The Curmudgeon Speaks

I have thought and written a great deal about social media in the past few years as I grapple with the reality of the political discussions associated with the Trump presidency. I find it difficult to tease apart the toxicity of issues associated with this administration, the type of related interactions that have surfaced on social media, and my personal beliefs that while all disagreements cannot be resolved, but argumentation can at least offer insights into the reasoning and evidence everyone involved relies on.

My reading has taken me through multiple books on facets of this situation. Here is a podcast episode I think does a nice job of identifying the thinking of others who have tried to explore the same issues. This is an episode from the podcast “Your undivided attention” featuring Eli Parisar whom you might recognize from TED topics and his book “Filter bubble”.

The discussion mentions an organization attempting to examine a better online public space that can be followed through its web site – Civic Signals. One attempt to improve the online public space is based on an examination of previous experiences of city designers who attempt to plan public spaces to improve the total city environment. For example, they consider both the design of the space and the programming of activities available within that space as a way to think through what must be considered.

I don’t agree with everything from this episode. For example, the participants consider the unique properties of political discussion and the challenges and perhaps impossibility of including such issues productively within a broader public setting. I disagree. There are some topics that are at the core of so many issues that they cannot be ignored and to allow many among the public to ignore these topics I don’t see as productive. More concretely, if political discussion does not occur on Facebook which is the space most use, why would you assume it would involve enough people to matter on another platform?

Cindy gave me an Apple Pencil for Christmas. The newest version has been integrated so well with iOS. Now, if it were just possible to give me some artistic talent.

A combination holiday letter and annual reflection. 

I have noticed we are receiving far more holiday cards and letters than has been the case in recent years. With time on their hands and lacking social interaction, people are making the effort to communicate. I used to do the same and created a letter with pictures every year bragging about our kids and telling about the experiences of the year. I got out of the habit when I started to write online. So, I thought I would compromise and write a holiday letter online.

So, to get the basics out of the way. We are all well and doing fine. Obviously, the year has been unique in our lives, but all things considered we must be better off than most. We got our Hawaii trip in before the pandemic got bad. Actually, we cut the trip short by two weeks when no one seemed to know what was going on and headed back to Minnesota. There will be no trip this year. Our kids, also doing well, live close and we have some backyard get-togethers keeping the appropriate social distance. We have individual pizzas or some other food delivered and we set around someone’s backyard. This is tougher now as it gets cold, but we plan to try a driveway fire on Christmas eve. Cindy and I move back and forth between our home in the suburbs and at the lake without stops between. The rest of our family also makes use of the lake – we just can’t be there together. Those from our immediate family who work in schools or medical settings have not caught COVID although there have been some quarantines and all of the grandkids ended the year doing distance ed. Four-old Frankie likes “the Google”. The older kids consider the camera on or off controversy and have come to different conclusions. Sid, the first grader and his classmates tried different things to see if they could help their teacher when she was unable to connect to run the class. Just turn it off and back on. Porter and dad are trying to figure out how to connect to their teacher’s holiday break Minecraft game.  We understand many other folks have not been so lucky in their work requirements or with the health of their friends and families.

Some serious thoughts for what has seemed a serious year. 

The following comments are my own and are simply some personal thoughts about the year. I understand 2020 has been extremely difficult and stressful for many reasons. However, 2020 has also provided a great opportunity. The lessons were often not pleasant, but were lessons nonetheless. The question is whether we will listen to and accept what we learned? 

I think we learned that the country we live in is far from perfect and that many of us are shielded from considering these imperfections to any depth. Inequities and biases abound and we fail to recognize or more often do something about these failures. If you are white, male, and lucky to come from a family that got you off to a good start in life, you probably have not considered the advantages you have. The work I did for a living provided plenty of opportunities to consider this situation and I explained some of these issues to students many times, but I don’t think I thought about this reality as carefully as I have this year. 

Social media taught us much about ourselves and others. Many are concerned that social media as an alternative to face to face interaction has resulted in meanness and hate. Psychologists have been studying the disinhibition effect of technology-enabled interaction for a long time now. There is something to the concerns that the lack of visual cues and the distance allows the expression of things not likely to be said when involved in direct interaction. Educators have tried to teach kids to be more thoughtful. Many adults have missed these lessons. I have a mixed reaction to this reality. There are clearly issues with technology-supported communication some the result of the tools (e.g., Twitter encourages brief comments limiting complete explanations allowing misinterpretation), but many are simply a function of the lack of care on the part of participants. Maybe, what we are seeing is what was always there but hidden.

