R3qn65's recent activity
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentFae, I get where you're coming from here but I find this sort of purity test exhausting and unhelpful, particularly given that race wasn't even part of the conversation. I don't agree that...bringing up people who express white supremacist views is never a great idea unless you're wanting to share what white supremacists think.
Fae, I get where you're coming from here but I find this sort of purity test exhausting and unhelpful, particularly given that race wasn't even part of the conversation. I don't agree that Alexander holds white supremacist views, but even if he did, this isn't, like... I don't know, Mencius Moldbug or Steve Bannon or something where it's a central, inseparable part of their ideology and public persona, to the point where it infects even wholly unrelated topics. What I mean is that I can understand how you interpret some of his comments about IQ testing as white supremacism, but it's not like that's his hobby horse or something he's bringing up all the time or whatever. It's not what he's primarily known for.
Obviously I'm not saying that you should share links or Alexander's writings. I just don't appreciate being told that I shouldn't - particularly given when it's for things unrelated to the topic at hand. (And if I'm being honest, double particularly when there's no explanation given. I understand that you feel too exhausted to get into it, but you did bring it up).
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Comment on Things progressives get wrong in ~society
R3qn65 LinkInteresting discussion, thanks. All the way back in 2014 Scott Alexander wrote a very interesting post called "I can tolerate anything except the outgroup". The whole thing is worth reading, but...Interesting discussion, thanks.
In 2016 I drew a line. I said, I may not have all the answers but if you can't see Trump for the bigoted, emotionally stunted, narcissist that he is then there is something wrong with your basic understanding of humanity and I have no use for you. I was an idiot.
All the way back in 2014 Scott Alexander wrote a very interesting post called "I can tolerate anything except the outgroup". The whole thing is worth reading, but the following passage is particularly relevant, I think:
There are certain theories of dark matter where it barely interacts with the regular world at all, such that we could have a dark matter planet exactly co-incident with Earth and never know. Maybe dark matter people are walking all around us and through us, maybe my house is in the Times Square of a great dark matter city, maybe a few meters away from me a dark matter blogger is writing on his dark matter computer about how weird it would be if there was a light matter person he couldn’t see right next to him.
This is sort of how I feel about conservatives.
I don’t mean the sort of light-matter conservatives who go around complaining about Big Government and occasionally voting for Romney. I see those guys all the time. What I mean is – well, take creationists. According to Gallup polls, about 46% of Americans are creationists. Not just in the sense of believing God helped guide evolution. I mean they think evolution is a vile atheist lie and God created humans exactly as they exist right now. That’s half the country.
And I don’t have a single one of those people in my social circle. It’s not because I’m deliberately avoiding them; I’m pretty live-and-let-live politically, I wouldn’t ostracize someone just for some weird beliefs. And yet, even though I probably know about a hundred fifty people, I am pretty confident that not one of them is creationist. Odds of this happening by chance? 1⁄2150 = 1⁄1045 = approximately the chance of picking a particular atom if you are randomly selecting among all the atoms on Earth.
About forty percent of Americans want to ban gay marriage. I think if I really stretch it, maybe ten of my top hundred fifty friends might fall into this group. This is less astronomically unlikely; the odds are a mere one to one hundred quintillion against.
People like to talk about social bubbles, but that doesn’t even begin to cover one hundred quintillion. The only metaphor that seems really appropriate is the bizarre dark matter world.
I think this is a huge part of what leads to liberal smugness. If you know conservatives who are good people, it's a lot easier to understand how they get to their positions - even if you don't agree.
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Comment on Well this terrifies me: Steve Bannon preparing for a third Donald Trump US presidency in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentIn my opinion you've got to see this from the eyes of a republican/Trump voter. To a tildes user, yes, Trump has crossed the line left and right. But here's how a republican views things: My broad...In my opinion you've got to see this from the eyes of a republican/Trump voter. To a tildes user, yes, Trump has crossed the line left and right. But here's how a republican views things:
Healy: I want to return to a word I used in the last question: illegality. Democrats and plenty of independents, and not a few judges, see illegality or evidence of it in some of Trump’s actions on federal spending, agency dismantlement, deportations, defiance of judicial rulings. Why do some conservatives see illegality differently?
