B: the inability to run the numbers and design a way to raise family on one parent's income is the sole reason why we're childless. I had a stay-at-home mom and can't see it another way. I recently watched a local politician's campaign video where he made "two parents, one income" a rallying cry. That was such a working class Big D no-duh not too long ago; a tough circle to square now when many many loud progressives would interpret "two parents, one income" as "let's keep the women at home." Which is a shame because, in Shorspeak, "two parents, one income" is a much more efficient sell than "please check out the White House Gender Equity and Equality Plan."
C: you seem like a Portsmouth, NH guy, real-estate-speaking.
I don’t think anyone takes too kindly to housing insecurity or instability, whatever the cause. I’m sure Dickens knew that too, given his penchant for criticizing oppressive governance and surveillance. Don’t let The Man™️ tell you otherwise!
I've been much busier than usual, so being able to get some "bite sized" FdB in rather than the typical long form has meant I've actually read them: Before I was skimming then not reading at all and eventually, beginning to miss it! Also, it seems like the very forcing of it is what would make it a great exercise to aid brevity in future.
Here's to the world where - one day - maybe you won't have to write as defensively. If that doesn't change we're all going to end up writing in depressingly caveated legalese one day. As we have seen, these cultural obsessions don't confine themselves to a single small subculture.
I like whatever you decide to write. A mix of long and short is always an option. I read the first two chapters of Demian and was immediately drawn in. Lots to think about there. Looking forward to the second book club.
Just read your Douthat review and there were no comments or digest that week, so just want to say here how much it touched me. Your empathy burned too bright to be left in the shade by your doubts.
As the child of a mother who spent decades with neither a physical or mental diagnosis for the ailments she self-medicated against up to her premature death, your critique hit the perfect note of frustrated sympathy for me.
Your concerns about being too harsh in the review surfaced doubts I had my whole life about looking at my mother and her illness with cold logic when all she wanted was someone to tell her she wasn't crazy. I know she'd have preferred the book telling her what she wanted to hear, and if Douthat gives anyone like my mam a moment of comfort I won't hold it against him, even if we remain to be convinced.
Great comment on keeping kids alive. In a long ago education thread there was a mention about a woman, mother of (at least) two kids, who spent almost all of her child care time helping the slow boy, letting the brighter girl do more on her own.
This is good egalitarianism.
This is lousy, inefficient use of scarce resources. No amount of money or schooling will help a very slow boy, like Forrest Gump, get educated up to average.
Life is unfair. And uncertain. It would be better for society to discuss more honestly what does a "good life" mean, or look like, for the slow ones, especially the slow boys. Gump getting dumb luck lucky on Apple stocks avoids having the hero have a more realistic dead-end job and career as a janitor or dishwasher or gardener (like Chance?). Also, statistics indicate a high chance of future divorce when the woman makes more than the man - tho a quite experienced woman looking for a "good person" as her man and knowing what's she getting might result in more success. And normal success is not photogenic - boring doesn't get TikTokked so much.
The stupid baseball hypothetical is stupid BECAUSE so much of the pleasure of baseball what-ifs is discussion of uncertain statistics against other statistics. Lots of stupid things are fun, so maybe it's better to just call these safe fun things silly. Or even totally silly.
Lol destructive robots
A: count me in as a short-week fan
B: the inability to run the numbers and design a way to raise family on one parent's income is the sole reason why we're childless. I had a stay-at-home mom and can't see it another way. I recently watched a local politician's campaign video where he made "two parents, one income" a rallying cry. That was such a working class Big D no-duh not too long ago; a tough circle to square now when many many loud progressives would interpret "two parents, one income" as "let's keep the women at home." Which is a shame because, in Shorspeak, "two parents, one income" is a much more efficient sell than "please check out the White House Gender Equity and Equality Plan."
C: you seem like a Portsmouth, NH guy, real-estate-speaking.
Especially like your comment about A Tale of Two Cities, privacy, and freedom.
I don’t think anyone takes too kindly to housing insecurity or instability, whatever the cause. I’m sure Dickens knew that too, given his penchant for criticizing oppressive governance and surveillance. Don’t let The Man™️ tell you otherwise!
I was a fan of short week. I like the long stuff too, but I agree it was a nice change of pace.
I really enjoyed short week.
I've been much busier than usual, so being able to get some "bite sized" FdB in rather than the typical long form has meant I've actually read them: Before I was skimming then not reading at all and eventually, beginning to miss it! Also, it seems like the very forcing of it is what would make it a great exercise to aid brevity in future.
Here's to the world where - one day - maybe you won't have to write as defensively. If that doesn't change we're all going to end up writing in depressingly caveated legalese one day. As we have seen, these cultural obsessions don't confine themselves to a single small subculture.
I like whatever you decide to write. A mix of long and short is always an option. I read the first two chapters of Demian and was immediately drawn in. Lots to think about there. Looking forward to the second book club.
I dug the short weeks!
Just read your Douthat review and there were no comments or digest that week, so just want to say here how much it touched me. Your empathy burned too bright to be left in the shade by your doubts.
As the child of a mother who spent decades with neither a physical or mental diagnosis for the ailments she self-medicated against up to her premature death, your critique hit the perfect note of frustrated sympathy for me.
Your concerns about being too harsh in the review surfaced doubts I had my whole life about looking at my mother and her illness with cold logic when all she wanted was someone to tell her she wasn't crazy. I know she'd have preferred the book telling her what she wanted to hear, and if Douthat gives anyone like my mam a moment of comfort I won't hold it against him, even if we remain to be convinced.
Great comment on keeping kids alive. In a long ago education thread there was a mention about a woman, mother of (at least) two kids, who spent almost all of her child care time helping the slow boy, letting the brighter girl do more on her own.
This is good egalitarianism.
This is lousy, inefficient use of scarce resources. No amount of money or schooling will help a very slow boy, like Forrest Gump, get educated up to average.
Life is unfair. And uncertain. It would be better for society to discuss more honestly what does a "good life" mean, or look like, for the slow ones, especially the slow boys. Gump getting dumb luck lucky on Apple stocks avoids having the hero have a more realistic dead-end job and career as a janitor or dishwasher or gardener (like Chance?). Also, statistics indicate a high chance of future divorce when the woman makes more than the man - tho a quite experienced woman looking for a "good person" as her man and knowing what's she getting might result in more success. And normal success is not photogenic - boring doesn't get TikTokked so much.
The stupid baseball hypothetical is stupid BECAUSE so much of the pleasure of baseball what-ifs is discussion of uncertain statistics against other statistics. Lots of stupid things are fun, so maybe it's better to just call these safe fun things silly. Or even totally silly.