Will Shetterly's Blog, page 31

Things shared on Jan. 13ths

The great lie of privilege theory is dividing the world between the privileged and the oppressed. Under most systems, there are three groups: 1 The privileged who have special rights. 2 The citizens who have common rights. 3 The exploited who have few or no rights. When we talk about apartheid societies, we're not talking about the privileged and the oppressed. We're talking about those who

Things shared on Jan. 9ths

The rich complaining about travel hardships is the update of complaining about how hard it is to find good servants. - What To Talk About If You Want to Avoid Talking About Capitalism: For conservatives: Crony capitalism For progressives: Neoliberalism For neoliberals: White men or old people - I wish someone would pay me to procrastinate. Then I'd put off doing it. - The internet has

Things shared on Jan. 8ths

It's beautiful day in Minneapolis—barely cold enough to freeze to death. (Written in 2018, but true on most Jan. 8ths) - Internet, the US and Russia both have long histories of lying to their people. You don't have to choose to believe either. #ReserveJudgment - The best petty reason to forgive: The person who forgives first looks best. - Dear prudish Democrats, out of all the things you

Things shared on Jan. 7ths

The Kindle is an example of the petty redundant nature of capitalism: To isolate customers, it doesn't natively support epub. - Twitter lets us shout at clouds without having to go outside. - Someone should start a band called Name For A Band.

Things shared on Jan. 5ths

News isn't about what's true. It's about what's new. - The problem with capitalism is eventually you run out of other people's resources. - If you have any degrees to spare, pls send them to Minneapolis. Celsius or Fahrenheit are both fine.

Things shared on Jan. 2nds

My social media vacation made me more frustrated with how it makes many of us behave. Yes, personal responsibility is an element, but so is the thing itself--bad road design creates road rage and gawking. This superhighway may be designed for both, purely for profit's sake. I don't know if the internet makes me mean, but it does inspire me to respond meanly to mean people. A better social media

A point about How to Play Oppression Olympics, aka How Priivileged Are You

This may have begun as a conservative parody, but regardless of its source, one section is very revealing: Your economic circumstances are considered “status” instead of class or wealth. To identitarians, wealth is not a privilege, but being respected by snobs is.

Refuting the 1619 Project: Many of the US's founders hated slavery

Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence condemned King George for the African slave trade. It was deleted to appease the delegates from Georgia and South Carolina, as well as northern merchants who were part of the slave trade. He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating its most sacred rights of life and liberty in the persons of a distant people

Things shared on Jan. 1sts

History says, Don’t hope On this side of the grave, But then, once in a lifetime The longed-for tidal wave Of justice can rise up And hope and history rhyme. . . Believe that a farther shore Is reachable from here. Believe in miracles And cures and healing wells. Seamus Heaney - "Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. ... The struggle itself toward the

Things shared on Dec. 31sts

Dear people bent out of shape about Santa Claus and penguins together: If you had a flying sleigh, wouldn't you hang out with some penguins? - "Public-private partnership" is what we used to call "graft." --Mark Brian Wise - My New Year's Resolution is to stop making New Year's Resolutions. Well, that didn't last long, did it? - Boycotting a publisher is the coward's way. Brave people