Douthat: First, some of these moves are not obviously illegal, and exist in a zone of contestation over presidential power and constitutional interpretation where a normal partisan naturally takes his own side’s side.
Healy: We’ll get to some specific moves a bit later. Go on.
Douthat: Second, I would emphasize that many Americans experienced the recent period of liberal power, especially under Covidian conditions, as much more authoritarian and lawless-feeling in its everyday impact — schools closed and masks mandated, ideological double standards for different forms of public gathering and protest, ideological speech codes tacitly or explicitly imposed — than anything they experienced under Trump.
This sense of things may change as Trump pushes the envelope of presidential power or as the right embraces its own forms of censoriousness. Indeed, already you can see some factions that aligned with Trump because they were anti-woke start to break away or critique MAGA excesses.
But it’s still important to grasp that for many Americans, the fights over presidential prerogatives within the federal bureaucracy feel much more distant from their own liberties than liberalism’s recent agenda did.
Stephens: What I see is a president doing things that are, if not outright illegal, genuinely scary, like trying to go after the Washington law firm representing Jack Smith, the former special counsel. At a minimum, Trump represents an almost unprecedented stress test to the judicial system and the separation of powers. And if he starts openly defying Supreme Court rulings à la Andrew Jackson, that’s when you’ll find me at the barricades.
That said, some of what Trump is doing is simply a turbocharged version of what his liberal predecessors did while the mainstream press remained mostly mum. Remember Barack Obama’s threats of unilateral executive action through his phone and his pen? Or Joe Biden’s almost open flouting of the Supreme Court with his student loan forgiveness schemes? I also think millions of Americans are tuning out some of the claims of Trump’s unconstitutional behavior as so much partisan noise. That’s one of the downsides of some of the more doubtful efforts by liberal prosecutors to put Trump in jail.
My broad point is that liberals look around at the chaos and say "America is fucked, nobody cares about the rule of law anymore," but it's not true. Much of the stuff Trump is doing is not black and white but a matter of how you interpret things - basically, of partisanship.
This is important because "the president serves two terms" is black and white and is one of the issues that everyone can understand.
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Comment on Well this terrifies me: Steve Bannon preparing for a third Donald Trump US presidency in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentThen we're in a civil war scenario. Either way, people aren't okay with it.Then we're in a civil war scenario. Either way, people aren't okay with it.
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Comment on Navigating differences in risk tolerance regarding health in ~health
R3qn65 LinkThis sounds more like an anxiety thing than a "two different but both rational perspectives on food safety" thing, to me. That's relevant because in the latter, you decide whose model is best via...This sounds more like an anxiety thing than a "two different but both rational perspectives on food safety" thing, to me. That's relevant because in the latter, you decide whose model is best via negotiations and debate, basically. But in the former, it's an emotional question. I suspect this is what's going on when you say the goalposts are moving - you're approaching this from a logical/debate perspective and your partner is approaching this from an emotional/reassurance perspective.
Rather than try to find a middle ground on the actual vegetables, I'd advise that you dig in on your partner's feelings to see how they are doing and why. You're more likely to be successful that way.
Edit:
Hey Tildoes
Please no
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Comment on Well this terrifies me: Steve Bannon preparing for a third Donald Trump US presidency in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentThere is absolutely zero chance. To amend the constitution it takes a 2/3rds vote in Congress and then has to be ratified by a supermajority of state legislatures.There is absolutely zero chance. To amend the constitution it takes a 2/3rds vote in Congress and then has to be ratified by a supermajority of state legislatures.
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Comment on Swedish companies join forces to steer children away from gang crime – dozens of big businesses from IKEA to Spotify back youth job initiatives as country grapples with epidemic of violence in ~life
R3qn65 LinkReally interesting. Youth criminality is such a fiendishly complicated problem - it'll be really instructive to see if this helps.Really interesting. Youth criminality is such a fiendishly complicated problem - it'll be really instructive to see if this helps.
