Calley Means Delivers a long list of Horrifying Statistics Regarding the Poor Health of Americans

Americans have made themselves very sick. Calley Means delivers a long list of terrifying health statistics. "We are savaging our human capital."

“We’re committing genocide against our children."

Continue ReadingCalley Means Delivers a long list of Horrifying Statistics Regarding the Poor Health of Americans

The Humor Divide

I agree with Batya Ungar-Sargon's observation that the main divide in the United States is not race, but economic class. I also agree with Jonathan Haidt's observation that those who have lost touch can be identified by their lack of humor:

Intellectual life used to be fun," Mr. Haidt said. "There's an emergent community, from center left to center right, of people who feel politically homeless and are recognizing that the big division is no longer between left and right, but between people who are on the extremes, who are humorless and aggressive and deluded by their passion and tribalism, versus the middle 70 percent of the country.

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Daryl Davis Offers the Perfect Antidote to Cancel Culture

What is Cancel Culture? In their excellent new book, The Canceling of the American Mind, Greg Lukianoff and Rikki Schlott offer many examples of cancel culture along with this definition (p. 9):

Cancel Culture is just one symptom of a much larger problem: the use of cheap rhetorical tactics to "win" arguments without actually winning arguments. After all, why bother meaningfully refuting one's opponents when canceling them is an easier option? Just take away their platform or career. Nobody else will dare to tread the same ground once you make an example of them.

There is good news here, however. Once you understand Cancel Culture as one part of an unhealthy societal conversation, the solution becomes quite clear: We don't have to argue like this.

What's the opposite of cancel culture? Free speech. Lukianoff and Schlott explain:

In the meantime, you should know that Free Speech Culture is a set of cultural norms rooted in older democratic values. Embracing Free Speech Culture means turning back to once popular sayings like "everyone is entitled to their own opinion," "to each their own," «it's a free country," and even "don't judge a book by its cover."

Who is my favorite person who exemplifies the opposite of cancel culture? Daryl Davis. Here's one of his recent Tweets:

Daryl's story is incredible. I've described it in prior posts (and see here and here), but here is a recent succinct description of Daryl's wisdom and heroism by Joe Rogan:

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