From this week’s news on: society generally, and broader issues [Note: Content Warning - links to reports on violence. Reader discretion is advised]

Note: CONTENT WARNING - some of this content is about upsetting, disturbing or triggering events & attitudes. Seek competent help - including professional - if you need it. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that linked articles may contains names and/or images of deceased people. READER CAUTION IS RECOMMENDED! For anyone distressed by anything in this post, or for any other reason considering seeking support, resources are available in Australia here, here, and here. In other nations, you will have to do an Internet search using terms such as “mental health support - <your nation>” (which, for instance, may lead to this, this, and this, in the USA, or this, this, and this, in France [biased towards English-language - my apologies]), or perhaps try https://www.befrienders.org/. 

Note: in my “from the news” posts, quotes are shown italicised and blue, my comments are in a different shade of blue, and “good” items are shown in green. I have loosely grouped the posts where such seemed reasonable, but that is subjective (i.e., my opinion - others are free to disagree), and challenging, as some posts belong in multiple “groups”.

From this week’s news on society generally, and broader issues (note: I may continue to add links for a few days, possibly up to a week, after these are published):

• “We're in a Behavioural Sink. It's Why Everyone Acts So Mean All The Time”   https://www.okdoomer.io/were-in-a-behavioral-sink-it-explains-a-lot/  
  

• “Alan Kohler: Digital money means government must run digital infrastructure”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/opinion/2023/11/23/alan-kohler-digital-money   “The failure of the Optus network reminded us that the digital infrastructure is the most important of all, yet it is in the hands of private companies, some foreign-owned, that may or may not know what they’re doing and/or have the nation’s best interests at heart.   Meanwhile, the infrastructure section of the government is building and paying for roads and ignoring digital networks, even as they collapse, while the government bank is driving us on the road towards a fully digital currency.”   

• an updated version of this:   “You're Not a Fearmonger. You Have Sentinel Intelligence”   https://www.okdoomer.io/youre-not-a-fearmonger-you-have-sentinel-intelligence/  

• “A Warning from 1994 of a Two-Tiered Society | Robert Reich”   https://youtu.be/Bnd0eSuxu84?si=6iPhQTtJENs5GdRD   and   “The data is in: a generational shift of wealth is under way in Australia”   https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2023/nov/25/generational-wealth-gap-study-monash-old-to-young-debt-repayments-savings-rates  
  

“How Do Civilians Respond to Political Violence? | Lawfare”   https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/how-do-civilians-respond-to-political-violence  

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

If you appreciated this post, please consider promoting it - there are some links below.

Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk.