Mentatul

Category: Society

News regarding society.

  • Justice vs Revenge, Consequence vs Punishment

    Justice vs Revenge, Consequence vs Punishment

    In my life as a human, husband and father, I was often confronted with the four words above. So I decided to highlight them all at once and see what shows up.

    Let’s start with the differences. “Revenge is, by nature, personal; justice is impersonal, impartial, and both a social and legal phenomenon” and “Revenge is predominantly emotional; justice primarily rational”:

    https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201402/don-t-confuse-revenge-justice-five-key-differences^

    The difference between consequences and punishment is extremely important when it comes to child education:

    https://www.empoweringparents.com/article/punishments-vs-consequences-which-are-you-using/^

    “Whether they are natural or logical, consequences help us all to learn and grow. When kids experience the results of their actions, they learn to make better choices and improve their behaviors. In short, consequences = learning.

    Importantly, a consequence respects the child’s right to make a decision, even if it’s not a good one. It’s not a withdrawal of love or a rejection. It’s a matter-of-fact learning experience in which you maintain a better relationship with your child as you hold him accountable.”

    https://www.janetlansbury.com/2013/07/truths-about-consequences/^

    “The essential difference between consequences and punishments is our sincere and honest sharing. We can’t be gentle parents without taking care of our personal boundaries… and the consequences of that kind of modeling are all good.”

    Makes sense, right? But guess how many parents actually live that. Not many, unfortunately. Even being aware of such information, I still make mistakes! So then is it surprising that after being educated with punishment, most adults repeat the same flawed pattern? Sometime soon, this circle must be broken.

    If children currently have little opportunity for a consequence-based education, perhaps there is a way to change ourselves as adults. Could forgiveness and progressive justice^ be the way? Unfortunately, society is still fixated with “putting the problem away”:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment^

    “Punishment is the imposition of an undesirable or unpleasant outcome upon a group or individual, meted out by an authority—in contexts ranging from child discipline to criminal law—as a response and deterrent to a particular action or behavior that is deemed undesirable or unacceptable. The reasoning may be to condition a child to avoid self-endangerment, to impose social conformity”, etc.

    When it comes to prison, nowhere in the world is its dismal lefficiency^ highlighted better than in that country with the highest per-capita imprisoned population in the world. It’s a country that I think can’t dare to call itself “land of the free” anymore: the USA^. Of course, prison is a bad solution no matter where on Earth, except perhaps some experimental prisons. What I advocate is Prison 2.0^ (or more precisely “Justice 2.0”).

    But back to punishment. It gets worse:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retributive_justice^

    “Retributive justice is a theory of punishment that when an offender breaks the law, justice requires that he or she suffer in return.”

    This is basically “eye for an eye”. And as an artist^ once said: “an eye for an eye makes the world go blind.”

    Personally, I believe that the vast majority of criminals, especially non-violent ones, are a product of society. Confronting our evolutionary weaknesses^, social contribution inequality^ and education^ will have as a consequences the closure of anywhere between 70% to 99% of all forced confinement institutions.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/03773-JusticeRevengeConsequencesPunishment-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Justice vs Revenge, Consequence vs Punishment’ desc=’Revenge is, by nature, personal; justice is impersonal, impartial, and both a social and legal phenomenon. The difference between consequences and punishment is extremely important when it comes to child education.’]

  • About the Flat-Earth Movement

    About the Flat-Earth Movement

    Disclaimer: I respect any and all opinions. I don’t judge people based on their scientific or spiritual beliefs. However, I would find it risky to get in the same car with a person that thinks the red light means “go”.

    Yes, there are people out there who think the Earth is flat. And they’re having conventions:

    https://qz.com/1268605/what-its-like-to-attend-a-flat-earth-convention/^

    Besides the absolutely dumb idea of a flat Earth and the dismissal of pretty much everything produced by the space program of a dozen countries, there’s something really interesting going on here. The flat Earther community is a really interesting case study^ when it comes to challenging the idea that “the Internet will make us smarter”.

    It also shows a worrying connection between populism and disbelief in science. I’m all for free speech, but to demolish science in such a way brings thoughts of dystopia to my mind.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/03177-FlatEarth-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’About the Flat-Earth Movement’ desc=’Yes, there are people out there who think the Earth is flat. And they're having conventions.’]

