Reply to Lemony Snicket on Occupy Wall Street

Because stuff like this needs to be answered:

1. If you work hard and don't become as successful as you'd like, it's not necessarily because someone else screwed you over.

2. Some words have many meanings. If you forget that, you might mix things up and make mistakes. "Fortune" actually has nine definitions according to Merriam-Webster, and that's not even counting usage as a verb. So yeah, not two.

3. Protesters are like children -- loud and with little sense of personal responsibility. When they cry, you can give them what they want, but then they'll never learn.

4. People who say hard work doesn't matter are like people who say American beer isn't good -- they probably haven't tried very much and are locked into some preconceived notions.

5. If someone doesn't give you a piece of their cake, it may be because they don't know you, they baked it themselves with an oven and ingredients they bought, and they'd rather share it with their friends and family. If you want a cake, no one is stopping you from buying an oven and some ingredients and making one yourself. You might even learn to make ovens, sell them, and use the money to buy ingredients. Or cake.

6. Nobody wants to fall into a safety net. Most of them would much rather be very successful without working hard. But that doesn't happen very often. And if the safety net is comfortable enough, some people will decide it's nicer to stay there than do a lot of work that isn't very fun.

7. Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. They're really irritable and not thinking as well as they would otherwise. On the other hand, someone feeling thirsty will usually just get themselves a drink instead of insisting you get one for them.

8. Don't just ask yourself is something is fair. Give it some real thought. Lots of people in the street may say it isn't fair, but that doesn't mean they're right.

9. People gathering in the streets feeling wronged tend to be loud, because as it is a lot easier and more fun than being productive.

10. There are many people who find shouting in the streets about injustice to be more fun than coming up with answers, and they think other people should come up with answers for them. It's possible that this approach to life might be part of why they aren't successful.

11. Historically, a story about people standing in streets shouting and demanding things of people inside impressive buildings often turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending for everyone -- the people in the buildings and the people doing the shouting. (See France under the Reign of Terror, Russia under Communism, China under Mao, etc.) Stories with happy endings generally involve a lot less shouting and demanding, more taking responsibility for oneself.

12. If you form a large crowd and shout outside someone's building, you might be able to intimidate them into giving you things.

13. 1 percent is a very small percentage. 28 percent is much larger. That is the share of total federal taxes paid by the top 1 percent of income earners. Of course, 99 percent is bigger still, and if 99 percent decide they want even more from the 1 percent, it's probably going to happen, whether it's right or wrong.

If you only take away one metaphor about Greece and Germany....

This is a perfect example of why I love to read Megan McArdle -- good insight, great turn of phrase. (Her 'libertarian-ish but not a purist about it' perspective doesn't hurt.)

If EU economic policy were a soap opera--and apparently, it is--Greece would be the sultry, irresponsible beauty in a tumultuous love-hate relationship with rigid, authoritarian Germany.  Obviously after years of tumultuous breakups and teary reunions, this is the season finale where he finally beats the hell out of her during a screaming fight over thier impending bankruptcy, and in despair, she drives both of them, and his prize Volkswagen, off a cliff.

The whole thing is good... of course.

Hamburg -- Worse and better than I expected

Considering how prominently the Reeperbahn features in Hamburg's international reputation, I found it really disappointing. Sure, there's lots of bars, but they're nothing particularly special. And, at the risk of sounding like a Puritan, constantly being accosted by prostitutes who won't take 'No' for an answer just gets annoying. (To be clear, they did eventually take 'No' for an answer!) I expected it to be seedy, but I still figured it would work... somehow.

On the positive side, there were a lot of locals out (i.e. not just English stag parties), and they were really friendly. Also, there was one really impressive street band out, a full four-piece paying sort of Evanescence-lite-type music. That may or may not be your style, but the skill was definitely there. But at the end of the night, I was ready to declare Hamburg a shithole and move on.

Well, the next day turned my opinion around, maybe not 180 degrees but probably a good 135. In the light of day and away from the Reeperbahn, Hamburg turns out to be a perfectly charming city. We had some great weather, and there were endless outdoor cafes for us to take advantage of it. The old part of the harbor offered great brick warehouses and beautiful old bridges. The spectacular Gothic revival spire of St Nikolai is all that remains after the bombing of the city during the War, and it was left that way as a memorial. It was the tallest building in the world 1874-6 and still towers over everything. There's lots more great architecture, both older and modern buildings. We got a great view of the city from a boat tour through the canals and the harbor and finished off the night on the geographically inaccurate but very fun notes of a Bavarian dinner (Hofbrauhaus) and a few drinks in an Irish Pub (Finnegan's Wake).

