Homer’s ‘Odyssey’ Comes Alive in London Reading
Regardless of who wins the US election, one thing is certain: it will be a victory for the meritocracy.
The meritocracy are the elite, the richest, most privileged of Americans who have a stranglehold on power and wealth.
Like the aristocracy of old they are distant from the rest of the population, often looking down on them, mocking them or exploiting them.
Like the aristocrats they party together, live alongside each other in the same wealthy suburbs and attend the same weddings, even if they supposedly represent different sides of politics.
Remember, Bill and Hillary Clinton were guests at the wedding of Donald and Melania Trump.
The meritocracy has rigged the game to suit themselves, getting richer while the poor are getting poorer. Their children dominate entry to the best universities, a pathway to the richest careers ensuring this new royalty shores up its status for another generation.
So entrenched and immovable is this elite that the Brookings Institution showed that, on current trends, "it would take six generations for family economic advantage to disappear".
Harvard University philosopher Michael Sandel calls this the "tyranny of merit". And he says it is tearing America apart.
At 40, Edward Watson Figured He Could Keep Dancing And Dancing. And Then …
“At 41 it all went wrong.” (There was a ruptured ligament, then a broken foot. Then the pandemic put a stop to the new Wayne McGregor Dante Project he would star in. So he’s up and retired, aged 44.) “It becomes very revealing how much you’ve put your body through. What I’ve done for the last 30 years, it’s not normal to do that to your body. But it is possible.” – The Guardian
#TrumpTaxLimericks
What’s The Right Classic Movie For The Fall Of 2020? ‘A Face In The Crowd’
Jake Tapper: “The 1957 film … tells the story of Larry ‘Lonesome’ Rhodes (Andy Griffith), a charismatic, populist entertainer with a dark side, who uses the new medium of television to rise to the pinnacle of American power. … As Trump’s first term comes to a close, A Face in the Crowd is worth revisiting — less for what it reveals about the president than for what it says about the rest of us.” – The Atlantic
Reddit’s ‘Am I The Asshole?’ Is Addictive. It May Also Be Making The World A Better Place.
“You start reading AITA posts before bed instead of doomscrolling the news because here, at least, it feels like your opinion matters. … It’s a place where accountability actually exists, even if only in the form of branding someone right or wrong in one absurd situation. It’s also a place for growth: Sometimes posters return to talk about how their lives changed — almost always for the better — because of the advice they got from thousands of anonymous strangers. … AITA might [now] be the largest public forum for conflict resolution on the planet. ” – The Ringer
Join the Center for Data Innovation on Friday, November 13, 2020 at 12:00 PM EDT for a conversation with Ryan Abbott on his new book The Reasonable Robot: Artificial Intelligence and the Law. The book argues that, as a general principle, the law should not discriminate between AI and human behavior, and discusses how this principle should shape tax, tort, intellectual property, and criminal law.”
- Date and Time: November 13, 2020, from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM (EDT)
- Speakers: Ryan Abbott, Professor of Law and Health Sciences, University of Surrey School of Law; Daniel Castro, Director, Center for Data Innovation (moderator)
- Register for the video webinar
