Sadistically Speaking

Why do we choose to do the right thing?  Are we out for numero uno?  Do we believe in the "rule of law"?  Or do we actually have an individual philosophy of morality?  A discussion of moral choices with reference to the Prisoner's Dilemma and Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development and Kenny Loggins!  (JK, no Kenny Loggins references which now seems like an oversight.)

Everyone thinks they are a good person but most of us are unwilling to refrain from small selfish decisions that become real problems when multiplied by the masses....like hoard toilet paper!  It is easy not to commit major sins....much harder to do the small things that make the world a better place.  #ManKant

Political Correctness was rampant back in the late 80s and early 90s.  Now, rules for inclusive language have returned with a vengeance.  The opposition to this movement has resulted in odd alliances that cross political affiliations, like Ben Shapiro, Bill Maher, Glenn Greenwald, and Jordan Peterson.  Time to fight the linguistic fascism.  Also: Gofourth among the Packers, Beat Teams from every C...

The internet was supposed to give us exposure to a wider variety of thoughts, ideas, music and make us less tribal.  Unfortunately, completely free choice for humans leads to exactly the opposite.  We use this choice to isolate ourselves from dissent or other world views.  #beaarthurisasexybiatch

Humans use the Availability Heuristic to estimate the probability of events and determine fear levels.  Unfortunately, while the idea of relying on what comes easily to mind worked for our ancestors, it is completely fucked by our modern way of gaining knowledge.  As a result, we have a lot of irrational fears.  Also, please don't hold back information about active fugitives.  You may not see...

Astrology is dumb and is based on confirmation bias and some questionable learning mechanisms.  But who cares right?  It's harmless.  Is it?  Doesn't it go against a sense of self-empowerment and reinforce using stereotypes to prejudge people? 

Guns suck.  People suck.  But the gun control debate is based on a false narrative.  Gun homicides are down versus the 80s and 90s.  Mass shootings are not driving the gun violence statistics.  It is suicide that accounts for most gun deaths in the U.S.  That is where we should be directing our attention.  Also, WTF Sweden!

Many of us have the same religious/spiritual beliefs - all humans are equal and connected; we can witness God in nature and art; bunnies are cool.  The continued obsession with the story of Jesus is actually blocking us from this beautiful foundation for religion. Happy Feast of Eostre!

A recent report claims that the global gender wage gap increased because of the pandemic.  This report illuminates the lie that the gender gap is about equal pay for equal work.  This push for gender equality of outcomes in all areas is condescending to women and completely irrational.  The female who should really be pissed off is the recently demoted voice of Siri.

Lil Nas X has a new video with some devilish man sex.  This is mostly silly just like past attempts to use the devil as an add on to music mystique.  On the other hand, those parents who are upset that Lil Nas X has changed from his wonderful child-friendly Old Town Road clearly never understood those lyrics.  Finally, this is a brave step for Lil Nas X but only if he is not protected through cens...

A recent video of Dr. Sherri Tenpenny decrying the Covid vaccines has raised my ire.   Not just because she is shamelessly promoting false narratives to promote herself but because it makes clear that we are not debating important topics in this country, which allows dumb ideas to grow in the dark and virtue signalling crap to sprout in the light.

The media needs a villain and white men seem pretty good at this moment.  The latest claims are racism and increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans.  What support do they have for these claims?  And are white guys being absolved by a sexual addiction defense?

The illusory correlation between vaccines and autism has cost lives because measles has reappeared despite the fact that you autism rates are slightly lower among vaccinated children.  I thought that was a sign of moronic behavior until the recent scare about links between blood clots and COVID vaccine even though the reported blood clot rate is 1000 times LOWER than normal.

Did the pandemic lockdowns work?  This is really an important question considering the loss of freedom, effects on mental health, unexplained death increases and major impact on the economy.  There have been some recent comparisons of Florida and California as ends of the spectrum, but the numbers are not being analyzed in a rational unbiased way.  Turns out Florida now needs to help bail out the...

This pandemic is hell for the socially awkward like myself.  We need a deadline for the current ambiguous social standards so we can go back to giving handshakes without anxiety.

Time for some inspirational quotes from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.  Hope they help inspire you for the New Year.  Surprise!

Does it matter if Jesus as portrayed in the New Testament was "real"?  I argue that it is not important...in fact, it is more important that he is not an individual person but a story of how each human has divinity.  The revolution of the Christian faith was the democritization of divinity.

Recent controversies on excess death from Covid 19 miss the point.  There are certainly more deaths this year but the biggest excess death is among Millennials and it is much larger than would be expected from the pandemic.  Why doesn't this concern us?

The right to vote in the United States is important....but so is the right NOT to vote.  More people voting does not logically lead to better governance.  Countries with mandatory voting demonstrate this.

Sports guy uses data and theories to predict the future but we think that most people can't understand science.....which uses data and theories to predict the future.  Less Fauci....more Nick Wright.

Our love affair with celebrity scientists like Dr. Fauci and Dr. Neil Degrasse Tyson perverts the basic democratic and anti-authoritarian nature of science.  The media gets to decide who the truth tellers are.

I think I have ignored for too long that LeBron James is just a capitalist bitch.

A second episode on moral posturing and hypocrisy in our safety/health behaviors.  In this case, we compare DUI and driving while on a cell phone.  

Selective Moral Outrage and Health/Safety Superstitions.  Why are we morally outraged at someone who does not wear a seat belt but not someone who speeds?  Is this another example of hypocrisy in our approach to safety/health issues?

Frank L. Baum wrote The Wonderful Wizard of Oz but he wrote some nasty crap.  The director of the classic 1939 movie was a baaad man.  Time to cancel Oz....or relax.