of linguistic toxicity, identifying seven rhetorical techniques that foment division and hostility (or, to put it another way, he reveals the Fox News playbook). In introducing his article, he points out that
What’s worse, these seven rhetorical tactics tend to beget one another and inspire a communication cycle in which emotions are amplified and conflict is escalated.
I commend his article to your attention.
The Crypto-Con, Reprise 0
Another psychologist takes a look at crypto-currency. I find Nigel Barber’s take particularly interesting–he seems to think it may be an “investment mania.” Here’s a bit (emphasis added):
Like the cryptocurrencies of today, buyers had little knowledge of the true value of the investment and were guided mainly by the fact that the market price was rising.
That sort of irrationality leads to some bizarre equivalences. At the height of the tulip mania in Holland from 1636 to 1637, a rare type of bulb was used to purchase a home. In the dot-com boom of 1999, companies with revenues smaller than a corner store had market valuations of billions of dollars.
Follow the link for the rest, especially if you are thinking about “mining” some crypto con.
The Disinformation Superhighway, Cauldron of Conspiracies Dept. 0
Thom talks with Kelly Weill about why persons fall for conspiracy theories.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
Yet more random acts of politeness in NRA Paradise . . . .
The Loyalty Oath 0
Leonard Hitchcock has a theory as to why so many Republicans, when responding to polls, say that they believe Donald Trump won the 2020 election–that it’s a sort of loyalty oath to their dear leader. A nugget:
Methinks he may be onto something. Follow the link for his reasoning.
Look in the Mirror, Boy 0
Remember that the notion of some kind of inherent “American exceptionalism” is a myth most often perpetrated by those who would excuse the inexcusable. If a person or a people wish to be considered somehow “exceptional,” he or she or they must earn it.