Depends on which "kids" we're talking about. For instance, what if we're talking about, or to, "rich kids?"
If you're so smart,
why are you rich?
If you're a young potentate, and you're thinking one day, you'll emulate Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and give away most of your wealth, it's more than beginning to look like, if you wait as long as they have, you're not going to have the opportunity to give away your wealth; it's more than beginning to look like, if you wait as long as they have, there won't be much worthwhile left to give away your weath to, or for.
Need "holiday gift suggestions?" Here's two:
1) Give money to defend what democracy we have left, and to strengthen democracy. Give money to people explaining what democracy is, and why we all need democracy, even, if not especially, if we don't think democracy is worthwhile, or we can take democracy for granted. Give money to people who are actually working to get out the vote for democracy, everywhere, from everyone.
2.) There is no democracy without education. While you're promoting democracy, give money to people who are working to provide children with a real opportunity to achieve functional literacy, functional numeracy, effective critical reasoning, and social and emotional intelligence. Don't worry about promoting ideologies; grow the proportion of people who can think, to at least past a proportional tipping point, which gets us to saving our planet, and perhaps our species. Otherwise:
Happy Sixth Great Extinction, Everyone!
There is no democracy without education;
there is no education without democracy;
without education and democracy, there is no future. Not a future I'm interested in being a part of, or that I'm interested in working to provide to our descendants.
You need something worthwhile to do with your money? With your time and effort? Support democracy and education. Don't be distracted by "issues" and phony trumped-up antagonisms. If we create a truly democratically and educationally empowered electorate, they, in aggregate, can figure out what needs to be done. And they'll have the power to get an authentically representative government to effect the policies and fund the programs we need to be enacted.
We have all the resources we need to do these things, now. What we seem to lack is enough imagination and will. Those of us who seem to have some creativity and access to tools, are apparently more focused on solving "difficult" problems that will make them rich and famous. Instead of focusing on solving IMPORTANT problems that might make our planet habitable, and hospitable.
Know who's really good at folding proteins? PROTEINS.
And they've been doing a pretty good (read: incredible) job of it for hundreds of millions of years. Way before we showed up, proteins had it down. Is this an IMPORTANT problem? Or is this a problem for the "healthcare" industry to solve to keep the cash flow pipeline spewing wealth to people whose "breakthroughs" are "solving problems" for a relative handful of people? At inordinate and unsupportable expense?
OOYB, Jim, describing the terrific job the Crimson kids (our descendants) are doing with their national story about the Harvard president. The website is not a magazine so you can't call up today's or yesterday's issue. Like the NYT site, which the Crimson kids have thoroughly whipped at every stage of this story. I'm sure all the pieces you mention are still available at https://www.thecrimson.com/ The plagiarism story has astounding detail and is so fair-minded. I agree with you about the editorial -- just so calm, logical and right. For the first time in five decades, I think they might be better than we were. Gosh.
Bill, many thanks. I agree about the really impressive stories in this breaking-news coverage, and the Crimson's combination of very quick cycle-time in handling these stories, with non-panicked level-headedness about the whole situation.
And, yes, this is a chance for, ummm, "seasoned" figures like you and me to look at what they're doing and say "Kids these days!" in an admiring, amazed way, rather than the usual Debbie Downer tone for those words. What they're doing is great.
I taught math to high school students for 20 years before retiring (yes, it was a second career), and I completely agree about young people. I taught in Florida, Michigan, Vermont, Egypt and Ghana. Kids are the same everywhere - they possess a delightful combination of innocence, ambition, ingenuity and yes, wisdom. What they don't have is that long-established cynicism we get when we turn 30, when we have figured everything out and we know what won't work. Kids don't know what won't work, so they try stuff that we would never try.
And kids/young people also know right from wrong. They haven't been fully brainwashed yet into believing all the nonsense we've convinced ourselves is true or just. They have an innate sense of justice that tends to wither away with age.
Yes, I know I'm making generalities here - every child is different, just like every adult. But overall, I think these generalities hold true. We can learn a great deal from young people - if we're willing to set aside ego and traditions - because quite often, those traditions do more harm than good and need to be abandoned. As for ego, I'll offer a great expression that is often (mistakenly) attributed to Mark Twain, but which remains untraceable: "It ain't what we don't know that gets us into trouble, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so."
Dec 13, 2023·edited Dec 13, 2023Liked by James Fallows
Jim You remind me of the GOOD NEWS WEEKLY, that was published years ago until it closed. Sadly, ‘good news’ these days in not a headline commodity.
Our local newspaper, MONTGOMERY NEWS,has more ‘good news’ than any major paper that I read. The decline in local papers sharply reduces the ‘good news’ quotient. THE WEEK has a short segment weekly on ‘good news.’
Recently we had a celebration of our local Rotary, of which I was a charter member in 1990.
We reviewed all of the good we have provided domestically and globally. There are numerous community organizations that do equally good work.
I am tired of all the ‘bad news.
I’d like to hear more about the good that people are doing around the world.
