Lots to talk about this episode! Catching up on listener comments and reexamining some of the major stories of recent times. It has been quite the depressing month of news.
Cool new segment coming up on Thursday, and an exclusive interview with Tracey Moody coming up on Bonus Content! Better sign up at http://patreon.com/atheist !
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Great stuff Thomas. I agree with you about Greta Christina’s article as well. She is a very good writer, and that was an enlightening and in places shocking description she gave, but her comments at the very end made me feel uncomfortable. Not that that’s anything like how uncomfortable many black people are quite entitled to feel with what’s happened…I just wonder if there’s another way she could have put it.
My sole personal anecdote on this issue…my father was in the police in the UK, and about 18 years ago now we had an American officer (from Chicago I think) over to stay in our house for a couple of weeks while he over here for some reason (can’t remember exactly why, it may have been some sort of training exchange programme). The feeling we got from him was that many white US police officers felt a profound sense of resentment towards their black colleagues that they were being passed over for promotions, while some black cops were on a rapid development programme which was effectively like a quota for inclusion of minorities. I think this is quite telling, since without the ability to change the racial or gender dynamics of police forces at something greater than a glacial rate, quotas may well be necessary.
The people who I’ve met who argue against quotas have yet to convince me of a better way of bringing about the required changes in both racial or gender equality. I do find the objections to the (at least limited) use of quotas to be somewhat churlish. You would of course expect to find some sort of in-group favouritism where friends stick up for each other, but sometimes I think this can go too far.
I also think you’ve hit onto an important point regarding comparing how disorder from white protesters is treated by the police. After all, anti gun control advocates have some pretty aggressive rhetoric themselves. The idea that they would go so far as to exchange fire with government forces is pretty terrifying. They would intentionally be killing people if it went that far, and yet many of these gun advocates are held in some regard in the US. It’s all based in a misplaced trust of “wild west” justice in my view. But I haven’t heard of any cases of the police shooting any of these people. (Of course this may just be media bias).
Of course much of this is to the chagrin of us in the UK, where I am very glad that both the general populace and the police don’t routinely carry guns. We have however recently started using the personal cameras in places – like you say they’re an excellent idea and protect both the public from police brutality and the officers from false allegations.
Looking forward to hearing from Tracey again and you should also get Emily back on if she’s interested!
a couple of things. while top level investment does go into the economy, it doesn’t necessarily make its way down the food chain per say to the average working stiff, at least not in a meaningful way. it really depends on what they are investing in. My former employer from years ago, rotate their cash in various mutual funds and hedge funds overseas, that had no economic effect on me other than put out work when they lost most of their cash. If they had been successful, no raises would have found their way down to us.
Those on minimum income level cannot benefit from investing in the same markets of the top incomes, because they just don’t have the capital do to so.
We also have to remember the mantra of some the big corporations (not all) is that human labor is just an externality to be cut no matter what. So keeping their work force poor/uneducated is an advantageous way to maximum profit, especially if the work force is not their targeted market for the products. And low wages does not guarantee low prices, remember corporations must always strive for ever increasing profits, so prices would rise (and are high for certain products nowadays) even if they use near slave, or real slave labor. The cost of living is not caused just by one thing.
Of course this is all conjecture, but there’s been a few books floating around suggesting that the economic theory taught in western education needs a bit a tweak and has been alter by parties with less than pure motivations.
As for low wage earners not saving money not being smart or following “good economics” The reason why many low wagers (and the argument for better wage or profit sharing) spend 100% of their pay check is out of pure survival in some cases. save money vs. go hungry/live on street/have heat/have electricity is a choice many people have to make even in North America. They are an endless cycle with no way out. A few may make it out, but they are the exception, not the rule.
There are indeed businesses who buck the trend, one here in Canada has all employees as owning shares in it, which is an interesting way to profit share.
As for the blog thing of “shut up and get out my life” I’m guessing she was being trolled by idiots and was getting really tired of it.. considering some of the shit that happens on the net her response was really no harm no foul.
But as always, love it, you have become a very provocative man Thomas. I guess should get an I-tunes account and give you a rating ^_^