The Curmudgeon Speaks

I have a scholarly interest in what we learn or think we learn from social media. This topic became a popular research topic after I completed my career as an active researcher, but I still try to follow the studies, thinking, and methods applied in this area. The education types are probably most interested in the learner and the role the learner plays in selecting and interpreting information. The tech types often have a somewhat different interest focus involving how algorithm-based decisions are made about what individuals see. These algorithms are carefully guarded so it is not easy to understand how decisions are made.

This post is mostly related to this second topic. Some weeks ago I began participating in some online research I admit I did not take a lot of time to understand. I knew it was about the ads I viewed as a function of the time I spent online and sites I visited, but I did not read the fine print. Not smart because I was providing access to data based on my behavior and I should have done more to understand what and why. Anyway, I thought no more about my commitment until I saw a couple of news stories and realized I was one of the participants.

What I describe here involves my looking back. I have discovered the study is called the NYU Ad Observatory. One goal as I have discovered now involved trying to reverse engineer why Facebook users see the ads that they see. Some observations related to this goal are included in the content provided in the link I provided above. I started investigating a bit about the project itself because I read that Facebook was not pleased this information was being collected. I can understand their reluctance, but I do agree we all need better understanding of how we are being targeted and what possible consequences might be. 

If what I describe here interests you, you can download the extension required by Chrome or FireFox at the Ad Observer Site. 

The site provides access to the extension needed to add the service to your browser and you should see something when you select the browser of your choice that looks like this image. This page should also contain additional information about the extension and a link to a site explaining the details of the project. The blue botton installs the extension.

Once the extension has been added, you will be asked to provide some personal information (preferences) that will be related by the ad project to the ads you see. From that point, you just browse without any requirement to pay any more attention.

If you are interested, do this. The extension will add a small icon at the top of your browser.

The icon will open a drop-down menu. The “My archive” button will provide some information collected about your activity. It will display ads and the category you are in that targeted you with this ad.

There are limits in the methodology that seem obvious. My access to Facebook is primarily through my phone or tablet. This extension is in the browser on my desktop. I also use two different chrome-based browsers on my desktop (Chrome and Brave) so I doubt the service can generate a composite representation of my ad viewing experience. Still, I think the collection of such data is valuable and we need something to allow thinking about why we see what we see. Read the user agreement.

Yes – as you can see from the ad I am being targeted as a Democrat which is an accurate determination by Facebook. I write often about the value of Facebook. It is not a place to get your news.

I have struggled with understanding the political environment and the emotional reactions the environment has generated since 2016. Why have the anger and hatred been elevated when disagreement and argument have always been part of politics and some other areas in which I participate (e.g., science)? 

I have come to this conclusion. This period in political awareness has brought to the surface and distributed for public consumption core differences in important values that were not so visible in the past. This surfacing and visibility have resulted from the behavior of prominent politicians (i.e., Donald Trump) and from social media which has opened up communication about issues and values. My political candidates have often lost elections, but while I was not pleased, life for me went on pretty much as normal. Again, in past elections the constant coverage of candidate behavior was limited and now the capacity to make public so much information about behavior revealing much more about attitudes, core beliefs, and inconsistencies between public messaging and lived behavior or between just messaging from one week to the next, offer so much more of value to the development of personal insights. The reaction of plain folk to this deluge of information offers a secondary input that has also been disconcerting. Time and again, I wonder how anyone seeing what I am seeing could possibly turn a blind eye. Are they not seeing what I am seeing because they spend all of their time with Fox News or Breitbart or are they seeing the same things that so bother me and are willing to ignore the message and values being expressed in such behavior. I can’t say, but both differences matter. Knowingly limiting your information inputs is a problem a good education should have prevented. The term academics now use to explain the counter to disinformation and misinformation is lateral reading.

Explaining away what I regard as completely reprehensible behavior because “he gets things done” (which I am not sure I actually see) or “he tells it like it is” is unacceptable to me. I don’t buy the ends justify the means rationale. The acceptance of evil and morally corrupt behavior by people who claim to be Christian is possibly what troubles me the most. What exactly is the basis for the faith being professed?

So, am I willing to back down? I don’t think so. I have far less influence than the political establishment and I observe that leaders model and will continue to push ideas I find reprehensible. In fairness, if you object to my positions, make certain you are also complaining about the individuals I have made it my mission to counter. Show me this isn’t the case if you can. I find it personally irresponsible to know these messages and values are out there without push back. The positive thing about social media is that it provides this opportunity. Use the opportunity fairly. 