  • On Assisted Dying

    On Assisted Dying

    You’re 102 years old. You still want and can work. You have no disease, your mind is sharp and brings joy to those around. However, the industrialized healthcare system and society has other plans. You’re costly to keep under permanent supervision, as if you even want to be constantly watched. So, whether you like it or not, you must accept round-the-clock care or move to a nursing home. This happened to David Goodall. Thanks to Swiss laws, however, he could die on his own accord:

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-43957874^

    Euthanasia^ is a heavily debated topic. Many people have sought the right to end their life. Check what Terry Pratchett (suffering from Alzheimer’s^) had to say^ about it. Pro-life associations rushed to condemn BBC^ for broadcasting Pratchett’s statement, accusing BBC of imbalanced reporting.

    These are the same people that have no problem with all the other violent and trivial garbage being broadcasted most of the time. These are the people who like to censor other opinions simply because they’re not theirs. These are the people who think they have the right to decide what others should do with their lives.

    I guess my opinion on assisted suicide is pretty clear by now. People should mind their own business. If somebody wants to help a friend or family member die, then they should, by law, be allowed to do so, provided that they have ratified the decision in a forum consisting of at least two witnesses, in front of a local official.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/03162-OnAssistedDying-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’On Assisted Dying’ desc=’Euthanasia is a heavily debated topic. Many people have sought the right to end their life.’]

  • How Tech Companies Ruin (Urban) Societies

    How Tech Companies Ruin (Urban) Societies

    In general, it’s good for a country to have large, powerful companies that employ a lot of people and pay them very well (more taxes). However, the resulting income inequality causes some serious trouble in communities hosting or close to high-pay hotspots.

    One of the saddest examples is San Francisco, where property prices have skyrocketed during the past decade, mostly due to an influx of well-payed employees from corporations such as Google, Apple and Facebook as well as a host of tech startups and highly profitable medium-sized companies.

    Certain individuals fed up with the trend have taken matters into their own hands. They proceeded to smash the windows of shuttle buses belonging to large corporations, while in transit transporting employees to work:

    http://fortune.com/2018/01/18/apple-google-bus-attacks/^

    It’s a pity that the employees of these companies are the ones enduring social stigma^ for something that is not (directly) of their own making. In war, one usually can’t blame the soldiers for what their commanding officer has ordered them to do, if certain conventions aren’t broken. So perhaps some of the affected communities need to establish some conventions?

    Fixing this situation is totally within the responsibility of the town administration, which can set certain rules for property prices. There are many other cities suffering from the Ridiculous Property Prices syndrome. I live in one of them. Despite having been able to afford a property here (thanks to being lucky enough to work in the “right” industry for these past couple of decades), I would vote for a “Convention for Fair Living”.

    What would such a convention consist of? Hard to say precisely, but I would definitely consider an obligation for a community to get a higher percentage of the taxes gathered by the government from certain wealthy entities. The community would then have funds to build additional housing and a fast transportation network to ensure quick access to the city center even for those living further off. The newly-rich in congested cities could also have to pay higher taxes. Perhaps this would make a community less attractive to certain companies, but maybe this is exactly the sort of self-balancing that would cause and ensure fair prices for properties.

    When it comes to areas where there are a lot of high-paying jobs, the employers could subsidize the construction of campuses or entire new towns. These would be located further away from large, already congested communities. This will keep the market prices fair and provide employees with good housing. As long as quick access to the nearest large cities is provided, this should keep things in balance. Furthermore, locals that have been living in an area for many years could be supported in purchasing a decent property through various means (lower prices, priority in a queue system). I’m sure smart solutions can be found if there is the will to do so. Until the manifestation of such will is obvious to the people, despair will continue to consume them and lead to more social conflict and tragic actions.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/03076-HowTechCompaniesRuinSocieties-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’How Tech Companies Ruin (Urban) Societies’ desc=’Income inequality causes some serious trouble in communities hosting or close to high-pay hotspots.’]

  • Salma Hayek and Harvey Weinstein

    Salma Hayek and Harvey Weinstein

    Weinstein’s disgusting behavior^ towards women triggered the famous #MeToo^ social media campaign. It’s all history now. There are some very good articles^ out there about Weinstein and other libidinous rich men^. There’s also the shocking leaked audio of the predator in action^.

