Humans are not rational

One of the main reasons I no longer have any respect for rationalism is that so much of life is counter-intuitive.  People's behavior, especially.  Perhaps it is only counter-intuitive to those of us of a certain age have been taught how important it is to be nice, turn the other cheek, do unto others, etc. This is why red-pilling was such a bombshell to many, because it revealed how animalistic people's motivations are, especially our own.

Even after being red-pilled, I am still constantly taken by surprise at how my fellow humans function.  Even though I know it is true, I still struggle with how I have to manipulate my students.  Here is an example:

In one class, my students are called upon to complete some legal forms.  The legal forms are not provided.  I know from long and bitter experience that if I provide the forms up front, the students will complain about all of the hard work the assignment requires because some of the forms cannot be simply filled out, and must be retyped.  If, however, I give the students the assignment without the forms, and only provide them less than 24 hours before the assignment is due, the students are grateful because I swooped in to save them in the last minute.  This seems counter-intuitive to me, because the behavior is not rational.  It is, however, predictable and observable. 

Told ya!  Study shows no long-term cognitive benefit to breastfeeding

Smile!

I am preparing one of the final classes I will be teaching for an online for-profit university.  I say “one of the final” because the institution is circling the drain, and I was only offered two classes from them in the last twelve months.  This may well be my last class overall, and I cannot say that I am sorry to see this University go from my stable of schools.

Generally, as the student loan boondoggle has dried up and student enrollment continues to plummet, non-profits have consistently demanded greater performance from their instructors.  Their behavior makes perfect sense—online adjuncts are fungible and will do anything for the ever-decreasing paycheck. The pay per class is today slightly less than it was ten years ago, but the expectations for performance are much, much greater.

You may be thinking, “Well, that must be a good thing!  We should demand high performance from educators.”  You probably think the university expectations come from higher standards of, say, continuing education in the instructor’s subject matter expertise, or greater emphasis on academic rigor.  You would be wrong.

No, the high expectations come in the form of “student engagement,” which means making super-vapid and up-beat “welcome to class” videos.  Now, as an introverted sperg, I would rather be boiled in acid than try to be perky on camera.  I can talk for hours about my areas of concentration, but the schools do not want that.  They want me to “be encouraging.” And smile!

The purpose of these videos is to put at ease the target demographic of online for-profit universities—mainly women and minorities.  This demographic already eschews the written word for videos, so it makes sense from a marketing perspective that these schools want to project more a “World Star Hip Hop” rather than a “Project Gutenberg” vibe. It still rankles me, however.  While we may not be able to help them, we shouldn’t be actively trying to hurt them, and it hurts them to continually pander to their underclass vices instead of trying to (however imperfectly) inculcate in them middle class values. 

But I am not being paid to think.  I am being paid to pander, and pander I shall.  Yo, yo, yo, your best friend da professor in da house!

Psychorheology is a thing. It is also likely an inherited thing. 

Just Another Day

A lot of folks have been talking about the recent retarded tweet from some BLM spokeswoman, who said that “white ppl are a genetic defect of blackness.”  Vox Day posted about this, Styxhexenhammer666 made a YouTube video on it, etc. Meanwhile, thousands marched in Milwaukee to protest Sheriff David Clarke’s audacious attempt to enforce existing laws.  It was billed as another “Day Without Latinos.”  

This event didn’t get much coverage from the alt-right, at least from what I can see. The reason why is that the United States is, at heart, the racist country that Latinos have always accuse it of being. In many ways, we have proven the point of all of those marching Mexicans—we just don’t see ‘em.  The American psychic landscape remains black and white. Everything is analyzed through the lens of white versus black American culture.

Wisconsinites probably did see safer schools and neighborhoods with all those criminal aliens and fellow-travelers clustered together away from people who had to go to work. I am sure that Milwaukeeans will enjoy the prolific trash heaps that they will have to clean up after the protestors are bused home to wherever they came from. But aside from the hassle of having yet another traffic jam, this protest was a dud. While Americans (white and black) do want illegals gone, Hispanics do not have much resonance in American culture, good or bad. They have contributed less to American culture per capita than would be expected, given that many Latinos have been living in the American Southwest since before there was a United States. 

For better or worse, Black Americans have had an inordinate impact on American culture, greatly beyond what would be predicted from their representation in the population (12%). While the footprint of Black culture is over-sized, the footprint of Hispanic culture is under-sized.  Where are the breakthrough Hispanics artists, scientists, civic leaders, or philanthropists, for example?  Aside from food, what impact has Hispanic culture made on American culture?  

Thus, when the alt-right considers pervasive threats, it makes sense to focus on some random social media bleat than on an anti-deportation march. What happens on a #DayWithoutAMexican? Apparently the same thing that happens with him—not much.

