Category: Commentary

The paradox of choice

August 22nd, 2023

Devo – Freedom of Choice

I wonder if the message I’m getting from Devo’s song “Freedom of Choice” is the one they intended? They were prescient in a lot of ways – the whole concept of devolution seems to be panning out doesn’t it? So maybe…

I wonder if the paradox of choice occurred to them? The fact that once you get more than a certain number of choices, you actually have no choice at all. “Freedom of Choice is what you got. Freedom from choice is what you want.”

I always took that as a criticism of complacent Americans. Why do we let the powerful run over us the way we do? But that line, about the dog with two bones, “He’d lick the one, he’d lick the other. He went in circles, he dropped dead…”

I think it’s just a normal reaction to choice. What if the dog had to choose the best bone out of a trillion? That’s what we’re dealing with now. I’ve heard John Vervaeke use the term “combinatorially explosive” to describe the blast of sensory input human consciousness has to navigate.

A big part of what we do on a daily basis is ignore as much as we can and choose what we must, because otherwise we’d be unable to function. And still it’s too much for our brains.

Ideally you open your mind wide enough so you can choose the best option, but if the input continues to increase, at some point you get overwhelmed.

Things were complex enough in 1980 when that song came out. I always considered Devo to be when the modern age began. Now we have the Internet. I was blown away by all the choices at first. I discovered so much music, so many points of view I hadn’t considered.

But now I can see where it was all headed: Too. Many. Choices. Internet, it’s enough to melt your brain. You only have so much time and energy. So what do you do? Choose someone, or a collection of someones, to make choices for you.

You can still find enough variety in that narrow band of choices that it can feel like you’re getting the whole picture. Or as much of it as you need. But people you trust to make up your mind for you are in the same situation. So what are you likely to get? Choices that benefit them.

Doesn’t feel very free, does it?
Marion County Record in KS gets its equipment back

August 16th, 2023

I’ve been following the bizarre story about the newspaper in Marion, Kansas that had its equipment seized and the owners’ home searched in a very sussy raid. Serious police state vibes.

Found out the Marion County Record just got its equipment back. In the meantime, they managed to get their issue out, staying up into the wee hours on old equipment the cops missed. I am so proud of them.

The man’s 98-year-old mother died from the stress of the situation and still, they got the paper out. I remember that ethic. Get the paper out, no matter what.

It was so surreal watching that report from TV station KSHB 41 in the link above. Small town folks like the ones I knew. Scenes from the office. Peg board, contest award plaques on the wall, the label machine, the newspaper rack out front.

The memories came flooding back. The thought that something like that could have happened to us never occurred to me. I had a couple of police departments get mad at the newspapers where I worked, but it was mostly a matter of cops not wanting to give us the police report.

The most galling thing about that was I didn’t really care about the report. I kinda thought it was bullshit. I knew cops wrote what they wanted, not what happened. But I had to fill that space on page 2 and the readers liked it.

I hated spending valuable time arguing with them when I had front page news to worry about. It was like pulling teeth some weeks. One department refused to give us a report for years (they were mad at us over an embarrassing report years before about a guy having sex with chickens).

I didn’t have time to fight with them. I was up to my ass in alligators when I was there, but the editor who came after me went to the Attorney General and forced them to follow the open records law.

It’s pretty clear to me that law enforcement and in fact all government, only gave a damn about the First Amendment when “don’t pick a fight with the guy who buys ink by the barrel” was still a rule of thumb.

I knew the power of the press was slipping when the state troopers started ditching me after accident scenes and making me use the biggest zoom lens I had. Also galling because I hated covering wrecks, but the boss said…

When I started in the business, they let me inside the yellow tape, just like Fire and EMS.

By the time I quit journalism, the lack of respect from law enforcement was palpable. I have a lot of respect for those folks in Marion, Kansas. We need more journalists with that spirit. And we need to find a way to make sure they stay in business.
You can’t clone your pet and have it too

August 14th, 2023

I always thought it was unfair that we couldn’t give dogs vasectomies or tie their tubes instead of just snippering it all off like they did to our dog Nigel.

Plus it’s a shame we don’t get to have another Nigel. My wife says we ought to clone him, but you know how the nature/nurture deal works. You wouldn’t get the same dog.

Look Mom, no balls!