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Comment on If you could go into hibernation and wake up in the future, would you? in ~talk
R3qn65 LinkEven if I didn't have family, the answer would still be no. These are my people. I feel a responsibility to make this world a better place, even in whatever small way. Skipping ahead to something...Even if I didn't have family, the answer would still be no. These are my people. I feel a responsibility to make this world a better place, even in whatever small way. Skipping ahead to something better would be abrogating that responsibility.
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Comment on Green card holder from New Hampshire 'interrogated' at Logan Airport, detained in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentHe did not give up his green card; he was pressured to do so but did not. The article is a bit ambiguous.He did not give up his green card; he was pressured to do so but did not. The article is a bit ambiguous.
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Comment on Green card holder from New Hampshire 'interrogated' at Logan Airport, detained in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentI am not justifying what happened. Multiple European countries are taking very similar actions. I'm not justifying that either. But my point is that bad things happen, but just like the risk of a...I am not justifying what happened.
Multiple European countries are taking very similar actions.
I'm not justifying that either.
But my point is that bad things happen, but just like the risk of a plane crash shouldn't keep you from traveling, neither should the risk of a hostile encounter with customs agents. If you do not have any criminal charges, or open court cases against you, or whatever, it is extremely unlikely that you'll have any problems and you shouldn't feel any more unsafe going to America than you should going to, say, Germany.
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Comment on Stoicism’s appeal to the rich and powerful in ~humanities.history
R3qn65 (edited )Link ParentGreat post. I'd add that in the post popular Stoic text, meditations, we see this great man, the Emperor of Rome, struggling with his fear of dying, his fear of loss. ... So to your point one...Great post. I'd add that in the post popular Stoic text, meditations, we see this great man, the Emperor of Rome, struggling with his fear of dying, his fear of loss.
Do every deed, speak every word, think every thought in the knowledge that you may end your days any moment. To depart from men, if there be really Gods, is nothing terrible. The Gods could bring no evil thing upon you.
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What then avails to guide us? One thing, and one alone—Philosophy. And this consists in keeping the divinity within inviolate and intact; victorious over pain and pleasure; free from temerity, free from falsehood, free from hypocrisy; independent of what others do or fail to do; submissive to hap and lot, which come from the same source as we; and, above all, with equanimity awaiting death, as nothing else than a resolution of the elements of which every being compounded. [Emphasis added].
So to your point one above, I think there's something to be said for the authenticity displayed in the text. If you are successful and powerful, you can probably relate more to someone who was successful and powerful writing about his fears than you can relate to someone like Diogenes who lived in a barrel.
Perhaps another example is better. Marcus Aurelius writes in his Meditations that he needs to be better about not giving offense, about accepting insult without becoming angry, and so on.
Say this to yourself in the morning: Today I shall have to do with meddlers, with the ungrateful, with the insolent, with the crafty, with the envious and the selfish. All these vices have beset them, because they know not what is good and what is evil. But I have considered the nature of the good, and found it beautiful: I have beheld the nature of the bad, and found it ugly. I also understand the nature of the evil-doer, and know that he is my brother, not because he shares with me the same blood or the same seed, but because he is a partaker of the same mind and of the same portion of immortality. I therefore cannot be hurt by any of these, since none of them can involve me in any baseness. I cannot be angry with my brother, or sever myself from him, for we are made by nature for mutual assistance, like the feet, the hands, the eyelids, the upper and lower rows of teeth.
These lessons are so much more instructive because at that point in time, he was the most powerful man in the world. He could have offended anyone with absolute impunity. When people annoyed him, he could have simply ordered them killed. So when he writes about equanimity and acceptance, we can be certain that it is coming from a purely ethical place. There's no rationalization there. By contrast, if someone who has no power writes about how important it is not to give offense or take offense, we can never really know how much their own weakness is affecting their logic.
This is what I mean about the authenticity in the text. It's natural that those who have power today would look to learn from those who had power before, because those are the lessons they know they can trust.
And many of the stoics are like this. Seneca was an extremely rich man. So when he writes about how important it is not to value money, we know that it is genuine. But how could I, who have never been rich, counsel a rich man that he should scorn his wealth? We can't know how much of what I believe is sour grapes.