Not today, dear-- I have a headache

We have all been sick for several weeks now.  Ugh.  No blogging today. 

They Always Double Down

Many of you have listened to the American Enterprise Institute panel hosted by Charles Murray, in which Bill Kristol made such memorable comments as, "If things are so bad with the white working class, don't you want to get new Americans in?"  As the Supreme Dark Lord could have predicted, of course, (((SJWs))) always double-down.  Did Kristol apologize and grovel in the way that all white heterosexual Christians do when they even inadvertently or obliquely insult a privileged group? No, of course not!  He doubled-down on Twitter, stating "I was on a panel w/ Charles Murray and neglected to bow before the conservative form of political correctness...."

I always enjoy watching people self-destruct in public. I think pundits like Kristol realize that they lived through a profound paradigm shift, and they missed it. They didn't see it coming, and they cannot describe it now that it is here.  It seems many of them are trying to blow themselves up before they go. I guess they think it is better to burn out than fade away.

Don't Draw the Attention of Kek

There is a minor kerfuffle happening on Twitter right now, whereby some antifa found her live-in boyfriend lying dead.  He, too, was apparently some well-known “punch a Nazi” antifa.  She then proceeded to “live Tweet” the aftermath—the police coming, the clean up, etc. Apparently she has received donations after this performance piece, and I do not begrudge that at all, because even simple funerals are terribly expensive.

As one would predict, she is now being hounded by many acolytes of Kek, who are doing the whole “the only good communist is a dead communist” thing on her Twitter feed.  None of this should be surprising or even interesting.  Based on absolutely nothing, I suspect the woman to be a malignant narcissist who is happy to be either loved or hated but never ignored.  My only interest is what young people might be learning from watching things like this unfold.  Are they learning the fundamental human truth that if you love something, you keep it to yourself?  If it is important to you, then you don’t expose it to the world to be pissed on by your enemies, or even by bored strangers?  I wonder if we will we see this kind of self-flagellating over-exposure increase or decrease in the next few decades.

Misc.

Book I will buy the next time I have money:  https://www.amazon.com/Libido-Dominandi-Liberation-Political-Control/dp/1587314657

Stuff I have read and want to comment on, but probably won't any time soon. 

https://mountainguerrilla.wordpress.com/2017/02/07/skull-stomping-sacred-cows-reality-isnt-nice-its-a-2x4-to-the-teeth/

This will blow your mind.  It is hard for me to even comprehend this.  Almost 75% of newborns in Paris are tested for sickle-cell anemia.  Sailer goes into detail as to how the infants are screened-- both parents must be at risk, and to be at risk means coming from specific regions.  For example, he writes:  "All nonwhite Indochinese, East Asians, and Polynesians are not tested." In fact, I cannot properly summarize the article.  It is a must-read. http://takimag.com/article/le_grand_remplacement_steve_sailer/print#ixzz4Y4zx8pY4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs0h9ieLPyw&feature=youtu.be&t=54m50s

http://blog.dilbert.com/post/154289405111/the-time-that-reality-forked-right-in-front-of-you

http://www.parapundit.com/archives/010105.html

http://www.parapundit.com/archives/010102.html

Good and Hard

I started blogging again in part because we really are living in interesting times.  I want to document how great it is for those of us who love Trump.  I already regret not blogging the ramp up to the election.  At first, I was simply excited for the man to blow up the Republican party, since that was a long time coming.  The fact that he destroyed the Bush dynasty was enough for me (please clap).  Then, he destroyed the Clinton dynasty.  If he had done nothing more once he got into office but suck his own toes from that moment forward I would have considered him the best President of my lifetime.

But he just kept going.  His first two weeks were amazing.  He actually came through on many of his campaign promises.  I never want to be like one of those useful idiots who worshipped Obama, so I am continually having to pull back on how much I like this guy. I even like many of his mistakes.  For example, Education Realist made some great points about Betsy DeVos.  While I am happy she was confirmed, ER has convinced me she wasn’t the best pick.  I hope she is capable of addressing the nightmare that is Common Core, but she might be in over her head.

Before the election, I had some pundit tweet to me a part of that famous Menken quotation:  “… the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.” He wrote this in the context that we rubes who wanted to destroy the Republican party didn’t understand what is good for us, unlike those beltway consultants who make a living advising establishment conservatives. The full quotation is “Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard,” and I could not agree more. We knew what we wanted.  There were enough of us to vote what we wanted into office.  The pundits and establishmentarians didn’t see Trump coming, didn’t understand why we wanted someone like him, and still cannot understand the history unfolding in front of their eyes.