First we’d have to ween him too soon, so he wouldn’t get along with other dogs. Then we’d have pay someone to and feed him a bunch of hair, so he could go through his hairball stage. Then leave him in a shelter with a bunch of chihuahuas. And THEN adopt him and try to make him into Nigel 2.

Even then it might turn out like the end of The Boys from Brazil, except he’d be the dog instead of the kid.
When disco died in my heart (temporarily)

August 13th, 2023

Foxy – Get Off. I got such a kick out of this video. I remember thinking this song was cool, back when I only heard music on Top 40 AM radio. Not sure what I would’ve thought if I had seen this as a teenager.

Seeing this over the top video of Get Off, by Foxy really took me back. I thought the song was cool when I heard it on the radio. What teenager wouldn’t? It’s about sex. But I definitely imagined them looking so much cooler.

I liked disco as a kid – until I didn’t. It was just one kind of pop music, like R&B or rock. Not that I thought of music in terms of genre back then. You just listened to the Top 40 station (KTSA) and you either liked it or you didn’t.

This is a little playlist I threw together of disco hits I remember liking. There were a lot more. The songs actually sound pretty good to me now.

I was a freshman in high school when I saw a long-haired rock ‘n’ roll dude in a “Disco Sucks” T-shirt. I remember thinking “Somebody had to say it.” I didn’t hate disco exactly. I just realized I was really really tired of it. The fact that I’d just discovered album rock played a big part also.

I didn’t yet know about the “Disco Demolition” incident in Chicago where they blew a bunch of disco records at a Chicago White Sox game and caused a riot. But I wouldn’t have been surprised.

I understand a lot of people put the anti-disco backlash down to racism and homophobia. That was probably part of it. My friend’s dad had some choice nicknames for disco. I’m sure there was a lot of heartburn over the Village People getting as popular as they were.

I liked Disco Duck by DJ Rick Dees – when I was 12. I don’t really want to hear it again.

But mainly I think it was over-saturation. The market did what the market does: took something popular, tried to squeeze out every penny, and ran it into the ground. It was in movies, TV, advertisement jingles. There had to be a disco version of everything, from classical music to jazz.

And you couldn’t escape the Bee Gees, who frankly were too good for their own good. If they weren’t on the radio or TV, they were producing somebody else’s song and singing backup. After a while enough was enough.

It’s been long enough now that I can listen to disco again and enjoy it. Even the Bee Gees. I also like that younger generations don’t have those prejudices against different types of music. Disco is as legit as anything else.
On that Top Gear in Alabama clip

August 12th, 2023

It’s fun to hate and look down on people we think deserve it and yes it was entertaining, but looking back after the turmoil we’ve been through – was it worth it?

About 10 years ago Top Gear had an episode that went viral, where they painted provocative (to Southerners) slogans on their cars and then got chased out of a filling station in the middle of trailer park nowhere by rock throwing country boys.

When I saw that as a newly-minted liberal, or progressive or whatever I was – I wasn’t sure what I was, only what I wasn’t – I was livid with rage. At Top Gear.

Not that I identified with the rock throwers. I knew what they were. I hate the term “white trash” that just reinforces their bitterness and keeps them hating, but let’s say poor ignorant white people. (I have my own problems with the word white, but I’ll save that for later.)

I hated those types when I was a kid. Guys who lived up to the stereotype, who would throw down at the drop of a hat, drink their futures away, mistreat their wives and kids, blame others for their self-sabotage. But at least I respected them enough to know they could be dangerous.

The guys in Top Gear were joking about trying to get each other killed. And then were surprised that it almost happened. If you lived down here you would know that absolutely could get you killed.

What did they expect? Humiliating people like that on their home turf is insane, even if you think they deserve it. Deep down they may agree they deserve it. Which makes them even more dangerous.

If you’re not going to try and improve their lot, LEAVE THEM ALONE.

I’ve expressed that sentiment before to my liberal friends and they never seem to get it. One friend’s response was “fuck ’em.” I don’t know what to say at that point. But if that’s the attitude our society is going to have, don’t expect anything to change for the better.

