Book discussion

Book discussion: Classified by David E. Bernstein

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Cover, Classified by David BernsteinRace, we’re often told, is a social construct. Sometimes it’s even more arbitrary; it’s a government construct. Since the days of slavery, governmental units in the US have assigned people racial designations based on bizarre criteria. The civil rights era and the introduction of affirmative action only made it crazier. Iranians, Afghanis, and Arabs aren’t Asian, even though they’re mostly from Asia. Instead, they’re “white.” You can be from Spain, yet not be Hispanic. Native Hawaiians aren’t Native American. Members of recognized minority groups lobby to keep other people from being recognized as minority groups.

Official designations of racial and minority status in the United States are insane, but David E. Bernstein keeps a straight face as he documents them in Classified: The Untold Story of Racial Classification in America.
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Book discussion: To Kill a Mockingbird 1

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I thought I had read To Kill a Mockingbird before, but I must have been mistaken. I couldn’t have forgotten so much of so powerful a book.

It must have been the movie that confused my memory. It’s an excellent adaptation of the book, but it focuses more on the Tom Robinson trial. The trial is an important part of Harper Lee’s novel, but the canvas is broader.Cover, old paperback edition of To Kill a Mockingbird

The novel presents the experiences of a girl growing up in a small Alabama town in the 1930s. Her father is Atticus Finch, an attorney of impeccable integrity. It presents what seems to me like an honest picture of people’s attitudes in that place and time.
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Book Discussion: Tech Panic

This entry was posted in Book discussion Reviews and tagged Internet politics technology on by

Robby Soave is making a name for himself among the younger generation of libertarian journalists. His Tech Panic addresses many of the overblown concerns and bad recommendations about social media. The attacks come from both the right and the left, and they’re disturbingly similar even though the two sides hate each other. They’re often attacks on free speech as such. Tech Panic cover

I should mention that I don’t like the big social media platforms very much. Rather than go off on a major rant, I’ll just leave it at that. I make minimal use of Facebook and have given up on Twitter, and I’m not biased in their favor.

Politicians often demand the repeal of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. The bulk of the CDA was declared unconstitutional, but Section 230 remains as protection for hosting companies and their users. It says, basically, that websites aren’t responsible for user-posted content. There are some exceptions; for instance, hosts have to take down child porn as fast as they can. But if a user violates a copyright or libels a person, the liability falls on the user, not the host.
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Power and royalty in Lord of the Rings

This entry was posted in Book discussion and tagged books Tolkien on by

J.R.R. Tolkien A major theme of Lord of the Rings is that power corrupts. It’s impossible to miss. The Ring represents the power to subjugate, conquer, and destroy. Sauron made it for that purpose. It has a magical aura that causes people who stay near it for long to want to possess and use it. It controls people more than they control it. Only Sauron can fully control the Ring.

Hobbits vs. authoritarianism

However, it doesn’t influence everyone equally. Hobbits are, with one major exception, less susceptible. Sam shows little interest in it, taking it only when he has to and returning it to Frodo with relative ease. It’s a huge burden on Frodo, but he doesn’t succumb to it until he reaches Mount Doom and faces the decision to destroy it. Merry and Pippin have no interest in acquiring it.
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Book discussion: Enlightenment Now

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Is the world going to hell? Are we all doomed? Steven Pinker has consistently argued that not only is this view mistaken, the long-term trends of the world show steady improvement in human well-being. Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress provides many specifics in support of this position.

Englightenment Now coverAlarm and disasters sell in the news media. People want to appear serious by citing problems rather than progress. Organizations looking to raise money or get people involved focus on what needs fixing. Taken together, they can create the impression that only terrible things are happening and they’re getting worse.
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