The times we are living in are miraculous.  Perhaps Trump can reverse things, or perhaps it is too late. Either way, to witness white middle class America finally turn and fight instead of continuing to retreat is a rare gift and blessing. I am in awe to be alive right now.

Why I don’t review many books

Growing up, I read all the time.  In my small Texas town, the school librarian would give me the catalogs she received and had me order new books, because I knew the library better than she did.  But when the kids were young, I stopped reading books (I still read voraciously online).  I would keep a paperback in the diaper bag, but every time I found my location (forget keeping a bookmark in place) I had to put the book down. So, for several years I just didn’t read books, until I started using an e-reader, which was a game-changer.

For the past few years I have tracked what I read through Goodreads. I probably should have deleted my account when they banned Vox Day, but the ability to track my progress kept me on the dark side. (Come on, #alt-tech, we need an unconverged Goodreads!)

A lot of what I read are self-published books and I am proud to support anything that hits mainstream publishers where it hurts.  However, self-published books are prone to problems that traditional editors would normally catch.  I get it—I have priced editors, and know that many self-published authors do not have the money to pay for professional editing services (you need two of ‘em—one for content; the other for writing mechanics).  However, these same people who don’t pony up for professional editing then complain when reviewers deduct stars on Amazon due to content and editing mistakes.

Self-published authors also like to complain that reviewers “don’t understand” Amazon’s ranking system.  See, Amazon lump 3-star review into the “negative review” category.  Only 4- and 5-star reviews appear in the “positive review” category. Most books are average (funny how that works out).  They aren’t particularly bad, but they aren’t very good, either.   An average book is (and should be) 3 stars.  But now, instead of pressuring Amazon to change their system, authors are putting pressure on their readers to inflate their ratings so that written reviews appear in the “positive review” category. I get enough of this garbage from students—I am not going to let someone whose product I just paid for tell me that I owe them a more positive review. Down with review inflation!

Further, the “meh” reviews are warranted, in my opinion.  As an example, for a reader like me, a grammatical mistake knocks me out of the book.  I leave the book’s universe and start editing it in my head.  When this happens once per page, I never fully get into the book.  And yes, that will cost at least one star in the review.  Self-published authors do not tend to think this is fair, judging by their comments on social media.  As a reader who spends a lot on books, I think this is very fair.  Yes, a good mechanics editor would have cost you around $500 up front, and it is possible (likely) that you would never earn that back. Well, you are going to pay either way—pay up front for professional editing, or pay on the back-end in mediocre reviews.  Them’s the breaks.

So, I don’t review books on Amazon or Goodreads unless I really like them, and feel that the author has treated his product with respect. I think I might be putting my catty reviews here, however. 

Dr. Flea Has Fled

I am re-reading some of my old posts.  What a blast from the past.  I had a good laugh at one post from 2006, where I exclaimed delightfully over a pediatrician’s blog called “Dr. Flea.”  I never followed up on here about that blog, alas, although I used it as an example in many, many classes.  See, Dr. Flea “live blogged” his med-mal case, with predictable results.

Draw Your Own Conclusions...

There is a lot of wisdom here.  Penn Jillette thinks he is making an obvious point ("Of course we don't mock those who will kill us.  Whaddya think we are-- stupid?", but he misses the mark entirely.  If the way to prevent "Piss Christ" is for Christians to become more violent, then what does he think is going to happen?  "Well, of course I do not joke about Islam-- they will kill me!"  Indeed.

Old Friend

I love this dusty old blog.  I keep thinking I will start fresh but keep coming back to you, old friend.

But at least it is formatted nicely…

I only wish the papers I grade were this interesting. And don't forget this little gem.  H/T Five Feet of Fury.

Regret

One of the many differences between women and men, at least on the right-hand side of the IQ bell curve, is that men will have a thought and pursue it relentlessly via blogging, while women often have better things to do than to try to promote their ideas or fight for credit when an insight is finally pushing its way into conventional wisdom.  For example, Half Sigma/Lion of the Blogosphere is really good about reminding his readers of his predictive “hits,” and good on him for doing so.  Steve Sailer makes sure that he points out when and where his ideas are appropriated by more mainstream writers.  This is very masculine behavior. 

Back when my daughter was first born, I began to suspect that the whole “breast is best” campaign was ultimately some status competition between elite women and working class women.  I even made some tentative comments on other people’s blogs, but never pursued it vigorously.  I was roundly and personally attacked for this thought, and I backed down, because I did not want anyone to dislike me.  I wish I had fought for my ideas now that more and more evidence is coming out that breastfeeding studies were incorrect or misused.  Of course, everyone wants credit for something they did not work for, and I didn’t even really try to nail this idea down on my own blog.

