Steve Kelman on Politics, Culture, and Life, 11.3.2021
Steve Kelman, Harvard Kennedy School prof, moderate Dem, pro free speech/anti cancel culture, pro tax rich, pro-Israel. Research improving gov performance, China interest. Blog reprints Facebook posts
Election trick in Virginia by Lincoln Project
The Lincoln Project, an organization of anti-Trump Republicans I admire (and have donated to) hired some actors to pretend to be racist supporters of Republican Virginia governor candidate Glen Yongkin. This kind of trick is very disappointing and unworthy of them. We should all distance ourselves from things such as this.
Shanghai Disneyland and covid
Shanghai Disneyland has been temporarily shut down after one person tested positive for covid.
Times columnist Charles Blow self-critical of own social media use
Charles Blow has a very thoughtful open in The Times today where he is self critical of his own social media use. He pretty much avoids the standard worries about disinformation and hatred, but says he used social media too much, and spent too much time worrying about metrics of engagement for his social media post, timing posts for optimization, and reviewing analytics to figure out which posts resonated. He is now posting less on social media.
Hong Kong puppet chief executive: Tiananmen commemoration group “subversive”
The puppet Chief Executive of Hong-Kong has removed the now-disbanded organization that set up annual protests in memory of Tiananmen square from the city's list of recognized societies. She said that the group's goal to "end one-party dictatorship in China" was "subversive."
40 year-old management professor dies
A young 40 year old professor at Northwestern who studied management died of glioblastoma, the terrible brain cancer. I had never heard of him before but was touched by this story of his life. As an undergraduate, he had worked in Taiwan helping migrant workers.
18th century French view of America – sounds like today?
The book I am reading on the Federalists notes that in the 18th century French observers of America, none of whom had actually visited the continent, believed "the climate of the new world it was so unfavorable that it worked a kind of massive degeneration upon all forms of animal and human life. ...The colonials were mean and corrupt, they lived shorter lives, their women stopped bearing children earlier, the cattle they imported became in successive generations smaller and smaller." Sounds like French views of America were about the same then as now.
The book also notes that a provision of a treaty between the United States and France during this period provided that French privateers could be admitted to American ports with their prizes. Privateers were government-sanctioned pirates who captured enemy ships. I knew that privateering was used during this period, but it surprised me that the treaty openly talked about allowing the booty from such privateering into American ports.