Inequality is the difference in measures of economic well-being between individuals in a group, among groups in a population, or among countries. Also known as economic inequality; inclusive of both income inequality and wealth inequality. In the United States, the data broadly shows shared economic growth and prosperity in the post-WWII period until the 1970s, […]
Or: How Milton Friedman destroyed Western civilization, the neolliberalism story. An economic ideology first theorized in the 40s and 50s by scholars, it was brought to popular attention in the 1970s by the works of economist Milton Friedman and novelist Ayn Rand among others. It grew in popularity and became widely adopted in U.S. economic […]
It’s not just here at home in the US that fascism seems to have taken root in the population. There are many burgeoning nationalist movements resurrecting right-wing populism around the world, and as per many experts’ warnings, right-wing authoritarianism is on the rise around the globe. Many of the right-wing populist thatches that have sprung […]
On May 31, 1921, a mob of murderous whites descended on the Greenwood neighborhood of Tulsa, Oklahoma dubbed Black Wall Street, and razed it to the ground. They dropped homemade bombs in the first ever domestic aerial attack on American soil, during the Tulsa Race Massacre following the end of World War I. Over three […]
Cultism as a kind of collective personality disorder The enemy at the gates is us
Empathy is the capacity, ability, and willingness to understand or share the feelings of someone else. It is to harmonize with that person (or animal, or even fictional character…) and synchronize with their mood — to walk a mile in their shoes. The word empathy comes from a Greek word meaning “suffering,” which describes the […]
January 6: A Day that will live in ignominy. The day Capitol riots broke out when an angry mob, following instructions from Donald Trump, stormed the halls of Congress and came within minutes of a potential hostage situation or worse: a massacre. I’m still processing the events of Wednesday, as are many. Even though I […]
A concept that describes the impact to the world of children in poverty, under excessive inequality, and in other circumstances that contribute to the loss of that individual’s gift to the world. It is one of many ways to try and measure the effect of the negative externalities of lightly regulated laissez-faire capitalism. There is […]
Kleptocracy, a term derived from the Greek words “kleptΔs” (thief) and “kratos” (rule), refers to a government or state in which those in power exploit national resources and steal; it’s essentially “rule by thieves.” The nation’s leaders harbor organized crime rings and often participate in or lead them; the police, military, civil government, and other […]
Magical Thinking is a development phase we all go through as children. Unfortunately, some never come out of it fully. It’s a juvenile way of imagining you can wish reality into existence through the sheer force of your mind. There is a role for Magical Thinking in key contexts, such as creative fields — as […]
Is it possible the Condorcet jury theorem provides not just a mathematical basis for democracy and the justice system, but a model predictor of one’s political persuasion as well? If you’re an optimist, you have no trouble believing that p > 1/2. You give people the benefit of the doubt that they will try their […]
I’ve been reading John Stuart Mill’s “On Liberty” and am reminded of the quintessential liberal definition of the term: The only freedom which deserves the name, is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain […]
Gather ’round, y’all — it’s the fight of our times… How much decision-making should be privately made, vs. collectively? Arguably, decisions that affect most of us ought, in some way, to incorporate input from the public. But as Elizabeth Warren 2020 (!!) notes — it’s getting harder and harder to do that, even as economic […]
We have endured much together these past 2-3 years, Team America. Thankfully our civil society is incredibly robust — and time is accelerating demographic gains in an inexorably democratic direction. As Boomers give way to Millennials — slated to happen as early as this year — we are experiencing a seismic shift in the national […]
Some people like to argue that more economic inequality is a good thing, because it is a “natural” byproduct of capitalism in a world of “makers and takers,” “winners and losers,” “wolves and sheep,” [insert your favorite Manichaean metaphor here]. However, too much inequality is deleterious for both economics and politics — for with oligarchy […]