Political/Cultural Chit-Chat

[Ma'ake]

... you and AOC are benefactors of capitalism. There is something strange about the most prosperous nation on earth at any time having people complain about what go them there on devices most people in the world don't have (globally we are the 1%).

There's always been tension within capitalist economy nations, explained by the GINI index, the CIA's economic measure of inequality within economies. From a material standpoint, most of the poor have little to complain about, especially compared to the hardship the pioneers went through. But there's increasing levels of dissatisfaction, manifested by the rise of Sanders/Trump/AOC, a plummeting birthrate, increases in mental health issues, suicide rate, opioids, etc. It tracks with widening inequalities.

Human beings are social creatures, subconsciously deriving their self-worth from comparing/ranking themselves to others in society. It's not some Democratic plot, it's not AOC preying on lazy Millennials. It's just human nature. People in poor nations often feel more connected to each other, their happiness is measurably higher, even though their material plight is tougher.

When a lot of people in the US see overt evidence of immense inequality, they sense injustice, feel like failures, etc. Their kids sense it, too. The GINI index predicts the distrust Americans experience.

Epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson has been able to accurately predict rates of preventable diseases - diabetes, heart disease, some cancers - *between* US states, based on data on economic inequality. The same measures the CIA uses to assess social stability in other nations.

(I'm not pushing socialism or soaking the rich. I'm just explaining an economic epidemiological perspective.)

[Rocker Ute]

There's always been tension within capitalist economy nations, explained by the GINI index, the CIA's economic measure of inequality within economies. From a material standpoint, most of the poor have little to complain about, especially compared to the hardship the pioneers went through. But there's increasing levels of dissatisfaction, manifested by the rise of Sanders/Trump/AOC, a plummeting birthrate, increases in mental health issues, suicide rate, opioids, etc. It tracks with widening inequalities.

Human beings are social creatures, subconsciously deriving their self-worth from comparing/ranking themselves to others in society. It's not some Democratic plot, it's not AOC preying on lazy Millennials. It's just human nature. People in poor nations often feel more connected to each other, their happiness is measurably higher, even though their material plight is tougher.

When a lot of people in the US see overt evidence of immense inequality, they sense injustice, feel like failures, etc. Their kids sense it, too. The GINI index predicts the distrust Americans experience.

Epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson has been able to accurately predict rates of preventable diseases - diabetes, heart disease, some cancers - *between* US states, based on data on economic inequality. The same measures the CIA uses to assess social stability in other nations.

(I'm not pushing socialism or soaking the rich. I'm just explaining an economic epidemiological perspective.)

I think my mom's scientific term for this was "the green-eyed-gazongas" aka keeping up with the joneses, which is powered by jealousy of the Rothschilds.


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[LA Ute]

Human beings are social creatures, subconsciously deriving their self-worth from comparing/ranking themselves to others in society. It's not some Democratic plot, it's not AOC preying on lazy Millennials. It's just human nature. People in poor nations often feel more connected to each other, their happiness is measurably higher, even though their material plight is tougher.

When a lot of people in the US see overt evidence of immense inequality, they sense injustice, feel like failures, etc. Their kids sense it, too. The GINI index predicts the distrust Americans experience.

I think this is why so many people are repulsed by the college admissions scandal that is blowing up right now. It will be interesting to see how that disgust expresses itself politically.

[Ma'ake]

I think this is why so many people are repulsed by the college admissions scandal that is blowing up right now. It will be interesting to see how that disgust expresses itself politically.

Rage against the elites! (Elites = anyone you perceive as richer than you, better "connected" than you, smarter than you, more educated, healthier, nicer clothes, more famous, the liberal/conservative enemies, etc.)

A reaction I sense will be more common - "I'm surprised anyone is surprised". (Ie, "besides the fireworks, why do we really care about the 4th of July?")

From the right, focus will be on the hypocrisy of the Hollywood liberals. From the left, reinforcement of AOC's simple sincerity that "the system" is fundamentally broken and needs to be thrown out.

How that gets manifested politically will be different from the different tribes, but it will also cause more general disengagement, waiting to "throw them all out", and for some: "F-it, hand me another beer".

America will never have equality of outcome. But p

oor liberals support "elite" liberals who speak their language, just like poor conservatives cherish Trump. (Each tribe accuses the commoners of the other tribe as being - or supporting - hypocrites, or of being dupes.)

What we need is greater sense of equity, of common ground. Like "my brother went to college with that Astronaut Mark Kelly. Smart dude. We need people like him to lead us, inspire us, fight for the common man, prod us to strive for better".

[LA Ute]

This is from last July. I think it's now time to say "Never."

President Michael Avenatti? Never say never!