28
Dec 16
Interesting quotes from Moldbug
From the WikiQuotes page
the modern world has largely replaced religion, defined as the veneration of paranormal beings, with idealism, defined as the veneration of mysterious universal principles.
The artists of today produce kitsch because they’re rebelling against a fictitious power structure by supporting a real one.
[…] the replacement of religion by idealism has allowed people who are essentially religious fanatics to achieve positions of unprecedented temporal supremacy, not only without arousing the alarm of reasonable, scientifically minded writers, but in fact enlisting their enthusiastic support.
Are we really to believe that Marx, on his own, invented the idea that all men are brothers, despite living in a society dominated by a religion whose creed taught exactly that?
Progressives have created a vast set of puppet cultures which enable them to describe their monoculture as a multiculture.
05
Dec 16
One thing about Trump and the alt-right that has gone unsaid
The obvious (to me) parallel to the alt-right and trump is Obama’s “palling around with terrorists” in the 2008. It was a meaningless statement then, and the alt-right angle is meaningless this year, but meaninglessness hasn’t stopped anyone lately.
02
Dec 16
Quote of the Friday edition
From Thomas Sowell
It may be expecting too much to expect most intellectuals to have common sense, when their whole life is based on their being uncommon — that is, saying things that are different from what everyone else is saying. There is only so much genuine originality in anyone. After that, being uncommon means indulging in pointless eccentricities or clever attempts to mock or shock.
01
Dec 16
Trump, lack of strategists, and OODA loop
One unremarked advantage Trump had was the lack of political “infrastructure”, or the hordes of pollsters and consultants that surround candidates. That let him to push, not necessarily better ideas, but to float a tremendous number of ideas to the public at a rapid clip, keep the popular ones, ditch the unpopular and build a coalition off of what people liked at the time. All without having to vet everything through interest groups and campaign infrastructure.
Short version – he had a much faster OODA loop for his marketing.
In that sense – I think he will be a role model for other politicians – it’s eerily similar to an Adwords campaign now that I think about it.
16
Nov 16
Quote of the day
From Garrett Hardin
Extremism appears to lead to clear-cut decisions, whereas moderation embarrasses us by emphasizing problems that are yet to be solved.
11
Nov 16
Predictions in retrospect
08
Nov 16
Predictions for Election 2016
- Clinton wins both Electoral College (by 80 points) and popular vote (by 5%) – there will be no hidden wave of Trump surge
- Republicans maintain control of the legislative branch
- A new Supreme Court justice is confirmed within the next 12 months with little pageantry
- Both of them have major health events in the next four years (we forget how old they are, and neither seem at all health conscious)
- The libertarians get 7% of the popular vote (and could have had much, much more)
- The Green Party gets less than 1%
- Evan McMullan (sp) becomes the new standard bearer of the party
- Utah becomes the bellwether for the 2020 campaign
Yours?