So, in the end, would I recommend a visit to Hamburg? Ummm, no. I never saw anything to really make it a 'destination' city. Berlin, for example, has far more to see and (I thought) a better night life. But if someday I were to be sent there for work, I wouldn't consider it a bad thing. And next time I meet someone from Hamburg, I'll be able to honestly say, "I was there for a weekend once. Really nice city."

Keynes v Hayek -- The Second Round

The first was one of the most awesome things ever. The tradition continues.

Fight of the Century « Modeled Behavior

Thoughts on the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America

Today is the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America. I wouldn't have had any idea if I hadn't stumbled across this piece by Dave Banks from Wired. Scouting was a big part of my life growing up, and I agree with a lot of the positives he talks about. He also talks about the decline in membership, some of the controversies, and asks whether Scouting is still "relevant." In the end, he concludes that it is. He makes a pretty good case, and I'm glad to hear it. The controversies he talks about, however, are real -- the positions of the BSA on religion and gays.

Scouting and religion
The Scouts is a religious organisation. There has been some high-profile controversy about atheists suing them. I was with a troop that met at a local public school in part because my parents preferred it over any of the options that met at churches or private religious schools. There were a lot of actively religious people in the troop, but it never actually seemed to impact the activities. Banks says

While the Scouting organization doesn’t define who God is and defers explanation of the relationship between boys and their deity to their families and religious leaders, it doesn’t allow much wiggle room for those who do not believe in one of the major religions or minor offshoots. So if you are a believer in Ja, Ra, Zeus, Quetzalcoatal, the flying spaghetti monster or a firm believer in using your Sunday morning for doing nothing more than sleeping in, the Boy Scouts do not have a place for you.

That, however, wasn't my experience at all. I never mad any secret about my lack of religiousness. No one particularly cared. I also didn't make an asshole of myself, bringing in the ACLU to sue for my right to say the Scout Oath without the word "God."

I actually did make a small issue of it once, my Eagle Scout Board of Review. To earn each rank, you have to pass a Board, who make sure you have fulfilled the requirements and you're developing your skills in the right way. At the junior ranks, you're reviewed by senior Scouts. At the senior ranks, you're reviewed by adults from the troop. But for Eagle, you're reviewed for the first time by people you don't know, adults selected by the Council.

As I was getting ready for my Board, my parents suggested I be careful not to make an issue of religion, and I didn't plan to. But in the Board, they asked me which part of the Scout Law I had the most trouble with. I paused, gave it some thought, and said "I suppose 'Reverent.'" They seemed surprised. (It seems it was a standard question. A friend of mine, who was headed to the Army shortly after his Eagle Board, told them his biggest problem was 'Obedient.' That was good for a laugh, and they all moved on.) I explained that I hadn't been brought up religious and that I didn't feel it but I understood that other people did. "Don't you ever think about where the world all comes from?" Well, yes. But I think there are scientific answers, even if we don't have them all yet. "Don't you ever think about a higher meaning in life?" Yes, and I'm not really sure what the answer is, but I've never felt I'd find it in religion. "When you're hiking in the Sierra's and you see the beauty and majesty of nature, do you not feel the sense of God?" No. I think it's amazing, and it does fill me with awe, but not a sense of the supernatural. It went on like this for a while, but in the end, they decided that I was "reverent toward God," in keeping with the Scout Law, even if I didn't actually believe.

At the time, I was just glad it worked out. Looking back, I think they got it exactly right. Even more, I really appreciate the fact that they did. I hope the whole Scouting movement can see things the same way.

Scouting and homosexuality
I don't have any personal stories about Scouting and gays. I think that, at the time, I would have been pretty uncomfortable with a gay Scout leader or fellow Scout. But now, I'd like to see Scouting open up. I have gay friends, some of whom are parents. If their kids wanted to get into Scouting, I'd like to see them welcome. And if my (hypothetical) kids were in their troop, I'd be happy for them to act as troop leaders.

The Scouts have argued that homosexuality contradicts the Scout Oath's obligation to be "morally straight," but I would argue that begs the question. It should be less of a stretch for them to decide there is nothing immoral about homosexuality than it was to decide that I was reverent. I'm far from a moral relativist, but there's nothing in the Oath or Law that rules this out.

The bigger question, of course, is the reaction of the many parents and Scouts who may not have gay friends or may not have become accepting of homosexuality. According to Banks, the LDS Church (which is a hugely disproportionate supporter of Scouting) has threatened to leave if they are forced to accept gay scoutmasters. I imagine they wouldn't be the only ones. I wouldn't want to see Scouting forced into anything, but, as I said earlier, I'd like to see them decide on their own to accept gay Scouts and leaders.


Neither of these changes will be easy for the organisation, and they may not be popular, but according to the Scout Law, A Scout is Brave.