• 2 Posts
  • 191 Comments
Joined 1 year ago
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Cake day: July 6th, 2023

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  • I can’t prove that you’re wrong, but my impression is that (1) many immigrants go by American nicknames simply because they’re tired of explaining how to pronounce their name and (2) Republicans appear to start out more distrustful of outsiders (although some of that may simply be due to a greater willingness to express politically incorrect opinions) but they can grow to trust and support individuals - they do “have black friends,” so to speak.

    IMO Vivek’s ethnic background is a disadvantage but not a disqualifier. I guess we’ll see how he does in the primaries. (I wouldn’t bet on him, mostly because I would bet on Trump.)







  • In principle, where should the line be drawn between local and state control in matters like this? On the one hand, I think notification policies are mean-spirited and likely to do real harm. On the other hand, they have the support of the majority in these school districts. If we say that the state ought to override local policy in cases like this, what will we say in cases where a conservative state government is seeking to impose its will on progressive communities (sanctuary cities in states that are cracking down on illegal immigrants, municipalities refusing to enforce drug laws, etc.)?

    (The answer is probably “neither side has a principled stance regarding the balance of power between state and local governments so we might as well do everything we can to support specific policies we agree with rather than abstract principles” but IMO it would be nice if there were commonly-accepted principles about this sort of thing.)



  • It’s funny how different people’s experiences can be. I grew up in a big city and didn’t learn to drive until my mid 20’s when I was living somewhere a lot less crowded. Then driving allowed me to experience a feeling of physical power and freedom which I had never felt before. (I think other people might get such a feeling from running or otherwise physically exerting themselves, but I never did.) Now I’m back in a big city and so I can’t actually drive to most places (there would be nowhere to park) but I still own a car - not having a car would feel like having my metaphorical wings clipped.