I try to offer facts when I know facts exist, but in some cases the interpretation of facts rests in values such as indifference to the less fortunate and those who happen to have been born in other countries or as a member of a minority race or as a female, indifference to those who have the bad luck to be born with genetic or other causes of medical predispositions for poor health outcomes, failure to accept that individuals value different religious convictions or are not believers, indifference to the decline of the environment to the detriment of those who will live in this environment in the future, and so many similar issues that have at the core a lack of acceptance of others in the past, present, or future as equals. I admit to not accepting certain differences in values I see as necessary for a just society.  

So, in the language of the 60s, this is where I am coming from.

I happen to like Black Walnut trees. The nuts can be messy, but squirrels love them and will remove them from your lawn. I grew up on a farm with a grove that had several rows of giant walnut trees. Stories of my youth aside, walnut trees and gardens don’t go together. Don’t plant a garden near these trees (see my garden under my tree) and if this is already your situation do not use the leaves as a compost for next year. I like to rake the leaves. Pile them on top of my raised beds. Cover the leaves with some dead branches and then dig what remains of the leaves into the soil in the Spring. Not a good idea if you plan to grow certain plants in these beds (e.g., tomatoes).

According to Iowa State University (my school), walnut trees produce juglone – a substance secreted by the roots and present in the leaves that can cause severe damage and even kill solanaceous crops (tomatoes, potatoes, peppers and eggplant). I have no idea what a solanaceous crop is, but juglone is going to be my new vocabulary word for today. Say it with me – juglone.

Whoops – always read articles to the end. Walnut leaves can be composted because the juglone toxin breaks down when exposed to air, water, and bacteria. Now I am going to have to rake and pile.

I am now more concerned and more involved in the political direction of this country than at any other time in my 70+ years. My candidates certainly did not always win, but I have not experienced the same depth of despair before. I have not been a heavy Facebook user, but I have written almost daily for the past four years using this site as a way to explain my frustrations and concerns. I use Facebook for the same reason Willie Sutton robbed banks – that is where the people are (pardon my abuse of this quote).

As we are approaching the election, I wanted to offer one post here associated with my frustration for the direction of the country and my contempt for the individual in the White House. I find Donald Trump and some of the Republican leadership to be corrupt and offering terrible values to the country. When a topic interests me, I tend to read to learn more. In this case, I have read a lot about the corruption of the Trump presidency. Given the approaching election, I thought I would offer some recommendations should be you be on the fence and still trying to decide on whether would like to see four more years. I voted several weeks ago.

Here is my list of sources on the corruption of the Trump administration and related political issues. Not included is the Mueller report – which you can read without spending your money at a book store. I have tried to rank them by both readability and quality of research. My suggestion – read one if you are undecided.

Toobin – True Crimes and Misdemeanors: The investigation of Donald Trump

Woodward – Rage

Strzok – Compromise: Counterintelligence and the threat of Donald Trump

Woodward – Fear: Trump in the White House

Bolton – The room where it happened

Comey – A higher loyalty: Truth, lies, and leadership

There are obviously many more books – pro and con – on the Trump Presidency. These are the ones I have read. Are these all on one side in evaluating this President? Obviously. I rely on the NYTimes, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal for a broader view.

I understand that the COVID illness striking so many of the White House inner circle is a terrible thing and I would not wish this infection on anyone. However, the stubborn, purposeful ignorance of Republicans and the Republican leadership must be held partially responsible. Cornell has completed an analysis of 1.1 million news articles reporting conspiracy theories and false information associated with the pandemic and found that President Trump is the number one ultimate source for false information. Now, we have the infection of the President and multiple individuals from his inner circle. This is not just bad luck or related to the demands of the work that must be done. This article from the Minneapolis Star Tribute describes the problem as pandemic recklessness. The immediate and extended dangers associated with the attitudes and motivation (whatever that might be) should not be underestimated. The problems experienced in the U.S. are statistically unique and simply should not be possible given our wealth and medical expertise.

How did this become a politically partisan issue? Why do we have a leader who mocks his election opponent because of mask wearing and hiding in his basement rather than being out encouraging thousands of unmasked fans? Why do we have Governors (I am most familiar with Minnesota and Wisconsin) being sued by political rivals because the Democratic Governors have mandated mask policies and limited opportunities for large public gatherings? Why does it seem that the Democrats are siding with the public health experts and the scientists and the Republicans reject the advice that has been given?

I understand that Democrats tend to encourage government policies that often include restrictions related to dangers to the public and the environment and Republicans encourage greater personal freedoms. However, it is obvious that personal freedom and frankly personal ignorance must be considered major problems here. The mask thing is not only about personal protection in the way seat belts or hands-free driving are about personal protection. The mask is not only about protecting the individual from risky behavior that might result in an injury (a disease in this case). With encouraging or requiring cloth masks and limiting large gatherings, this is more about protecting others. It comes down to whether you believe individuals have the right to be selfish and act in ways that endanger others – me before we.

