passing thoughts --
Thanksgiving
I’ve always found Thanksgiving an awkward thing to really think about, given the false narrative beat into our American brains since childhood. However, recently reading Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen (a great book for ignorant schmucks like me) made me think of something genuine to celebrate....
We are but superstitious pigeons
I don’t remember which podcast I heard about this from, but ‘Superstition’ in the Pigeon by B.F. Skinner is apparently a psychology classic. In short, pigeons were given food by a “hopper” mechanism at regular intervals (say, fifteen seconds). The pigeons, however, became superstitious: Whatever they happened to be doing...
Cynicism
I hate when someone responds to a Bad Thing with “I’m not surprised.” You know what? You don’t have to be surprised to care! Get out of here with that cynical BS! Cynicism is the enemy of justice! Things might not get better, but if we give up they definitely...