Year: 2021 (Page 1 of 2)

I do a lot of things that are not in my line of work such as carpentry, plumbing, minor auto repairs, construction, and other such pursuits. As well, I read a lot of book – mostly nonfiction – with the lion’s share being history books.

I maintain a healthy level of humility in my professional pursuits, but I make a point of ensuring that I maintain a higher level of humility about my skills in my non-professional pursuits. I accept that an expert carpenter can do what I do in a fraction of the time and, in most cases, deliver a better product. I consider myself an amateur in this and other hobbies.

I consider myself an amateur historian of the Civil War. I have read hundreds of books on the this war, and various aspects surrounding it. I have not done original research, and I do not possess an encyclopedic knowledge of any particular point of interest. I generally defer to experts in discussions (except where the point of contention is opinion rather than fact).

I find it strange that such a large fraction of society refuses to defer to experts in such items of importance as health or science. I understand that many individuals have been deluded by an organized campaign to undermine public understanding and acceptance of science (see Merchants of Doubt by Naomi Oreskes and Erik Conway). But it is still hard to fathom how a person who would never go to his plumber cousin to treat a broken bone will seek advice from that plumber cousin on epidemiology.

We have reached the point where the followers of the deposed of the demented simpleton are becoming more deranged than he is. I don’t know how we can deal with 25-30% of the population suffering a collective delusion.

No further exposition needed.

In any society that allows for a single individual at the top of a continuum is able to possess the net worth of millions of individuals at the bottom, the political power will have a definite direction. Those with obscene wealth invest a tiny fraction of that wealth in corrupt politicians. This investment pays outrageously outsized dividends. This setup has ultimately destroyed every society where it has played out.

I have made a point of limiting my interactions on Twitter. I decided a couple of weeks ago to quit interacting in any way with any tweet using the name of the obese elderly child molester (and useful idiot Russia) who was recently ejected from the White House. I have slipped once or twice, but overall I’ve been pretty reliable. Unfortunately, I have a tiny footprint on that platform (or any other, for that matter). I just wish I could get the word out. If everyone would make the commitment to refuse to interact with any social media post containing the name of that particular rotund child predator, he would deservedly disappear forever. Or at least for the handful of months (hopefully not years) he has left before his terrible diet, sedentary lifestyle, and decades of drug abuse explode the withered heart in his lard-packed chest cavity.