[FRIAM] Whew!

Wed May 3 22:34:58 EDT 2017

Seems like an opportunity to make a post-Trump reading of the Kaczynski manifesto.<http://partners.nytimes.com/library/national/unabom-manifesto-1.html>    There are different kinds of anarchists, of course.   The Trump supporter that resonates here are the luddites.   There are other kinds, such as free software advocates who see the power not in the “training” but in the work products (source code).   And then the traditional notions of intellectual property and capability that control both the employee and the employee’s work.   There are lots of relevant remarks in the document.   Two that are now less science fiction than they were in 1995 I highlight below.

Overall, the hatred of leftists and industrial-technological society seems quite timely.  The failure of the “power process” seems like a good model of the lower-middle class midwest America worker addicted to opioids.  Not that I’m sympathetic at all, I’m just saying.   Kaczynski’s (negative) description of the accelerating need for skills is pretty much describes the absence of depression and a fulfilling mental life to me.

“175. But suppose now that the computer scientists do not succeed in developing artificial intelligence, so that human work remains necessary. Even so, machines will take care of more and more of the simpler tasks so that there will be an increasing surplus of human workers at the lower levels of ability. (We see this happening already. There are many people who find it difficult or impossible to get work, because for intellectual or psychological reasons they cannot acquire the level of training necessary to make themselves useful in the present system.) On those who are employed, ever-increasing demands will be placed: They will need more and more training, more and more ability, and will have to be ever more reliable, conforming and docile, because they will be more and more like cells of a giant organism. Their tasks will be increasingly specialized, so that their work will be, in a sense, out of touch with the real world, being concentrated on one tiny slice of reality. The system will have to use any means that it can, whether psychological or biological, to engineer people to be docile, to have the abilities that the system requires and to "sublimate" their drive for power into some specialized task. But the statement that the people of such a society will have to be docile may require qualification. The society may find competitiveness useful, provided that ways are found of directing competitiveness into channels that serve the needs of the system. We can imagine a future society in which there is endless competition for positions of prestige and power. But no more than a very few people will ever reach the top, where the only real power is (see end of paragraph 163). Very repellent is a society in which a person can satisfy his need for power only by pushing large numbers of other people out of the way and depriving them of THEIR opportunity for power.”

“178. Whatever else may be the case, it is certain that technology is creating for human beings a new physical and social environment radically different from the spectrum of environments to which natural selection has adapted the human race physically and psychologically. If man is not adjusted to this new environment by being artificially re-engineered, then he will be adapted to it through a long and painful process of natural selection. The former is far more likely than the latter.”

From: Friam [mailto:friam-bounces at redfish.com] On Behalf Of Merle Lefkoff
Sent: Wednesday, May 03, 2017 5:27 PM
To: The Friday Morning Applied Complexity Coffee Group <friam at redfish.com>
Subject: Re: [FRIAM] Whew!

😁I thought to be nicer I'd leave Ted out.  I'm not trying to pick a fight.  I'm just fed up with the bubble we've all been in for too long, and I've been spending a lot of time lately--at a very advanced age--with brilliant young activists, many of whom are (not a contradiction) thoughtful anarchists.  And they're right!  Visit our new web site:  e-mergenow.org<http://e-mergenow.org>.  I honestly hope you guys will want to be at the conference as invited thought leaders.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 5:16 PM, Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com<mailto:wimberly3 at gmail.com>> wrote:
Nice of you to tell me and George what the point is.  We were faculty in the same public policy school and feel competent to decide for ourselves.

By the way, Ted Kaczinski, the Unabomber got a PhD at my alma mater.

Best,

Frank

Frank Wimberly
Phone (505) 670-9918<tel:(505)%20670-9918>

On May 3, 2017 5:08 PM, "Merle Lefkoff" <merlelefkoff at gmail.com<mailto:merlelefkoff at gmail.com>> wrote:
Frank--I have no doubt everyone on the list understands how important pre-K is. Again, that's not the issue. What happened in Santa Fe yesterday set back two important policy initiatives for reasons that were not entirely holy.

