Ever since the Toronto van attack brought the Incel movement into public awareness, people around me have periodically made statements expressing bafflement at their violence, rationale, and rhetoric. Indeed, their violence, rationale, and rhetoric — or at least the sensational bits pounced upon by the media — are illogical. However, it has occurred to me that…
Category: Philosophy
Bump Stocks
The Justice Department, under the direction of the NRA’s boy, President Donald Trump, has moved to reclassify bump stocks as machine guns. I should begin by saying that I do not own any bump stock, and I have never fired a weapon equipped with one. I think they are a silly toy, and I have…
Armistice Day
Today is Armistice Day, the centennial of the end of the first World War. My thoughts about the violent nature of our species have evidently settled into my gut, because my reaction to events today is one of sadness over our futile waste of life. World War I was particularly dehumanizing, because it was the…
Being Single on Television
As a single guy in the real world, I am surrounded by couples, married and unmarried. Among my friends, I can’t name anyone who doesn’t have a significant other. It’s obviously a factor in why I’m alone. In fiction, it’s never like that. I have long been aware of this problem, the laughable improbability of…
Incel
The last few days have been uncomfortable for me after social media has reacted to the motivation of the perpetrator of the Toronto van attack, who is an incel. The topic is uncomfortable for me because, though I hadn’t previously heard of the incel subculture, I see right away that I identify with some of…
Dougieeeeeeeeee!
The Arnold City Library has removed all of their signs prohibiting firearms. The signs in the parking lot, which had no legal standing, have been replaced with visually similar signs declaring it a tobacco and smoke free campus (after all, there must be signs prohibiting something). Given the conservative, gun-friendly electorate of the city, it…
Is Open Source the Vehicle to Reach the Automated Economy?
I had a brilliant idea in the shower this morning. A couple of them, actually. I was thinking about my idea for a robot lawn mower. Think Roomba for your lawn. I was thinking about how there are several components needed, requiring innovation from several areas of expertise: mechanical, motors, energy storage, computing, sensing, etc….
If Suicide is “Violence”
If you can classify suicide as violence*, then we can classify abortion the same way. (* Two-thirds of “gun deaths” are suicide, and the CDC and all anti-gunners classify suicide as violence.)
Spoiled by Great Presidents
I just saw a headline (and didn’t bother to read the article), “Betsy DeVos is a Stupid, Stupid Person”. Of course the reason we have her is obvious: we have a stupid president who wants to be the smartest person in the room. And the reason we have him is also obvious: we let stupid…
Anti-Trump Politics and Coverage
My social media feeds are obsessed with criticizing every little thing that the president does. It’s certainly a natural reaction, but what purpose is served? What action can be taken? What recourse is there? He has been elected. Convincing your friends that he is a bad choice was a sensible thing to do — back…