I almost let the heat stop me but I went out for my walk yesterday. I left late, close to 7 PM. There are two advantages to that, one it’s cooler, two there is little risk of sunburn. Only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noonday sun. I went on the Bronx Forest Trail. This time I went to the end. I had to use my phone to figure out exactly where I was when I came out. It was not quite what I expected, it was closer to home. My route was roughly circular.
When I came home from my walk I smelled smoke as soon as walked up to my floor. I complained to the aether. Then I looked around and saw my neighbor puffing away on a cigarette. She heard me complain and gave me a look. She did not stop smoking.
I am disappointed that I recorded only one piece for Gord’s Gold on Folk Music Notebook. I profiled Oliver Esposito. I am as excited about Ollie as anyone. I expect that comes out in my profile. The bad part is that I didn’t finish it till after midnight last night. I had to do it before today so I could report that I did to my therapist. My therapy week starts on Friday.
It might surprise you but I didn’t watch the debate last night. I might watch later ones but not when the format doesn’t give time for any depth. One of the problems with democracy is people are overconfident in their ability to judge the character and abilities of others. I’m confident that I won’t be able to do that from watching a candidate talk for five minutes. I’d much rather glean my knowledge more slowly and carefully through reading. I’m not trying to pick the best actor but the best president.
People are even more overconfident in their ability to judge how other people will react to the candidate. You can say “I was inspired” with confidence. When you attribute that feeling to others you are projecting. The same goes with likability. These unsubstantiated opinions become vehicles for unconscious prejudices. People, including women, are far more likely to think men show leadership than women. People perceive women as talking more than they do. When people say things like “I just don’t like her voice,” or “I think he looks untrustworthy,” all they are doing is expressing their prejudices. Fight your prejudices, don’t give in to them.
It hurts my brain but reading the Facebook posts of others gives me a window into how others think. It’s sometimes scary but it’s better that I know. I have one friend that tries to incite hatred towards democrats and liberals just about every day. I try to not engage as I’m not going to change his mind. All I’ll do is give his posts more attention and the FB algorithms will lead to more people reading his hate.
I’m trying to get myself to treat my progressive friends that abandon reason for their prejudices the same way. Instead of arguing directly I post in other places, such as here, that they can’t know what they think they know. They aren’t bad people. They aren’t stupid. It’s difficult to overcome your gut feelings and to accept things that go against your grain. I applaud Nick Kristof for doing exactly that and writing about it in the Times, Why I Was Wrong About Elizabeth Warren. There’s a reason Kristof is a personal hero.
Wise Madness 