People who do understand those people are dangerous – and like it – will swoop in and use them for their own purposes. Condescending and humiliating media portrayals of poor white Southerners like that Top Gear episode helped get us where we are today.
On the positive impact of reaction videos

August 11th, 2023

I’ve been following these guys for a while. It’s fascinating to see how much they’ve changed. Just listening to a lot of different types of music can open your mind that much.

It’s been an interesting phenomenon, seeing the way reaction videos have proliferated on YouTube.

You have rap fans listening to rock, rock fans listening to rap. People from tribal cultures listening to techno. People reacting to stand up comics. Classical musicians listening to self-taught punk artists, young people checking out classics, old people checking out new bands way outside their comfort zones. So many possibilities.

At first I thought it was a bit much, but eventually I couldn’t help it. I got addicted. What will people who are different from me think of my favorite music, comedian or movie? Seeing someone discover them makes them feel new all over again.

It occurs to me that these videos are doing something very positive, opening people up to different cultures, points of view. There are some channels I’ve watched on and off for a few years and I can tell they’ve grown as people, simply by listening to a variety of music over time.

Ren, reacting to the reactors posting about his “Hi Ren” video. Ren is all about opening people’s minds and bringing people together, has encouraged reaction videos as a way to advance his career. They don’t have to worry about copyright strikes and it’s paying off.
To the only slightly racist grandpas who might have been

August 9th, 2023

I am so lucky. And sad. And pissed off.

Just read about Craig Robertson, the 70-something man in Utah who got killed by the FBI as they were serving a warrant. Based on his social media content where he threatened to assassinate Biden and other officials, it looks like the FBI did what it had to do.

On one level, he got what he deserved. He asked for it and he got it. But I got to thinking, what would this man be like today if America hadn’t made this lurch to the right?

Would he have been bragging about his sniper rifles and Ghillie suit. I imagine he’d be your basic, slightly racist grandpa. Maybe not the greatest guy, but fewer guns and a good Santa for the grandkids.

Or maybe I’m wrong and he just was what he was. Who knows.

It got me thinking about how shitty it is that a sophisticated propaganda machine decided to weaponize people like that guy. Most old men, even those with a shit ton of guns, would never do something like that.

But a lot of them have gone far enough right to alienate their children and grandchildren. Which is a tragedy in itself.

Why am I lucky? Because I was born right in that generational sweet spot. Too young to get hooked on Fox News, too old to get sucked into the Manosphere on social media. Aloof enough to avoid parasocial attachments to my favorite entertainers who decided to catch the wave of crazy, for the money or the crazy.

Old enough to remember Walter Cronkite and actual journalism. Young enough to enjoy the Internet, when it was a place to open minds rather than close them. Old enough to get a college education, while that was still in reach.

Lucky I had the teachers I had, read the books I read, had the parents I had. Lucky I was able to tell the Republican party was a runaway train and jump off early enough so I can sleep at night.

How much of what makes you a good person is luck?
Finally, some real dating advice from a man that doesn’t suck

August 8th, 2023

This is some of the best common sense dating advice for men that I’ve seen in a long time. It’s good to see someone from the progressive side step up to the plate.

And I think guys need to hear it from a man. There are so many grifters out there, looking to take advantage of lonely men for money and clicks. I heard a lot of Red Pill terminology in those questions.

Being unwillingly single sucks, a lot. You want it to end. It’s easy to make a buck by pretending women are just a puzzle to solve rather than individuals who want different things. When every problem gets distilled down to “one weird trick” how are they ever going to learn?

I like the question from the guy who followed all the steps and became a “high value male” able to attract all the beautiful women you could want – only to realize they were also shallow and stupid. The kind of women who respond to gimmicks.

I could have used some of the advice Beau gave as a young man. My father was a good man, but wasn’t able to help much because he also had trouble dating – he just happened to get lucky when he found Mom.

Dating is hard for some guys and the quality of off-the-shelf advice wasn’t much better pre-Internet.

Like my dad, I got lucky when I found my wife – at 47. I wouldn’t have wanted to wind up with anyone else – probably would’ve wound up stuck in a small town with an ex and inlaws who hated me. But I could’ve led a less lonely life up to that point.
Gen Z understands: Rules follow usage

August 4th, 2023

I thought this was an interesting interview. I knew what she was going to say and I what the comments would be like.

It got me thinking about language and how we use it to rank each other, sometimes without knowing it. Dialects are judged to be “low” or ignorant. As informal writing proliferates, the same thing happens with written language.