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Comment on What mattress would you recommend? in ~life.home_improvement
R3qn65 (edited )LinkYou must do research on the mattress underground. Hearing what other people liked is useless unless they happen to have the same body type and the same preferences as you. Latex (my preference),...You must do research on the mattress underground. Hearing what other people liked is useless unless they happen to have the same body type and the same preferences as you. Latex (my preference), foam, and spring are all different with their own lists of pros and cons.
https://mattressunderground.com/
The only thing is to not get cheap foam . Foam isn't my preference, but it's fine - as long as it's quality stuff. Cheap foam overheats almost instantly and is terrible to have sex on (because it dampens all motion).
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Comment on Poland seeks access to nuclear arms and looks to build half-million-man army in ~society
R3qn65 Link ParentNo doubt, but it's still shocking in comparison to the erstwhile military powers of Europe - Britain, France, Germany...No doubt, but it's still shocking in comparison to the erstwhile military powers of Europe - Britain, France, Germany...
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Comment on Poland seeks access to nuclear arms and looks to build half-million-man army in ~society
R3qn65 LinkI thought the statement about Poland being the third-largest military in NATO with 200,000 troops couldn’t possibly be true. But I checked, and… yep. That is staggering.I thought the statement about Poland being the third-largest military in NATO with 200,000 troops couldn’t possibly be true. But I checked, and… yep. That is staggering.
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Comment on Has anyone read the books listed in the New Lifetime Reading Plan by Clifton Fadiman? in ~books
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Comment on Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working in ~finance
R3qn65 Link ParentThat's fair. It's interesting how we take the complete opposite view even for really stupid businesses. I would much rather have trust fund babies hire a few people and rent some space - inject...That's fair. It's interesting how we take the complete opposite view even for really stupid businesses. I would much rather have trust fund babies hire a few people and rent some space - inject money into the economy, basically - rather than sit on their wealth or buy imported champagne or whatever.
I guess your point is that they shouldn't have that money in the first place. I definitely get how frustrating it is to see generational wealth, especially when it's squandered.
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Comment on Of trains and tanks. Or does the German political class actually know how bad things are? in ~transport
R3qn65 LinkInteresting article, thanks. Fascinating to see that Germany spends less (%) than the US on infrastructure investment.Interesting article, thanks. Fascinating to see that Germany spends less (%) than the US on infrastructure investment.
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Comment on Inheriting is becoming nearly as important as working in ~finance
R3qn65 (edited )Link ParentI think you make some really good points. I do think you're not fully considering the second and third order effects of diminishing property rights, though. If you lose control of your house when...I think you make some really good points. I do think you're not fully considering the second and third order effects of diminishing property rights, though. If you lose control of your house when you die, then you never really owned it, you were just leasing it. And while that might seem defensible on the surface, things start to get very complicated, very quickly.
The only part of your post that I really disagree with (instead of simply seeing things differently) is that you view entrepreneurs using their property as collateral as "an entire class of leeches." I couldn't view things more differently. The success of the American economy is fundamentally owed to these small and medium businesses.
I also think it's a little simplistic to suggest that banning inheritance would reduce the pressure on low and middle class families to try to save something for their children and allow them to enjoy their retirement instead.
For more discussion, see https://blogs.worldbank.org/en/voices/7-reasons-land-and-property-rights-be-top-global-agenda.
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Comment on What do you drink with Mac and Cheese? in ~food
R3qn65 Link ParentI’m not a big chardonnay fan actually! By punchy I mean acidic/tart. Mac and cheese is a very fatty dish, obviously, so something which can cut through that is ideal. I also want something a...I’m not a big chardonnay fan actually! By punchy I mean acidic/tart. Mac and cheese is a very fatty dish, obviously, so something which can cut through that is ideal. I also want something a little more fruit-forward, since cheese and fruit is a classic pairing.
Putting it together, my preferred wine with mac and cheese is something like a riesling. It’s a very tart wine and they often have notes of apple.
Compromise your values?