I think this is a major problem with Substack Intelligentsia and the professional Opinion-Haver Class (TM). They are very good at extrapolating one instance into a principle that should apply to everyone. Now, due to inevitable human biases and fallacies (selective attention and memory, encasing oneself in echo chambers) the principle -that was supposedly learnt from this/these observation(s) - just happens to support whatever their existing worldview was.
By pure coincidence, the policy prescriptions for these beliefs mostly seem to defend the prevailing status quo. The people who are benefiting from the system keep benefiting, the people who are suffering keep suffering.
What should we do to improve education? Any public policy changes? No, just hire Dweck-approved Growth Mindset Consultants. What do we do about the tens of thousands of kids being murdered in Sudan/Congo/Gaza? Um, actually, most kids in history died before the age of 5, we truly live in the best of times! What can we do to make our relationship with social media healthy? Could we have some transparency about the 'algorithms'? control over our feeds? interoperability? No, they'll use 'AI' to 'optimize' social media usage.
One of my C-suite guys at work mentioned the book Grit and how we should all live by it and I wanted to fucking die I was like that book is garbage and you should know better sir
Every book club I wanna join is reading such books 🤦🏾♀️. We used to get a lot of motivational speakers when I was in school so I've heard all the B/s about 'grit' and 'growth mindset' and 'thinking big' and 'attitude adds up to 100' or whatever the f.
In defense of Pinker Utilitarians 99.9 of all media is extremely negative. Sometimes someone needs to point that things are not that dire but the incentives are usually in favor of the catastrophe side.
Happy belated birthday!
I think this is a major problem with Substack Intelligentsia and the professional Opinion-Haver Class (TM). They are very good at extrapolating one instance into a principle that should apply to everyone. Now, due to inevitable human biases and fallacies (selective attention and memory, encasing oneself in echo chambers) the principle -that was supposedly learnt from this/these observation(s) - just happens to support whatever their existing worldview was.
By pure coincidence, the policy prescriptions for these beliefs mostly seem to defend the prevailing status quo. The people who are benefiting from the system keep benefiting, the people who are suffering keep suffering.
What should we do to improve education? Any public policy changes? No, just hire Dweck-approved Growth Mindset Consultants. What do we do about the tens of thousands of kids being murdered in Sudan/Congo/Gaza? Um, actually, most kids in history died before the age of 5, we truly live in the best of times! What can we do to make our relationship with social media healthy? Could we have some transparency about the 'algorithms'? control over our feeds? interoperability? No, they'll use 'AI' to 'optimize' social media usage.
Yes agreed with everything here — I’m glad this resonates with you; couldn’t have said it better myself
One of my C-suite guys at work mentioned the book Grit and how we should all live by it and I wanted to fucking die I was like that book is garbage and you should know better sir
Every book club I wanna join is reading such books 🤦🏾♀️. We used to get a lot of motivational speakers when I was in school so I've heard all the B/s about 'grit' and 'growth mindset' and 'thinking big' and 'attitude adds up to 100' or whatever the f.
You have discovered the tip of a gigantic iceberg! 👌
In defense of Pinker Utilitarians 99.9 of all media is extremely negative. Sometimes someone needs to point that things are not that dire but the incentives are usually in favor of the catastrophe side.
“A more appropriate term would be "I move fast and break your things.”
This is on my mind a lot lately. I think it’s a good encapsulation of why the startup obsession with MVPs drives me nuts.
As an anti-establishment cynic: 10/10
As an anti-establishment pedant: 7.5/10 (due to the harmful normative epistemology)