I could write many pages about my own online experiences, but I will make two quick observations. First, I understand the process of argumentation differently from some. Academics use this term in a way to describe what most might understand as debate. They are used to arguing as part of what they do. Scientists, historians, etc. pretty much take a position and then defend this position based on the reasons they can advance and the evidence they can muster for these reasons. The process is supposed to move understanding forward as the better reasoning with better evidence is to prevail. I try to argue online with others within this spirit. A comment here or there might be a bit snarky, but this is always the case and those who understand the process try to keep it under control. The study of the development of argumentation skill is interesting and shows the young kids argue for a position by repeating their perspective without much evidence and pretty much by ignoring what those they are engaged in a formal argument with are saying. With maturity and practice, they get better. More reasons, more evidence, and more acknowledgement and reaction to the reasons and evidence of those taking a different position. Much of what I see online resembles the early approach of kids – little evidence and little attempt to counter reasons and evidence offered by others. There is too much posting of the memes generated by others and not enough writing to explain reasons and evidence.

I also tend to differentiate positions I understand others can have legitimate reasons to take and those they take but I refuse to accept on the basis of core beliefs. For example, I don’t accept that inequity is acceptable, that climate change is not real, that all people don’t deserve health care, that sexism and racism exist, etc. Challenging these positions is not argumentation as reasons and evidence are not particularly relevant. Then, I take challenges personally. When I encounter others who refuse to accept these values, I admit I think less of them. The presence of differences in core values has been an unpleasant reality I have recognized during the Trump era. 

The other reality the online world has taught me is that some refuse to accept science. I don’t know if this qualifies as what I consider a value or not, but it just seems like ignorance. Maybe it is more than acceptance that is at issue, but I don’t know what to call it then. Maybe ignorance or maybe indifference. But, issues such as the refusal to take the steps necessary to respond to COVID or to accept the reality of climate change fall into this category. Maybe these issues have become politicized which seems silly but possible. It ends up like a pass interference call. Those supporting different teams have the same evidence, but come to different conclusions predictable from the team they support. Science shouldn’t be like that. As an educator, I tended to assume people thought strange things because they had yet to learn the scientific facts. It is clear it is more complicated and I am not certain educators can change what I observe.

So, I think this year has increased my understanding of things I previously thought I understood better. I guess I would say that learning about reality is necessary, but not always pleasing.

These are some personal reflections on 2020 which I admit was a year unlike any other I have experienced in my 72 years. I see some significant challenges ahead, but I also feel more confident these challenges will be addressed than I did a year ago. Being helpless is an unacceptable mindset people adopt to free them from responsibility.

Best wishes to all whatever your perspective on the topics I have presented here. 

We got together in a local park to take some family photos of each other a few months ago. Todd had to work, but the rest of our extended family made it. For those who know us, here are some photos.

This is a life hack I offer for the benefit of anyone like me who is retired in the time of the great pandemic. When retired and limited in your opportunities for travel you may have experienced what I call the “what day is it problem”. You may have had to ask your spouse “what day is it?” and been worried this was a sign of cognitive decline. This is probably not the case and without a place to go or things to do the sameness has limited your awareness of the weekly calendar. Here is a solution you might try.

I came up with this brilliant idea when realizing that “garbage day” had become the highlight of my week. The garbage trucks (why there are so many is another story) prowl the streets on Thursdays here and for some strange reason this was reassuring and something I anticipated. I could take the bins out to the curb on Wednesday evening and after the trucks came on Thursday I could experience the satisfaction of having done something. Garbage day became the first marker in my week.

With this insight I began to identify other markers. Sunday would have multiple options. There was Vikings football day, but that would only work for certain months and I have found it is better to use a marker I associate with something pleasant to anticipate. So, I realized there was such an experience. It was “dutch baby day“. We have this treat for breakfast on Sundays and this was a reliable marker.

I found one other dependable marker. I have laundry day. You might know this as Tuesday. I do the laundry and wash the dishes. Doing the dishes does not work because it is not unique to a specific day unless you are a real slob. I am not allowed to be a real slob.

This should be enough. You need to have some flexibility in your life so don’t overdue this hack. Use the other days for what ever adventure may come your way. Rake some leaves. Shovel some snow. Cut some grass. Just don’t fall into a rut.

The test immigrants must pass to become U.S. citizens has been upgraded to become more challenging. This article from New Your Times offers 9 sample questions that are new. All questions can be viewed in a link from the Times article.

I was able to answer 6/9 questions correctly. I am pretty certain I would never have known the answers to some of the questions as U.S. born citizens. The MC format makes things a little easier, but the questions are also esoteric as far as functioning according to the expectations of this country.

I also thought a couple of questions were ambiguous or at the least depend on a very careful interpretation of the wording (perhaps some terms have both a formal and an informal meaning).

Here is one I missed. I would have liked the stem to have focused on who elects a representative which I would guess is widely known. Just for sake of argument the citizens in their district are also living in their state. I would also argue that no matter the district the issues of their state are prioritized over the priorities of other states. Too much? I think I overthought this one.

The key to the following question is the word usually. While there are 9 seats on the court, all 9 are not necessarily filled. With 8 justices, a 4-4 tie leaves the lower court decision in place. Is that a decision? It depends on whether you are for or against the lower court decision. Open seats are not the only issue. What happens when a justice or potentially more decide they should not vote? Five is a safe choice. Six decides a case, but it is not the minimum

If complaints of this type seem weird to you, you have never been a teacher using multiple-choice tests who had to listen to student complaints about how they interpreted the questions they missed.

