Thank you. I have crept up on those approaches but get sucked back into the insanity all too often...at 74 it’s difficult to hope than the world will improve in what’s left of my life. I recall my mother wistfully commenting on her deathbed in 2017 that it was sad to leave in a downward spiral...but these words of advice motivate me to rally again and again and....
The irony that she addresses polarization by suggestions that are clearly meant to change (albeit gently) benighted non-leftists seems to be lost. Her partisanship (and apparent blithe unawareness of it) is the reason for the divisiveness and lost trust. (I cancelled/stopped watching virtually everything in 2015; and now only subscribe to people to my left, so as to avoid confirmation bias. She should try this.)
My Rules, on politics, relationships, investing etc (based on: two engineering degrees BSc MIT 1980, MSc Northwestern 1981; 20 years trading bond options at the Chicago Board of Trade; co-managing small hedge fund for 9 years; managing own capital for 14 yrs):
1) There's a good chance I'm wrong.
2) What are the ramifications of being wrong?
3) Who can I seek out to challenge my assumptions?
4) At some point, if it's not working, I have to just assume I've been wrong, change, and move on.
5) I don't have to have an opinion on everything. (Warren Buffett/Munger put this in the "too hard pile.". ) If you have to have an opinion on everything, you're not a good citizen, you're a partisan.
She, and all pundits, pols and others should memorize and follow these (and likely others I've forgotten. The joys of getting older!)
When I do read "news" or political commentary, I ask "How does that make me feel?". If I feel righteous indignation, sophisticated, urbane, smarter-than-thou, etc, then I know I have read confirmation bias. Delete. Avoid.
If I read something that I don't like (and not for obvious misrepresentations of things I'm fairly confident I'm knowledgeable of), then it's probably something I should reread because it's subconsciously challenging my assumptions and therefore may have something to teach me.
Avoid anyone, personally or in the media, who spouts talking points, or poor sophistry versions of talking points. They have nothing to teach me. I've heard it already, and probably done better.
I strongly recommend serious people read Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking Fast and Slow". It explained everything I've seen in markets for 43 yrs (and in the past many years Market's Evil Twin, Politics.). I'd recommend Cialdini's "Persuasion" and "Presuasion", so you can see how you are manipulated. The key to being successful in financial markets is psychology: Others' (manias etc), but more importantly, your own. And this applies to everything in life. And it all starts with humility. "I know there's a good chance I'm wrong; so let's approach things with that in mind.".
The author and the media as a whole start from the assumption that they are somehow especially enlightened. And if only the hoi polloi could be reached, "solutions" (amazing how embedded in that is a certainty that "we, the enlightened" have the "answer".) could be implemented and "problems solved.".
The key to getting along is humility. Maybe that crotchety old Uncle is sometimes right. What if he is?
Me? I LOVE being proved wrong. I'm smarter the moment thereafter than I was before. And grateful for it. The substacks/podcasts I follow frequently give me that wonderful endorphin rush. Siloing only makes you angry, miserable.....and counterproductive.
A great perspective builder, Tara. However, I'm trapped by my impotence (the non-physical kind. :-). I rail at my inability to "DO SOMETHING" about the things that really matter.
To his point about letting go. I crewed on a Tall Ship on the E Coast for a couple years. Met a wonderful older man. A true classical liberal Democrat. We corresponded during the off-season and he was deeply depressed when Trump won. He has since passed away, but I've saved the email I sent him. We should all try this.
Happy New Year
***************
Him:
And nice to talk to actual adults that you knew as kids. All 3 girls grew up well
Me:
That is indeed true and deeply satisfying. Something about seeing my two oldest married (and married to terrific people) just makes you step back and go "Wow.". And, my youngest (girl) is solid, so while I suspect she won't get married for quite a while, if ever, I'm not real worried about her. I look fwd to grandkids at some point. Then I won't feel so bad about the old man I see the pix of myself!
One thing this election made me realize is that I live in one of the pockets of deep deep blue, and that most of the country does not. That my area is an incredibly deep and narrow echo chamber. That the only competing voices are those becoming ever-shriller in order to stand out and advance. That reason, or common sense (or common decency to those who disagree) is nearly-vanished. Instead what we have is evermore anger, shrillness and demonization. (Remember, the first thing one does in a war is dehumanize the enemy...."The Hun"..."The Jap"....kinda hard to kill someone who you see as some mother's son....and that's how I feel as a non-Dem in a deep-blue zone...why this is unseen and does not give pause to so many of my nice liberal friends is intellectually interesting yet also scary to this libertarian boy....history and all that....).
