The End of the Common Good 0
Ed at Gin and Tacos is less than sanguine about the ability of Americans to take collective action when collective action is required, say, for example, just to pick one, during a public health emergency. Here’s a bit of his post:
(snip)
And here we are, taking a purely individualistic approach – the do as thou wilt rule – to a basic collective action problem. It is idiotic and nonsensical on the most basic level possible, and here we are. We tried some collective action for a couple weeks, people got bored and business owners got mad because they weren’t able to force their employees back to work and their customers back to shopping, and then we just decided that the collective action problem no longer required collective action. Not that it went away – that it simply wasn’t a thing we needed to plan and execute a collective response to anymore. We didn’t solve the problem so much as we simply decided it is not a problem anymore, or that it is, but we are powerless to stop it, but I guess we aren’t powerless, but ok I guess what we really mean is we just don’t want to.
“Systemic” Explored 0
At Psychology Today Blogs, The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research has posted an article discussing an upcoming paper that explores the elements of racism in American society. The post starts out by pointing out that racism in much more than liking or disliking persons because of the color of their skins. Here’s a bit (emphasis added); follow the link for the rest.
“An Armed Society Is a Polite Society” 0
When traversing the nation’s thoroughfares, let courtesy accompany you in the passenger seat.
Facebook Frolics, Crocodile Tears Dept. 0
Maskless Marauder 0
I have to agree with the masked fellow who was ahead of me at the drug store the other day. I overheard him saying to the clerk, “Why do they want to go around infecting people? I just don’t get it.”
On the other hand, I don’t get persons who are driving alone in their cars and wearing masks. I put mine on when I get out of the car to deal with people; the rest of the time, it hangs from my cell phone holder.
No Questions Asked 0
Badtux wonders why good cops are so willing to protect bad cops.