    In this eye-opening timeline^, we are shown how much things have changed because of the scandal that has rocked Hollywood, the world’s #1 exporter of corrupt cultural values. Thanks to #MeToo, the protest went global. I feel like women’s rights have made an important step forward since then.

    But from all the articles I read, I took a particular liking to Salma Hayek’s story about the movie “Frida”, produced by Weinstein. This vulnerable, heart-felt story made me empathize with the victims more than anything else I read or heard on the topic:

    https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/12/13/opinion/contributors/salma-hayek-harvey-weinstein.html^

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/03030-SalmaHayekHarveyFrida-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Salma Hayek and Harvey Weinstein’ desc=’Salma Hayek's story about the movie "Frida", produced by Weinstein.’]

  • Free Bleeding (Menstruation)

    Free Bleeding (Menstruation)

    Even though it’s obvious that such a practice exists, living with free bleeding in the “civilized” world (read: “taboo world” or “rigid culture world”) can be tricky. What is free menstruation you ask? Well, here’s an interesting read:

    https://helloclue.com/articles/culture/whats-all-fuss-about-free-bleeding-why-does-it-matter^

    Do I have an opinion about the practice? No! But I do have an opinion about people who make a fuss out of this: oh yes!

    It’s another person’s body and clothes. That person is allowed to do whatever they want as long as they are careful to not interfere with another’s property (and this covers hygiene too). So, as long as this is a private matter of the person, society cannot interfere. And just to be clear: if you see a blood stain between a woman’s legs and you don’t like it, look away. It’s not anybody’s right to dictate how other people dress or look.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/03003-FreeMenstruation-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Free Bleeding (Menstruation)’ desc=’Even though it's obvious that such a practice exists, living with free bleeding in the "civilized" world (read: "taboo world" or "rigid culture world") can be tricky.’]

  • China’s Social Credit System

    China’s Social Credit System

    Something big was set in motion in China. It’s called the Social Credit System^. It leverages the latest in technology in order to build something akin to a criminal record, except that it’s updated much more frequently (possibly even real-time in certain cases). It doesn’t only cover crime, but pretty much any action that the government can track, online and offline:

    http://nordic.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4?r=US&IR=T^

    As we know, China has an extremely well-developed tracking & censorship apparatus. Through the Social Credit System, even minor social offenses such as jaywalking or smoking outside designated areas can be turned into punishments that can seriously affect one’s life. In the article below you can find a rather shocking video (well, not entirely shocking to me since I suspected this was coming^) about the country’s highly developed video surveillance system:

    http://www.businessinsider.com/how-china-is-watching-its-citizens-in-a-modern-surveillance-state-2018-4?r=US&IR=T#9-tracking-peoples-social-media-posts-which-can-be-linked-to-the-users-family-and-location-10^

    The punishments that the Chinese have come up with for citizens who stumble into a low social credit are deviously inventive. They can ban people from getting transport tickets, throttle internet speeds or even prevent them from getting certain jobs or education. The question is, how long until similar systems are deployed all over the planet?

    https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/social-credit-system/^

    As usual with such schemes, there are advantages. It’s safe to assume that such a system can improve social accountability and online behavior (for example, cyberbullying can be tackled more effectively). Unfortunately, since it’s China we’re talking about, the rules for having a good social credit are set by a government that suppresses criticism through any available means.

    What’s worse is that most judgements regarding a person’s social credit will be done by software. And since these programs aren’t even remotely intelligent yet^, there will be many mistakes made. I wonder if the Chinese authorities will allocate the appropriate manpower to address appeals by citizens against the decisions made by these algorithms.

    This is a risky path that the Chinese are taking. It is also setting a very dangerous precedent for our civilization. It tempts governments today to increasingly rely on surveillance and punishment rather than educating and supporting a person’s healthy development. Free societies will always have an advantage when it comes to innovation. And in the Information Age^, innovation is what creates winning nations.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/02988-ChinaSocialCredit-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’China's Social Credit System’ desc=’China leverages the latest in technology in order to build something akin to a criminal record but doesn't only cover crime, but pretty much any action that the government can track, online and offline.’]

  • Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence

    Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence

    Every year or so, there’s one article/essay that stands out from everything I come across. This is one such work. It shows the correlation between violence and repressed sexuality, lack of affection towards children, sensory deprivation and various forms of social damage. It’s a long read, but you can also read just parts of it and I’d wager you’ll still be enriched by this amazing work:

    http://www.violence.de/prescott/bulletin/article.html^

    You don’t need to be a psychologist to see how all this makes so much sense. A sick society will produce sick individuals.