What I see with my liberal neighbors, because of this non-stop cacophony of bitterness and "those evil people are winning" is a form of PTSD, or battle fatigue or whatever. People are constantly on war footing mentally. They are on alert 24/7 for the latest attack from "them". This can only go on so long without deep psychic costs and damage.
But, it sells. So the media will provide it. And I mean left and right, but IMHO the left dominates and lefties consume more "news". In reality tho, it's not news; people are just getting their indignation fix; moral superiority fix; feeling part of a tribe fix; NPR-makes-me-feel-erudite fix; whatever. Again, lefties and righties.
So, my advice to people when I hear them get weary and down, as I hear with you, is "turn it off". Walk. It's hard. It's part of our routine. We feel part of something bigger reading/seeing/listening to a certain flavor of product,er, news. Go home from the front for a while. The war will still rage without you. You weren't "making a difference" by reading the NYT or listening to NPR. Or Rush Limbaugh. You won't be any less informed. You won't be any less a good citizen. But, you'll be happier. You'll see the world differently. You'll come to value other things again. Maybe see other sides of your neighbor who is not part of your tribe, and realize you can build a relationship with him based on those things.
I know of which I speak. Living in deep blue land, I thought for sure Hillary was gonna win. So, 9 mos ago, I stopped watching Brett Baier's show (they HATED Trump...); I cancelled the weekday WSJ (they hated Trump). And.....I missed it all immensely at first.....and then I didn't. And, I'm happier. I'm still immensely well-informed. Better than 99.9% of people, esp reporters. The only thing I cannot tell you is the latest "outrage" (by Trump or Obama or Hillary or a Kardashian...)....and that's a wonderful thing because in a week that "outrage" will be forgotten and replaced by the next one. (Gotta sell that airtime ya know). Except, in the interim, I wasn't outraged. I wasn't enraged, or threatened or scared. Or hating on 'the other'. I enjoyed the week between outrages. And missed nothing.
My Ex brother in law is so angry (he's conservative) that he's alienating his wife (who agrees with him.). My liberal Jewish female atty friend truly thinks Trump is gonna bring back the ovens. What the F*ck are we doing to ourselves?? Let's all just walk away for a while, shall we?
To paraphrase that old '60's witticism, "What if the media threw a culture war and no one came?" : )
Merry Christmas to you and yours. For a commie, you're OK..... ; )
Perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of ideological capture is 'pre-hate', the 'first strike' mentality. See if your adopted philosophy includes a list of those that you are required to hate in order to be a member of the tribe. We can all spot 'hate speech' and do not let it affect us. That is why we should not ban 'hate speech'; it helps you spot those you want to avoid, and protects you from becoming one of them. But there are those who do not just hate 'hate speech', they hate speech itself. For them, Censorship, the prevention of the perception of reality, is the only way to prevent Sensorship, the enhancement of the perception of reality. I am old enough to remember Timothy Leary and his promotion of LSD with the phrase "Tune in, Turn on, Drop out". Today, I am leery of all media, and need to "Tune Out, Turn Off, and Drop In", especially with neighbours. I respectfully suggest trying to reconnect with people. It only takes a little courage to cure rage. Remember, our planet is a sphere; it has no sides, only frozen lifeless poles. Time to come in from the cold.
People think it is the worst of times yet look at the 1970s and 1980s. During this time period groups from left to right (such as the Weather Underground, white nationalists and the Squamish Five in Canada) were bombing places and robbing banks. During the 1970s airplane hijackings were common thing for a while in the USA. We saw the rise of austerity and neoliberalism with Reagan and Thatcher. Far more civil conflicts and wars worldwide during the Cold War than now.
Yes, we have problems such as the cost of living crisis in Canada, especially concerning housing. Institutions and political parties seem unresponsive to citizens. And Hollywood sucks..ha..ha.
We have far more in common than what the media and social media tell us. Do not get suckered into the current thing whether it be the villain of the week or the hysteria churn (Covid, Israel-Palestine, Trump, etc.). Slowly I am seeing more friends from left to right go back to sanity.
Thank you. I have crept up on those approaches but get sucked back into the insanity all too often...at 74 it’s difficult to hope than the world will improve in what’s left of my life. I recall my mother wistfully commenting on her deathbed in 2017 that it was sad to leave in a downward spiral...but these words of advice motivate me to rally again and again and....