As I mention below in a reply to Deanna M, Deb and I have begun to see a shift in media / organizational attention. The Progress Network puts out almost daily dispatches, about a very broad range of activities https://theprogressnetwork.org/ There are all sort of networks covering local environmental news. Probably I should take the initiative to do a post that is simply a guide and catalog to news organizations (and other institutions) that are compiling useful info about approaches that have worked. Or at least about people trying a range of approaches. I'm overdue to do a larger-scale view of that. Thanks.
" I should take the initiative to do a post that is simply a guide and catalog to news organizations (and other institutions) that are compiling useful info" This is a great idea! IMO there is a pressing need for reliable - accurate and balanced - news, especially some good variety to help keep us on an even keel.
The need for guidance has grown over the past IDK decade plus with financial disruption of old news providers by Internet enabled, low cost of entry 'news' and information sources with little to no editorial controls. And the outsized influence of social media. Thoughtful curation would be greatly appreciated.
I posted here before that a big part of the value of Breaking the News is links to other trusted sources, and civil & informative comments. Thank you. I check your substack for new content daily and read all of the comments.
Thank you. And agree about HC Richardson's very valuable work, and Ezra Klein with Jenn Pahlka. (I don't know HC Richardson personally; friend of both Klein and Pahlka.)
Deb and I have been through a somewhat similar journey. Ten years ago, when we started traveling around, our impression was: Good lord, you won't believe all the interesting / innovative / generally positive things underway in, say, Dodge City, Kansas, or Holland Michigan, or a bunch of other places. Now, as you say, reports like that pop up all the time. Which is an encouraging development — both that such innovations are occurring, and that press organizations (and foundations etc) are noticing.
Between the ages of 18 and 21, I was on active duty in the U.S.military, having been drafted into the service 3 weeks after high school graduation. At 22, living in Boston, I came to realize, because of the influence of the huge student population in the city, that "you cain't cook a pancake so thin it don't have two sides"; (R.L. Calhoun, VP.Flight Operations at the airline I worked for at that time.). That old Cappy was dead-on right about that.
Depends on which "kids" we're talking about. For instance, what if we're talking about, or to, "rich kids?"
If you're so smart,
why are you rich?
If you're a young potentate, and you're thinking one day, you'll emulate Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, and give away most of your wealth, it's more than beginning to look like, if you wait as long as they have, you're not going to have the opportunity to give away your wealth; it's more than beginning to look like, if you wait as long as they have, there won't be much worthwhile left to give away your weath to, or for.
Need "holiday gift suggestions?" Here's two:
1) Give money to defend what democracy we have left, and to strengthen democracy. Give money to people explaining what democracy is, and why we all need democracy, even, if not especially, if we don't think democracy is worthwhile, or we can take democracy for granted. Give money to people who are actually working to get out the vote for democracy, everywhere, from everyone.
2.) There is no democracy without education. While you're promoting democracy, give money to people who are working to provide children with a real opportunity to achieve functional literacy, functional numeracy, effective critical reasoning, and social and emotional intelligence. Don't worry about promoting ideologies; grow the proportion of people who can think, to at least past a proportional tipping point, which gets us to saving our planet, and perhaps our species. Otherwise:
Happy Sixth Great Extinction, Everyone!
There is no democracy without education;
there is no education without democracy;
without education and democracy, there is no future. Not a future I'm interested in being a part of, or that I'm interested in working to provide to our descendants.
You need something worthwhile to do with your money? With your time and effort? Support democracy and education. Don't be distracted by "issues" and phony trumped-up antagonisms. If we create a truly democratically and educationally empowered electorate, they, in aggregate, can figure out what needs to be done. And they'll have the power to get an authentically representative government to effect the policies and fund the programs we need to be enacted.
We have all the resources we need to do these things, now. What we seem to lack is enough imagination and will. Those of us who seem to have some creativity and access to tools, are apparently more focused on solving "difficult" problems that will make them rich and famous. Instead of focusing on solving IMPORTANT problems that might make our planet habitable, and hospitable.
Know who's really good at folding proteins? PROTEINS.
And they've been doing a pretty good (read: incredible) job of it for hundreds of millions of years. Way before we showed up, proteins had it down. Is this an IMPORTANT problem? Or is this a problem for the "healthcare" industry to solve to keep the cash flow pipeline spewing wealth to people whose "breakthroughs" are "solving problems" for a relative handful of people? At inordinate and unsupportable expense?
Well said.
OOYB, Jim, describing the terrific job the Crimson kids (our descendants) are doing with their national story about the Harvard president. The website is not a magazine so you can't call up today's or yesterday's issue. Like the NYT site, which the Crimson kids have thoroughly whipped at every stage of this story. I'm sure all the pieces you mention are still available at https://www.thecrimson.com/ The plagiarism story has astounding detail and is so fair-minded. I agree with you about the editorial -- just so calm, logical and right. For the first time in five decades, I think they might be better than we were. Gosh.