I admit I don’t wear a mask at all times when I am outdoors so this is a new expectation. I wonder if the “just do it” approach is intended to keep things simple. There is a new expectation that masks be worn outside.

I try to walk outside for exercise and I don’t wear a mask. We live a few blocks from a park and walking through the park offers an alternative to walking the streets (no sidewalks). City or not, I probably average crossing paths with less than a hand full of people on most outings and most would be on the other side of the street. The park actually generates the closest proximity as the paths are maybe 6 feet wide and I stay on the paths to avoid ice and snow.

I have very limited needs for socialization so I prefer to say hi as I pass rather than pause to complain about the Vikings or the cold. Walking is a great opportunity to listen to podcasts so I don’t like to walk with Cindy because she would probably want to talk and ruin my concentration. She also walks too fast. Again, speed is not conducive to concentration. Talking and fast walking – not good.

So, is my situation cause for concern or is the “all masked, all the time” suggestion just a way to communicate without complexity

This just out. Trump used Twitter to claim he will veto military funding unless Congress revokes Section 230. You don’t have to be a techie to appreciate the irony. Section 230 allows social media hosts cover from responsibility for the content users create. In other words, such providers are not considered publishers. Such providers are also allowed some freedom to act in good faith to control content the company feels is inappropriate for users. This is a tricky issue. For example, small and free, open source efforts would have to shut down rather than risk law suits larger and older companies might be willing to take on. For example, I would probably disable comments on my blogs rather than accept liability for moderation. Section 230 has been responsible for in large measure for the economic engine the Internet has become. My solution would be to require authenticated accounts so that an individual posting anything can be identified. This would be a challenge (think the process and cost of acquiring a passport) and ignores issues of retribution that anonymity limits. Maybe this is just another poorly thought through Trump threat. Twitter obviously did not prevent the threat from being circulated which does indicate that personal responsibility is not sufficient to assure productive use of the Internet.

I very seldom buy books sold as paper. These three are the exception and two were given to me as presents. The third was coauthored by a friend who writes crime fiction set in South Africa. I wanted a signed copy. This is it for the past year or so. I like reading the type of book that requires you to turn paper pages every now and then. The one thing I notice is that the type seems small. I am spoiled from being able to enlarge the type on an e-reader.

I divide the books I consume into two categories and this division only tangentially relates to whether the books are read from paper or a device. There are the books I read for enjoyment and the books I read for learning. Pleasure reading can either involve listening or seeing. Books I read for learning must involve seeing and using a device. A visual and digital approach is important for a couple of reasons. First, reading allows greater control than listening. Sometimes it is important to go slow or to repeat and this just doesn’t work well with an audio input. The digital approach allows me to highlight, annotate, and save this layered material independently of the original material. In retirement, I spend a lot of time reading and then writing. I think of the process as a matter of personal interpretation and condensation.

I understand that this is a different way to look at reading, but it is relevant to certain positions I take. An important issue for some might be that I think it appropriate for students to read from a device. I understand that some are critical and claim that comprehension is lower with this type of input. There are several reasons for this (lack of experience, easy distractibility) that I recognize, but here is my perspective. There is a difference between reading and studying. All text involves reading, but much of what we read we do not study. Reading to learn works best when the reader has the greatest control and can act on ideas for better understanding and to make use of information. The opportunity to highlight and take notes and then to use this material in the future either as ideas layered on the original content or as material stored separately involves a better approach to using information encountered through reading. Depending on your goals for reading you might want to consider some of these ideas.

I first posted these thoughts in 2017. Facebook reminds you of old posts from the past and I thought it worthwhile to remind myself and others of this topic. After the past four years, I think we are all now more aware and I hope more appreciative. Empathy is such a valuable characteristic and being honest with yourself about the uneven nature of life should be the initial step in shaping the attitudes that guide our behavior.

I did not grow into adulthood wealthy, but I was privileged.

– I was born white and male

– My parents were not wealthy when I was young, but they were committed to each other.  They were college educated and encouraged their children in whatever personal interests we had. I followed a career path they did not understand. Rather than object, they found money to expand my undergrad training so they were comfortable that I had a backup plan. My own goals worked out and the breadth of my preparation ended up being a benefit throughout my career.

– I found a lifelong partner who supported me and who shared professional interests that magnified whatever personal talents I had.

So many struggle because they do not benefit from such privileges. They deal with discrimination because of irrelevant personal characteristics that are of no consequence. They mature in an environment of turmoil or hardship that was not of their making. They miss out on a break here or there that may have eventually resulted in great opportunities. They are unable to connect with someone who allows them to achieve far more than they would have on their own.

I take some credit for the successes of my life. I also realize that pretty much every possible break went my way.

This time of Thanksgiving should be a time of reflection. We seem to be in a time of great turmoil and a willingness by many to ignore life’s privileges. I hope the inequities generated by privileges are not magnified through the decisions politicians make.