Ouch.
Watched linked podcast: Ouch
The irony that she addresses polarization by suggestions that are clearly meant to change (albeit gently) benighted non-leftists seems to be lost. Her partisanship (and apparent blithe unawareness of it) is the reason for the divisiveness and lost trust. (I cancelled/stopped watching virtually everything in 2015; and now only subscribe to people to my left, so as to avoid confirmation bias. She should try this.)
My Rules, on politics, relationships, investing etc (based on: two engineering degrees BSc MIT 1980, MSc Northwestern 1981; 20 years trading bond options at the Chicago Board of Trade; co-managing small hedge fund for 9 years; managing own capital for 14 yrs):
1) There's a good chance I'm wrong.
2) What are the ramifications of being wrong?
3) Who can I seek out to challenge my assumptions?
4) At some point, if it's not working, I have to just assume I've been wrong, change, and move on.
5) I don't have to have an opinion on everything. (Warren Buffett/Munger put this in the "too hard pile.". ) If you have to have an opinion on everything, you're not a good citizen, you're a partisan.
She, and all pundits, pols and others should memorize and follow these (and likely others I've forgotten. The joys of getting older!)
When I do read "news" or political commentary, I ask "How does that make me feel?". If I feel righteous indignation, sophisticated, urbane, smarter-than-thou, etc, then I know I have read confirmation bias. Delete. Avoid.
If I read something that I don't like (and not for obvious misrepresentations of things I'm fairly confident I'm knowledgeable of), then it's probably something I should reread because it's subconsciously challenging my assumptions and therefore may have something to teach me.
Avoid anyone, personally or in the media, who spouts talking points, or poor sophistry versions of talking points. They have nothing to teach me. I've heard it already, and probably done better.
I strongly recommend serious people read Daniel Kahneman's book "Thinking Fast and Slow". It explained everything I've seen in markets for 43 yrs (and in the past many years Market's Evil Twin, Politics.). I'd recommend Cialdini's "Persuasion" and "Presuasion", so you can see how you are manipulated. The key to being successful in financial markets is psychology: Others' (manias etc), but more importantly, your own. And this applies to everything in life. And it all starts with humility. "I know there's a good chance I'm wrong; so let's approach things with that in mind.".
The author and the media as a whole start from the assumption that they are somehow especially enlightened. And if only the hoi polloi could be reached, "solutions" (amazing how embedded in that is a certainty that "we, the enlightened" have the "answer".) could be implemented and "problems solved.".
The key to getting along is humility. Maybe that crotchety old Uncle is sometimes right. What if he is?
Me? I LOVE being proved wrong. I'm smarter the moment thereafter than I was before. And grateful for it. The substacks/podcasts I follow frequently give me that wonderful endorphin rush. Siloing only makes you angry, miserable.....and counterproductive.
All JMHO. And, I could be wrong........ : )
A great perspective builder, Tara. However, I'm trapped by my impotence (the non-physical kind. :-). I rail at my inability to "DO SOMETHING" about the things that really matter.
To his point about letting go. I crewed on a Tall Ship on the E Coast for a couple years. Met a wonderful older man. A true classical liberal Democrat. We corresponded during the off-season and he was deeply depressed when Trump won. He has since passed away, but I've saved the email I sent him. We should all try this.
Happy New Year
***************
Him:
And nice to talk to actual adults that you knew as kids. All 3 girls grew up well
Me:
That is indeed true and deeply satisfying. Something about seeing my two oldest married (and married to terrific people) just makes you step back and go "Wow.". And, my youngest (girl) is solid, so while I suspect she won't get married for quite a while, if ever, I'm not real worried about her. I look fwd to grandkids at some point. Then I won't feel so bad about the old man I see the pix of myself!
One thing this election made me realize is that I live in one of the pockets of deep deep blue, and that most of the country does not. That my area is an incredibly deep and narrow echo chamber. That the only competing voices are those becoming ever-shriller in order to stand out and advance. That reason, or common sense (or common decency to those who disagree) is nearly-vanished. Instead what we have is evermore anger, shrillness and demonization. (Remember, the first thing one does in a war is dehumanize the enemy...."The Hun"..."The Jap"....kinda hard to kill someone who you see as some mother's son....and that's how I feel as a non-Dem in a deep-blue zone...why this is unseen and does not give pause to so many of my nice liberal friends is intellectually interesting yet also scary to this libertarian boy....history and all that....).