Elitists and old people are like, “No! Stop! You’re doing it wrong!”

I have a BA in English, so I learned a lot about the rules, how English “supposed” to be.

But I took one Linguistics class in college and that changed everything. I learned how languages change and evolve. And I learned something my grammar nazi mother absolutely hated: Rules follow usage.

When enough people do it, it’s the new rule. I also love language. I like playing with slang & doing it wrong on purpose if it works. Gen Z is treating language exactly as you should expect. Adapting it to their environment.

It reminded me of the NBC video clip I saw a while back about Gen Z doing away with the period. I had the same knee jerk reaction as a lot of people: Damn kids, learn how to write! But after watching the video I’ll be damned if it didn’t end up making sense. It’s texting. I don’t end texts with periods half the time.

It’s adaptive. They’re learning how to make a notoriously unexpressive media convey emotion.

I love language. I love the way you can mold it and shape it. I love how it adapts. I only know a little Spanish, enough to read signs and packages, but if I could go back in time, I’d learn a dozen languages. I bet I was a linguist in one of my alternate dimensional lives. I wonder how many I learned.

Language is almost metaphysically important if you think about it. The language you speak determines what you can even think about, what you think is real or possible. How mindblowing is that?
How I knew Trump would win

July 31st, 2023

I’ve been wrestling with thoughts about what it means to be a progressive in MAGA country who saw it coming. The inner conflict, the feelings, the divided loyalty… You just can’t win.

Someone recently asked Beau of the Fifth Column if he expected Trump to win in 2016 . Beau, who lives in Florida and is as rural a Southerner as they come, said no, he “didn’t think it could happen here.”

I was a little surprised, because I did know. I didn’t know at first, but by November 2016 I knew.

One night I jolted awake thinking, “Oh my God, we’re gonna do it again aren’t we?” Horror, dread and grief washed over me.

“Why must we always sign up to be the bad guys of history?” I thought. “They use us for power and money and leave our culture in shambles? Why do we do it?”

Shame over the past masquerading as pride…

Interesting that I thought “we.” I spent most of my life trying not to be country, or Southern, or redneck – as if I wasn’t raising hell on the back roads as a young man, just like my snuff dippin’ beer drinking friends. Who exactly did I mean by we?

Like Beau, I came up in the country. Not as country as him, but close. Texas isn’t exactly “The South,” but we’re kissing cousins. We once waltzed into a meatgrinder together on behalf of The South.

I knew Trump was going to win. Maybe because I was a newspaper reporter who covered small towns for 20 years.

Or perhaps it was because I’d quit wanting talk to people I considered close as brothers over the hateful things they said on Facebook, and got the cold shoulder from others over my anti-Trump memes.

I had an inkling that we were headed in a bad direction during Obama’s presidency. I was hearing more racist jokes. Infowars turned up at a boring ass economic development meeting, shouting conspiracy theories. Tea Party members almost scuttled plans for a college campus our poverty-stricken town needed desperately.

I felt dread when Hillary got the Democratic nomination, Hillary who was synonymous with Coastal Liberal disdain in my part of the country, going way back to Rush Limbaugh. Rush used that very hook to fool me at first: “We’re nothing but ‘flyover country’ to them.”

I knew because Coastal Liberals who chose Hillary over Bernie didn’t know how badly the well was poisoned against her or didn’t think it mattered.

I knew when Hillary made the fatal mistake of uttering the words, “basket of deplorables.” And didn’t seem to know it was a mistake – or care.

I still voted for her in the general. She would’ve been so much better for America – and the South, whether they knew it or not. Almost anyone would’ve been better. But I knew my neighbors.

I knew because wealthy Coastal Liberals who have controlled the Democratic Party, as well as naive city liberals who supported them didn’t understand how they are perceived and don’t know how to talk to us without stepping on every cultural tripwire.

I knew because Trump might be a buffoon, but he’s a talented conman. I interviewed a local conman once and I learned how it works: Find out who your mark hates and you can take him for every penny.

Liberals were sure they were going to win because they had a better candidate – they did. Anyone would have been better. But future MAGA knew the Democratic Party didn’t care and Trump (who also couldn’t give a shit but pretended to care) got to them first.