Venn Diagram

I find it interesting that there are very few web pages which contain the words “‘elke the stallion’ AND steatopygia,” according to Google.  I do not have any stimulating or relevant things to say about the uncommon intersection of the sets of vastly different people searching for these two terms. 

What I Read in 2013

I admit that this is the main reason why I have started blogging again.  VD posted his “Reading List 2013” and I realize that I haven’t been keeping track.  Buying a Kindle changed my life.  Whereas before when I had to haul around a physical book, and I was always losing the bookmark (and the book), I had mostly stopped reading aside from what I did on the computer.  I am back to reading now that I can keep everything on a slim little Paperwhite (never the Fire, because the kids won’t leave it alone).

Here is a partial list.  I know I have omitted some, and I haven’t included all of the “how to” freebies I cannot seem to not download (gardening, backyard chickens, essential oils, fermentation, etc.)

Plague Year by Jeff Carlson

The Scientist and the Sociopath by Joseph D’Agnese

The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout

Feed the Animal by Richard Nikoley

The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan

Crimes Against Magic by Steve McHugh

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010 edited by Paula Guran

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2012 edited by Paula Guran

The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2013 edited by Paula Guran

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Jalpern

Hard Magic by Larry Correia

The Last Witchking by Vox Day

Goblin Moon by Teresa Edgerton

Troll Valley by Lars Walker

Draw One in the Dark by Sarah Hoyt

Hailstone Mountain by Lars Walker

This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It by David Wong

John Dies at the End by David Wong

Sea Sick by Iain Rob Wright

Enjoy the Decline by Aaron Clarey

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

The War in Heaven by Theodore Beale

Erlings Word by Lars Walker

Interrupt by Jeff Carlson

My favorite finds of the year were the novels of Lars Walker.  I am really enjoying the the Erling Skjalgsson saga!

I looked at Goodread’s “Best Books of 2013.”  Dan Brown’s Inferno was #1 in “Mystery & Thriller.”  Margaret Atwood and Jim Butcher were top in “Science Fiction” and “Paranormal Fantasy.”  The latest Stephen King novel led the “Horror” category.  What a depressing list.  The only thing that looks remotely interesting is Temple Grandin’s latest, The Autistic Brain.

I'm Back!

I’m Back!

I cannot believe I started this blog in 2004.  Has it been ten years?  I intend to start blogging again in the tradition of blog as a diary.  I have been missing telling the truth.  Facebook and Twitter are not places to tell the truth.  I have no desire to hurt friends or family.  I also have no desire to fight with anyone.  For now, I can be almost anonymous.  I say “almost,” because Google insists on linking Gmail accounts, so it is only a matter of time before they out us all.

I stayed away for years because I was afraid of being outed professionally for my reactionary beliefs.  However, as the economy continues to decline, my “profession” is falling away.  This is for the best, as I was a minor cog in an evil machine.  I justified what I did (and still do) by noting that there are hundreds of people lined up to take my job, and that my participation (or lack of) changes nothing about the industry.  The work I did allowed me to be at home with my kids (although I was distracted and exhausted, working nights and dozing on the couch during the day).  It also paid well.  Later, I will write more about the industry, which is in its death throes.  I hope that by 2015 it will be dead, dead, dead, although this would put me in a personal financial pickle.

Happy 2014!

Hope and Change

I haven't blogged in over 20 months! Mostly, I haven't had much to say. However, I am feeling more heartened now than I ever have before. A momentous thing is happening this year, a thing that represents a great change, that somehow gives me hope for the future... Andrew Breitbart's Big Hollywood blog. Watching conservatives come out of the closet like this moves me in a way I never would have imagined.

When I was in my early twenties, I was quite left-of-center. A lot of this posture and puffery was due to my intensely-felt desire to root for the underdog and to fight what I perceived as injustice. As I got older, I began to realize how imaginary the injustice really was as I encountered more and more of that nasty Real World I had assiduously avoided in college.

One thing I began to dimly realize was how certain groups were immune to criticism and how other groups were criticized immediately, no matter how mild the comments made. Certain groups had to preface every utterance with a disclaimer, and other groups could make bold, outrageous statements with impunity, even riotous support.

[c.f. Razib's comment: "I will tell you something that many readers might find shocking, but people who know me will know is true, I would try something on people in my freshmen year classes when I first met them, I would assert, "White men should be killed and their women should be used as fuck-animals... " versus the way that most Christians have to preface even the midlest comment with, "I don't mean to offend anyone..."]

Thank you, Andrew Breitbart! Big Hollywood is professional, constantly updated, always engaging, and profoundly entertaining. It is clear that a lot of time and planning went into making this blog a success. A lot of people have taken tremendous career risks by choosing to blog on Big Hollywood. Thank you, brave souls, for speaking out!