Will Shetterly's Blog, page 23

Shared on April 7ths: open borders, more

Anyone who thinks the only choices are open borders or closed borders is a victim of limited imagination. We need sane borders that do not drive the working class into the race to the bottom that the Koch Brothers dream of. There is a way to have open borders without hurting the poorest members of the US's working class: Provide #BasicIncome to make up for the lost jobs and lower pay. - A free

Shared on April 6ths

Games designed to produce few winners are meant to produce many losers. - Thumbs up and down systems are for people who see the world in black and white. We should at least have a "meh" option. - #1 reason most people's friends come from their class: You can afford to do the same things. - Identitarians say they don't like poverty, which we could end in a month with #BasicIncome, but they

Shared on April 5ths

Whenever I argue with doctrinaire leftists, I'm reminded of the old saying that generals fight the last war. - Diversity of identity without diversity of thought is meaningless. - If you don't think Easter is a fun holiday, remember that the eggs and bunnies are all about fertility. - When a charity is named for its rich founder, its first purpose is public relations. - I've yet to see a

Shared on April 4ths

When talking about top-down vs bottom-up politics, remember that Bernie Sanders was not born in or funded by the ruling class. He rose because working people responded to his issues. - "That will never work. It goes against human nature."--what conservatives always say about social and technological change. - "Human beings will shift their behavior in response to changing circumstances" is a

Shared on April 3rds

Artists who sneer at other artists should be pitied for their insecurity. - "President Trump" still sounds like the punchline to a joke I don't get.

Shared on April 2nds

Trying to explain why you like religion is like trying to explain why you like poetry: those who don't get it won't get it. - When the promo text for a novel begins with the information that the main character is beautiful or handsome, I usually stop reading. - Dear people who complain about the things I share: Why are you following me? I share what interests me. If it doesn't interest you,

Shared on April Fools Days

If you want to make me smile, call me comrade or brother. - It's not always true that arrogant people are ignorant, but it is the smart bet. #DunningKruger #CognitiveDissonance - When people say someone is very smart, they mean that person appeals to their prejudices. Many of the world's worst people have been very smart. - In the 1960s, men who turned evil got a goatee, except for Malcolm

Shared on March 31sts: sensitivity readers, more

Sensitivity readers tell you what people like them think, but that's not necessarily what most people of their race or gender or even their class think. Bourgeois people of color know more about bourgeois whites than they do about working class PoC. To write sensitively, read sensitively. It is better for white writers to read many people of color than to hire one to read you. - I wish people

Shared on March 29ths

Hard writing truth: Most rich writers were rich, then writers. - Please don't accuse me of moving the goal posts when you've failed to see where they are. - Oftenespecially in academia, art, and religionthe point of special knowledge is to convince the people who know it that they're special.

Shared on March 28ths

Social media is a game of Telephone with three billion players. - "If identity politics is such a threat to power how come power loves it?" -Angela Nagle - The simplest reason for Basic Income: it takes money to make money. - I like to think mass media is making people less gullible. It's obviously not true, but I like to think it. - If you don't know who the noisy neighbor is, it's