Maybe reality will finally set in with the President and those in the inner circle becoming ill, but I am not confident. Somehow logic and facts don’t seem to matter when behavior becomes politicized.

Understanding our current economic situation is critical to a personal evaluation of the effectiveness of the present administration in the run up to the election. Expressions such as a V- or K-shaped recovery may not provide clarity. For those of us with jobs we can do safely online or somewhat isolated from co-workers and for those of us with income from the stock market, an appreciation of the economic perils of our situation or increasing inequities may be difficult to appreciate.

I thought this article from the Washington Post did a great job of explaining several of these issues. It is a comparison of multiple recessions and an explanation of why this one is different. One graphic (I provide) as you may not have access to the article.

The four graphs compare job loss/gains for four recessions for the top and bottom 25% of income. The difference across recessions is dramatic and a function of our present challenge being caused by a deadly illness and the differential dangers of working in person versus distanced in some way and whether this difference is required to earn an income. When Biden describes a K-shaped recession, this difference is what he is describing. Those most negatively impacted are far more unlikely to have investments in the stock market explaining why pointing to the stock market as an indicator of the health of the economy is misleading.

If you heard the first Presidential debate, I assume you came to the conclusion that it was a mess and you learned very little about the issues. At least, this was my conclusion. Too many blame both candidates for this situation. I disagree and this position reminds of the “there are very good people on both sides” argument. In a contentious situation with an audience invested in one candidate or the other, it would be unreasonable to expect Biden to abide by the rules and not engage with Trump. Trump continually makes the argument that Biden is weak and offers this message to his followers. Should Biden have been passive in reaction to Trump’s continual intrusions into Biden’s speaking time the analysis would have been that he was too passive and unable to stand up to a bully. Trump clearly could not handle several of the questions and had a strategy of trying to bully Biden and be seen as the more powerful candidate. Biden did enough to defend himself and did his best to actually argue his positions. The only useful and separate comments came at the end when they were asked whether they would accept the results of the election.

Perhaps the second “town hall” debate will be more civil. If not, I see no advantage to Biden in continuing. He is already leading and to continue to engage in creating more noise is not the most effective way to argue his case.

When people understand you read a lot, you end up with many recommendations. These recommendations sometimes are generated by what I write about. With the exception of technology which I have been deeply involved with since the mid-1980s, my opinions on many matters are shaped by what I read.

I am interested in economics and how it relates to the stock market because of my interest in the growing economic inequality in this country. While I read content from many sources, I am probably most influenced by long reads. So, given some don’t understand my opinion about the general U.S. economy and the stock market even when I try to explain my understanding of several important issues, here are the books that have influenced me.

Boushey, DeLong & Steinbaum – After Piketty – https://www.amazon.com/After-Piketty-Agenda-Economics-Inequality/dp/0674504771

Heinberg – The end of growth – https://www.amazon.com/End-Growth-Adapting-Economic-Reality/dp/0865716951/

Krugman – Arguing with zombies – https://www.amazon.com/Arguing-Zombies-Economics-Politics-Better/dp/1324005017

Krugman – Conscience of a liberal – https://www.amazon.com/Conscience-Liberal-Paul-Krugman/dp/0393333132/

Lewis – The big short – https://www.amazon.com/Big-Short-Inside-Doomsday-Machine/dp/0393338827

Lewis – Flash boys – https://www.amazon.com/Flash-Boys-Wall-Street-Revolt-ebook/dp/B00HVJB4VM/

Piketty – Capital – https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Twenty-First-Century-Thomas-Piketty-ebook/dp/B074DVRW88/

Reich – Saving capitalism: For the many not the few – https://www.amazon.com/Saving-Capitalism-Many-Not-Few/dp/0345806220/

Reich – The system: Who rigged it, how to fix it – https://www.amazon.com/System-Who-Rigged-How-Fix/dp/0525659048

Global economics – multiple books from Thomas Friedman

I have had the opportunity to spend time photographing the fall colors in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin for many years. This Fall seems to be exceptional. I have created a gallery of photos (see page link at the top of this page) I can update as I collect more images. We are at peak now but this should last for a few more days.

The combination of crises that now face this country is far beyond prediction. For those looking for a positive perspective here is my thought. The present challenges have laid bare the ugly inequities so many have found ways to ignore. Now, when the ugliness stares us in the face there is an opportunity to focus on principles and values. Speak up and vote for fair opportunities and recognition for all.

Martin Luther King is often quoted in suggesting “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”. I am arguing the potential for the same thing though my words are less eloquent. Think of our present circumstances as a wobble toward a focus on the self and authoritarianism. Time for the moral compass to right itself with our help.