What I see with my liberal neighbors, because of this non-stop cacophony of bitterness and "those evil people are winning" is a form of PTSD, or battle fatigue or whatever. People are constantly on war footing mentally. They are on alert 24/7 for the latest attack from "them". This can only go on so long without deep psychic costs and damage.
But, it sells. So the media will provide it. And I mean left and right, but IMHO the left dominates and lefties consume more "news". In reality tho, it's not news; people are just getting their indignation fix; moral superiority fix; feeling part of a tribe fix; NPR-makes-me-feel-erudite fix; whatever. Again, lefties and righties.
So, my advice to people when I hear them get weary and down, as I hear with you, is "turn it off". Walk. It's hard. It's part of our routine. We feel part of something bigger reading/seeing/listening to a certain flavor of product,er, news. Go home from the front for a while. The war will still rage without you. You weren't "making a difference" by reading the NYT or listening to NPR. Or Rush Limbaugh. You won't be any less informed. You won't be any less a good citizen. But, you'll be happier. You'll see the world differently. You'll come to value other things again. Maybe see other sides of your neighbor who is not part of your tribe, and realize you can build a relationship with him based on those things.
I know of which I speak. Living in deep blue land, I thought for sure Hillary was gonna win. So, 9 mos ago, I stopped watching Brett Baier's show (they HATED Trump...); I cancelled the weekday WSJ (they hated Trump). And.....I missed it all immensely at first.....and then I didn't. And, I'm happier. I'm still immensely well-informed. Better than 99.9% of people, esp reporters. The only thing I cannot tell you is the latest "outrage" (by Trump or Obama or Hillary or a Kardashian...)....and that's a wonderful thing because in a week that "outrage" will be forgotten and replaced by the next one. (Gotta sell that airtime ya know). Except, in the interim, I wasn't outraged. I wasn't enraged, or threatened or scared. Or hating on 'the other'. I enjoyed the week between outrages. And missed nothing.
My Ex brother in law is so angry (he's conservative) that he's alienating his wife (who agrees with him.). My liberal Jewish female atty friend truly thinks Trump is gonna bring back the ovens. What the F*ck are we doing to ourselves?? Let's all just walk away for a while, shall we?
To paraphrase that old '60's witticism, "What if the media threw a culture war and no one came?" : )
Merry Christmas to you and yours. For a commie, you're OK..... ; )
Perhaps the most identifiable characteristic of ideological capture is 'pre-hate', the 'first strike' mentality. See if your adopted philosophy includes a list of those that you are required to hate in order to be a member of the tribe. We can all spot 'hate speech' and do not let it affect us. That is why we should not ban 'hate speech'; it helps you spot those you want to avoid, and protects you from becoming one of them. But there are those who do not just hate 'hate speech', they hate speech itself. For them, Censorship, the prevention of the perception of reality, is the only way to prevent Sensorship, the enhancement of the perception of reality. I am old enough to remember Timothy Leary and his promotion of LSD with the phrase "Tune in, Turn on, Drop out". Today, I am leery of all media, and need to "Tune Out, Turn Off, and Drop In", especially with neighbours. I respectfully suggest trying to reconnect with people. It only takes a little courage to cure rage. Remember, our planet is a sphere; it has no sides, only frozen lifeless poles. Time to come in from the cold.
This sounds to me like a recommendation to disengage -- something a therapist told me once in order to live with my difficult husband.
Presentism.
People think it is the worst of times yet look at the 1970s and 1980s. During this time period groups from left to right (such as the Weather Underground, white nationalists and the Squamish Five in Canada) were bombing places and robbing banks. During the 1970s airplane hijackings were common thing for a while in the USA. We saw the rise of austerity and neoliberalism with Reagan and Thatcher. Far more civil conflicts and wars worldwide during the Cold War than now.
Yes, we have problems such as the cost of living crisis in Canada, especially concerning housing. Institutions and political parties seem unresponsive to citizens. And Hollywood sucks..ha..ha.
We have far more in common than what the media and social media tell us. Do not get suckered into the current thing whether it be the villain of the week or the hysteria churn (Covid, Israel-Palestine, Trump, etc.). Slowly I am seeing more friends from left to right go back to sanity.
Happy 2024 everyone.