    If you choose to read only one of my weekly recommendations every 6 months, I would beg you to read this one.

    And I’ll do one other thing I do as rarely as possible. And that is to passionately ask you to share this with the world! Thank you!

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/02982-BodyPleasureOriginsOfViolence-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Body Pleasure and the Origins of Violence’ desc=’See the correlation between violence and repressed sexuality, lack of affection towards children, sensory deprivation and various forms of social damage.’]

  • The CLOUD Act – or Another Nail in the Coffin of Privacy

    The CLOUD Act – or Another Nail in the Coffin of Privacy

    Finally, thanks to the CLOUD act^ passed earlier this year, American companies have the right to spy for the government of the USA on pretty much anybody that uses American products. The act also indirectly opens the door for other governments that enjoy snooping in their citizens’ private lives. And guess what, major tech companies had no problem turning their back on their customers because (surprise!) the act will save them loads of cash:

    http://www.tomshardware.com/news/big-tech-cloud-act-surveillance,36730.html^

    It was bound to happen sooner or later. Of course, this is all done with ethics and responsibility at the forefront, in the glorious battle against organized crime. Even if I wasn’t sarcastic, this is, after all, yet another weapon in the USA’s cyberwarfare arsenal^. And the walls protecting our private lives have already started to fall^.

    That’s one small step for a nation-state, one giant leap backwards for mankind.

    Here’s what the Electronic Frontiers Foundation had to say:

    “Because of this failure, U.S. and foreign police will have new mechanisms to seize data across the globe. Because of this failure, your private emails, your online chats, your Facebook, Google, Flickr photos, your Snapchat videos, your private lives online, your moments shared digitally between only those you trust, will be open to foreign law enforcement without a warrant and with few restrictions on using and sharing your information. Because of this failure, U.S. laws will be bypassed on U.S. soil.”

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  • Walmart Pulls T-Shirts Advocating Murder of Journalists

    Walmart Pulls T-Shirts Advocating Murder of Journalists

    In a surprising move, major American retailer Walmart actually decided to remove from its inventory t-shirts that advocated killing journalists. So apparently the USA hasn’t completely gone astray:

    https://nypost.com/2017/11/30/walmart-yanks-shirt-threatening-to-kill-journalists/^

    Obviously, I was being sarcastic. The USA has gone completely astray.

    By “completely”, I mean the outcome of an election. When a democratic country elects to pursue a certain course, then it is a complete commitment. Yes, there may be opposition, but the overall direction has been set – and in the case of the US of A, I believe that the direction is astray.

    By “astray”, I mean that while most of society (world-wide) considers murder to be wrong, the USA has managed to devalue life in such a way that murder can be commercialized with incredibly little public backlash. I believe that the lack of a major social response against the retailers, users and companies that produce such merchandise is due to Americans having been desensitized to violence^.

    I can’t describe how sad I am to see beautiful, smiling, presumably honest people, congregate and laugh about murdering journalists, the very profession that is supposed to propagate information.

    In the USA, Murdering Journalists is now considered a funny topic.
    In the USA, murdering journalists is now considered a funny topic. (c) Reuters.

    Well, it’s true that now-a-days most “journalists” distort rather than propagate information. Mind the quotes. Those are not really journalists. The true journalist is impartial and just. Unfortunately, ever since the invention of writing, there are those who are not spreaders of truth, but propaganda writers. Crafty wordsmiths that have either chosen or have been fooled into the employ of people whose purpose is to redirect and manipulate (they’re pretty good at fooling others).

    Even if the t-shirts would have said “kill all liars”, I still believe that such messages are childish, stuck in an epoch we should move away from. Don’t kill liars; stop producing them^. Don’t kill propaganda; change the message^. Don’t blame manipulators; understand why they exist in the first place^.

    [ax_meta lnimgurl=’http://mentatul.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/02951-MurderJournalistsHorror-Thumb.jpg’ lnimgw=’250′ lnimgh=’250′ title=’Walmart Pulls T-Shirts Advocating Murder of Journalists’ desc=’The USA has managed to devalue life in such a way that murder can be commercialized with incredibly little public backlash.’]