Bill, many thanks. I agree about the really impressive stories in this breaking-news coverage, and the Crimson's combination of very quick cycle-time in handling these stories, with non-panicked level-headedness about the whole situation.
And, yes, this is a chance for, ummm, "seasoned" figures like you and me to look at what they're doing and say "Kids these days!" in an admiring, amazed way, rather than the usual Debbie Downer tone for those words. What they're doing is great.
I'd like to have read The Crimson from first to last, but could not! Is there a trick to getting past the headlines/first page?
Click on the menu bars.
I taught math to high school students for 20 years before retiring (yes, it was a second career), and I completely agree about young people. I taught in Florida, Michigan, Vermont, Egypt and Ghana. Kids are the same everywhere - they possess a delightful combination of innocence, ambition, ingenuity and yes, wisdom. What they don't have is that long-established cynicism we get when we turn 30, when we have figured everything out and we know what won't work. Kids don't know what won't work, so they try stuff that we would never try.
And kids/young people also know right from wrong. They haven't been fully brainwashed yet into believing all the nonsense we've convinced ourselves is true or just. They have an innate sense of justice that tends to wither away with age.
Yes, I know I'm making generalities here - every child is different, just like every adult. But overall, I think these generalities hold true. We can learn a great deal from young people - if we're willing to set aside ego and traditions - because quite often, those traditions do more harm than good and need to be abandoned. As for ego, I'll offer a great expression that is often (mistakenly) attributed to Mark Twain, but which remains untraceable: "It ain't what we don't know that gets us into trouble, it's what we know for sure that just ain't so."
Well put, thank you.
Jim You remind me of the GOOD NEWS WEEKLY, that was published years ago until it closed. Sadly, ‘good news’ these days in not a headline commodity.
Our local newspaper, MONTGOMERY NEWS,has more ‘good news’ than any major paper that I read. The decline in local papers sharply reduces the ‘good news’ quotient. THE WEEK has a short segment weekly on ‘good news.’
Recently we had a celebration of our local Rotary, of which I was a charter member in 1990.
We reviewed all of the good we have provided domestically and globally. There are numerous community organizations that do equally good work.
I am tired of all the ‘bad news.
I’d like to hear more about the good that people are doing around the world.
Fortunately, I can follow your ‘goodness.’
Keith, thanks very much.
As I mention below in a reply to Deanna M, Deb and I have begun to see a shift in media / organizational attention. The Progress Network puts out almost daily dispatches, about a very broad range of activities https://theprogressnetwork.org/ There are all sort of networks covering local environmental news. Probably I should take the initiative to do a post that is simply a guide and catalog to news organizations (and other institutions) that are compiling useful info about approaches that have worked. Or at least about people trying a range of approaches. I'm overdue to do a larger-scale view of that. Thanks.
" I should take the initiative to do a post that is simply a guide and catalog to news organizations (and other institutions) that are compiling useful info" This is a great idea! IMO there is a pressing need for reliable - accurate and balanced - news, especially some good variety to help keep us on an even keel.
The need for guidance has grown over the past IDK decade plus with financial disruption of old news providers by Internet enabled, low cost of entry 'news' and information sources with little to no editorial controls. And the outsized influence of social media. Thoughtful curation would be greatly appreciated.
I posted here before that a big part of the value of Breaking the News is links to other trusted sources, and civil & informative comments. Thank you. I check your substack for new content daily and read all of the comments.
When I read your post, I thought of Heather Cox Richardson's December 11, 2023 "Letter from an American" (https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/december-11-2023?r=ap5bd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email) in which she too calls attention to pieces of the picture the media often fail even to see, much less report on. And Ezra Klein's interview with Jennifer Pahlka about her book, RECODING AMERICA (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/podcasts/transcript-ezra-klein-interviews-jennifer-pahlka.html), which reveals that the most important things that are happening in government these days are not errors but the impediments to doing good work and making decisions that will enhance government performance. Themes I first came across in your work, in other words, are starting to pop up all over the place. Yowza!
Thank you. And agree about HC Richardson's very valuable work, and Ezra Klein with Jenn Pahlka. (I don't know HC Richardson personally; friend of both Klein and Pahlka.)
Deb and I have been through a somewhat similar journey. Ten years ago, when we started traveling around, our impression was: Good lord, you won't believe all the interesting / innovative / generally positive things underway in, say, Dodge City, Kansas, or Holland Michigan, or a bunch of other places. Now, as you say, reports like that pop up all the time. Which is an encouraging development — both that such innovations are occurring, and that press organizations (and foundations etc) are noticing.
Between the ages of 18 and 21, I was on active duty in the U.S.military, having been drafted into the service 3 weeks after high school graduation. At 22, living in Boston, I came to realize, because of the influence of the huge student population in the city, that "you cain't cook a pancake so thin it don't have two sides"; (R.L. Calhoun, VP.Flight Operations at the airline I worked for at that time.). That old Cappy was dead-on right about that.
Nice, thank you.
And yet another reminder of the endless supply of aphorisms that pop up in the aviation world! ;)