Paternalism

This is what it really boils down to with Obamacare.  I do think that many people do not understand the full conception of the risk (i.e. if you stay healthy, then you're fine, but if you get sick, then you are free-riding on the welfare state, which isn't fair), but the solution to that problem is not paternalism.

Here's a nuanced rebuttal to the "Ban Bossy" idea.

Here are more thoughts from Susan Patton.

Amazon Prime is getting more expensive.

Responses:

1. It does seem interesting, but I fear, as the author notes, that the book has assumed the conclusion by staying within the realm of Intellectuals (capital "i" intended).

2. I do think there's something to the idea of sex roles and that there's something to the idea that toys, games, etc., can contribute to them (note the article I sent you yesterday).  But I'm unpersuaded that 1) there are no biological reasons for this and 2) there is no choice surrounding these decisions.  Little girls want Barbies not just because of Mattel's marketing campaigns.

3. Stories like this are why I tend to give cops the benefit of the doubt more than my libertarian friends or other minorities who claim abuse from cops.  There are plenty of cops out there who abuse their power (or even seek the job so they can wield power abusively over others), but I suspect that most of the police "scandals" that get blown up in the news are the result of impossible decisions made with no room for error.

4. I understand more than I thought I would when I saw the title of the article, but fewer than makes me comfortable, which I guess is the point of the article.  I think you decorate well.

5. I'm glad things like this are appearing (I think of Steve Harvey's book/movie as well) because they can foster empathy, which is what you need for healthy relationships, but I wish they were less cynical.

R2R:

2. I continue to insist that the Kardashians can be that dumb.  Once you get the ball rolling, all you need to do is hire a competent team of handlers to keep the ball rolling.  If you want to tell me that they're smart because they didn't hire an incompetent team, fine.

5. Actually, one of the issues with pi that makes its study more than just a third-grade exercise is that you cannot calculate it with basic long division.  You can't come up with two (relatively) straightforward numbers to put into the problem and solve.  (And I only bore you with this math stuff because it's Pi Day.)

B