Interests:I like long walks on the beach, under a romantic sunset with the cool winds bringing the gentle waves to a roll making that crisp, beautiful sound. I also like puppies and chocolate and cookies and gemini is my sign. I'm a crazy and wild guy who just looking for fun!!! Expertise: Occupation:Executive Industry:Nonprofit
Sometimes I wonder if machines have fucked up our view of the world. We in America are so used to having gadgets and machines do things for us that when they don't work, we get mad, all the while forgetting how lucky we are to be having this wonderful device.
As a result, we develop this unrealistic sense of entitlement. We start thinking everyone should act a certain way, and if they don't conform to our standards they are clearly in the wrong.
The worst is how we expect people to work like machine parts. We've developed a huge bureaucratic machine, and when someone doesn't work, immediately we look for a scapegoat to blame, as if that ONE person was the gear that was out of place.
But people don't work that way. I used to blame world problems on Bush and Cheney. I used to blame bank CEOs for the economy problems. But it's more complicated than that. Society isn't just a device that has a few screws loose. Society is organic, and organisms grow and change. I am a different person than I was five years ago. Hell, I'm different than I was before dinner. I was hungry and cranky before dinner. Now I'm full and happy, and maybe a little tired.
The world is ever changing. New needs arise, and new ideas are needed to meet those needs. I don't understand why we as a society try to renew old ideas.
Obama is trying to push for performance-based pay for teachers. The federal government has enticed states with educational funding if and only if they conform to those standards. California is willing to legislate performance-based pay for teachers in order to get that money.
Education needs help. But this is not the solution. Now all the teachers will scramble for the best schools, and low performers will become liabilities. Who will want to teach them?
The more I study education, the more I see politics dip it's head into it. And it's ugly. Politics is a butterface. And it's got shit for brains.
Maybe instead of going from top-down, that is, from policy to classroom, maybe it can go from bottom up, that is, ideas from educators influence policy. Because when you make enemies with the teachers, nobody wins. I don't know wtf Obama is doing. I thought he was smarter than that.
America is obsessed with efficiency. Since we believe wholeheartedly in capitalism, I suppose that is natural, but what is unnatural is our wholehearted belief in capitalism.
Most economic theory seems to dwell in the realm of philosophy. They consist of hypothetical models that are as applicable to real life as hypothetical physics models are. Yet, people tend to argue policy based on economic theory.
One problem is that we are not robots. If only we were, we could remove all those pesky humanly problems like emotions, fears, and "instincts" that simply get in the way.
The biggest fallacy of econ is that it doesn't taken into account human fallacy itself. For economists, fast food is the epitome of efficiency. However, if you factor in the fact that fast food leads to overeating, and overeating leads to fat people and fat people tend to be less productive, well, is fast food still good for the economy?
Psychological studies have been done that show humans tend to be less productive when they are promised a larger reward for performing cognitive tasks. Watch this speech to see what I mean. Dan Pink on Motivation
After health care blows over, I can tell Education is the next thing to be reformed. However, I'm scared. Reform usually leads to more standardized testing, and more accountability. While accountability might be efficient inside a factory, it is incredibly detrimental in the classroom. How much do we remember after taking a high-stakes test? Does anyone truly remember all of their SAT words?
Obama supports performance based pay for teachers. This has got to be the WORST idea since BUSH'S No Child Left Behind. While the thought is good, the implementation is destructive. Teachers will scramble for schools with the best students and the worst teachers will be left for the worst schools. Not only that, but if you saw the Dan Pink video, this kind of extrinsic motivator detracts from our other humanly good qualities such as the desire to help our community. Instead, the teacher's ass is on the line, and therefore the kids become a liability. Is that a good classroom environment? We don't need such drastic measures to improve education. We need to properly diagnose the problems first, then come up with solutions, not just jump to conclusions.
And this is why I fear for a health care bill that is too much too fast. We need to change health care little by little, lest we fall into the trap of our own human oversight.
I'm starting to really think the American majority is stupid. I can't help but think about the people who brought AR-15s to the town hall meetings, to protest health care? And there are those people who accuse Obama of being a socialist and then compare him to Nazis? What? A Black Nazi? There is so much misused rhetoric flying everywhere these days just because America is trying to get health care to everyone. Opponents argue private insurance can't compete with government health care while also claiming that government run programs tend to suck, like the DMV and USPS. Well, which is it? It can't be both.
Obama isn't exactly smooth either. He's made claims that surgeons get $30k for every amputation they perform. Really? Who the hell is feeding him this misinformation? And then, when someone tells him public insurance will undermine private insurance here's what he said:
I guess we have our answer. Government programs suck?
Does anyone else have problems saying goodbye? I don't mean in the morbid sense. I mean a simple goodbye. Like saying bye to friends after hanging out. Especially hard are the goodbyes just before you wont see someone for a long time. I never knew how to do those. I always end up saying something cheesy like "smell you later" or "take it easy." And then I follow it up with a mundane gesture like a handshake or hug, but not a good hug, just one of those awkward .002 second hugs. Maybe I'm scared to let the emotion of goodbye get to me and I use bad comedy and standoffishness as a crutch. Either way, I really suck at this.
