Roolb
17d ago
The author's concept of freedom is, in my reading, that there be no arbitrary obstacles or burdens regarding her ascent to ... whatever her actual objective is ... strictly on the basis of factors she never chose and cannot control, eg. her sex. This is, in a certain light, a very relatable objective, with a visceral emotional appeal anyone can feel. Achieving such a society is impossible, we all understand that, too (the article might as well be headlined "Neither Side Even Tries to Offer Women the Impossible"), but beyond that there is a certain self-pity to it. Obstacles are to be overcome, and burdens to be shed; people do it all the time, literally every day. And when we consider society's inequalities between groups, well, dwelling upon the problems of women -- present these days at every income stratus, in basically every corridor of power -- seems again a bit self-involved. Relative to the poor, relative to many visual minorities ... why would society start with femaleness?
Roolb
6mo ago
Is there a supportive book you can cite that isn’t by the notorious plagiarist Johann Hari? I think we shouldn't be rehabilitating him.
Roolb
6mo ago
Experts: "Demagogues whipping up distrust in us is irrational, unfair and disruptive to progress."
Also experts: "We can now admit we made up an entire species 50 years ago in a bid to stop construction of a dam."
Roolb
8mo ago
I am starting to think that the "they/them" ad will be long remembered. In a very close race one could point to any number of issues and proclaim it The Difference, but this was the last one; the one that drove a vital few thousand waffling voters, without an effective response.
Roolb
1yr ago
Once upon a time it was probably because Trump promised to do things for them (bring back factories, build the wall). Now they're behind him because he's under attack (for, they reckon, daring to stand up for them).
Roolb
2yr ago
A story about the power of stories? Find me Neil Gaiman's non-union Mexican equivalent!
Roolb
2yr ago
He's been giving every signal that he's serious about illegal immigration, no?
Roolb
2yr ago
Yeah, ghosting is a way of saying "I might have a use for you later. Maybe not one you love, but ..."
Roolb
2yr ago
I think of this interview when I think of Putin's decision:
"... if you really look at the total message the US was projecting to Russia in those critical months, there were two messages. One is, 'We’ve got great intelligence on you. We actually understand you much better than you think.' It was shocking. I think it shocked the Russians. But on the other hand, we’re saying, 'We think you’re going to win quickly in Ukraine. We’re offering Zelenskyy a plane ride out of Kyiv. We’re pulling out all our diplomats and urging other countries to pull out their diplomats.'
The message, actually the totality of the message that we sent to Putin is, 'You are going to win if you do this.' "
https://conversationswithtyler.com/episodes/walter-russell-mead/
Roolb
2yr ago
Just in: Chileans reject new progressive Constitution. An interesting chapter in the history of Latin American economic and political development. (The country's progress over the last few decades makes it one of the region's real success stories.) For my part, I suspect the voters made a smart call here, but are there Motters closer to the issue with actual insights? What will come next?
Getting excited about A Play About David Mamet Writing About Harvey Weinstein, in which "Mamet is poisoned, castrated and murdered with his own playwriting award": https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/mathilde-dratwa-david-mamet-harvey-weinstein-play-1236317797/
My play about this play about the famed playwright will settle all of this. In all seriousness, I am struck by the interview at the link, in which the younger playwright Dratwa seems much more upset with Mamet than with Weinstein, and for the crime of lasting success in her field (admittedly long past his prime, by all accounts).
Addendum: I guess this is a temptation facing everyone in the arts: you might go into it thinking you have something to say about society, or humanity, but you’ll probably spend all day thinking about art, so guess where you’ll find inspiration? Film, which seens to have been Dratwa's previous field, seems especially bad for this -- just filthy with "movies about the magic of movies."
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