Thanks for the information about your wife being a graduate of Harvard.  (I can't resist) She joins notable fellow Harvard alums--just to name a couple from a very long list--like Jeffrey Skilling, former CEO of Enron (he'll be released in 2019), and also WOW! Jared Kushner, who was admitted right after his father Charles donated $2.5m to Harvard.  Daddy Kushner was released from prison in 2006. Jared has yet to release the U.S. government.

I have three degrees from Emory University.  Emory became prominent because of the largesse of the Coca-Cola Company.  There is no escape. We are all implicated.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 4:33 PM, Frank Wimberly <wimberly3 at gmail.com<mailto:wimberly3 at gmail.com>> wrote:
My wife Deborah graduated from the Harvard Graduate School of Education having specialized in early childhood development.  She has made it clear to me over the years that the benefits of pre-K are enormous cognitively and socially.  Is that clear to everyone or would references be helpful?

Frank
Frank Wimberly
Phone (505) 670-9918<tel:(505)%20670-9918>

On May 3, 2017 4:18 PM, "George Duncan" <gtduncan at gmail.com<mailto:gtduncan at gmail.com>> wrote:
Hey, Merle, I don't remember forgetting where the money for this campaign came from. According to the AP,

Campaign finance reports show New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg contributed $1.1 million to a pro-tax committee. The American Beverage Association spent $1.3 million against the tax.

Also, relevant is what organizations were for it and what organizations were against? Again according to the AP,

Spending by rival political committees pitted the American Beverage Association and allied local businesses against soda-tax backers including Bloomberg, teachers unions, the American Heart Association and the Roman Catholic Church.

Interesting allies to a "political mafia".

Yes, we do need pre-K and now with this defeat I see no path towards getting it.

George Duncan
Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University
georgeduncanart.com<http://georgeduncanart.com/>
See posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Land: (505) 983-6895<tel:(505)%20983-6895>
Mobile: (505) 469-4671<tel:(505)%20469-4671>

My art theme: Dynamic exposition of the tension between matrix order and luminous chaos.

"Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion."
From "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn.

"It's that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest power." Joanna Macy.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 3:18 PM, Merle Lefkoff <merlelefkoff at gmail.com<mailto:merlelefkoff at gmail.com>> wrote:
You forget George, that the political Mafia that runs Santa Fe city government not only put together a stupidly doomed proposal, but also brought in outside money that MATCHED the amount of money brought in by corporate interests.  Some of you may remember that $250,000 of outside money also came into the Mayor's race after the City Council had passed legislation to insure a citizen-funded municipal campaign.  As it turned out, the Mayor would have won without the extra money that local power brokers brought in from outside.  Another loss for local democracy and getting money out of politics.  Cry the Beloved City.  Because we really really need pre-K.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 10:29 AM, George Duncan <gtduncan at gmail.com<mailto:gtduncan at gmail.com>> wrote:
Anyone like to bet that we will now address these issues "rationally" so that there will be either funding for Pre-K or disincentives for sugary drinks? I will take the opposite side of that bet.

We now see the power of those corporate interests who will provide the millions of dollars needed to defeat any tax proposal that might hurt them. Some how I do not expect them to be funding Pre-K education by any means. Also any new proposal to tax sugary drinks will prompt their money to be put into opposition. Further note what our Governor said in response to yesterday's defeat about the public  mood to increase taxes.

Yes, elitists may well think that Pre-K dominates cheap soda. And, yes, elitists don't drink Coca-Cola and instead like Perrier water. So District votes hardly surprising.

Duncan

George Duncan
Emeritus Professor of Statistics, Carnegie Mellon University
georgeduncanart.com<http://georgeduncanart.com/>
See posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Land: (505) 983-6895<tel:(505)%20983-6895>
Mobile: (505) 469-4671<tel:(505)%20469-4671>

My art theme: Dynamic exposition of the tension between matrix order and luminous chaos.

"Attempt what is not certain. Certainty may or may not come later. It may then be a valuable delusion."
From "Notes to myself on beginning a painting" by Richard Diebenkorn.

"It's that knife-edge of uncertainty where we come alive to our truest power." Joanna Macy.

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 9:54 AM, Owen Densmore <owen at backspaces.net<mailto:owen at backspaces.net>> wrote:
Oh, and Elitism? Culturalism?

Well the south side districts overwhelmly trounced it: 69% & 73% Even the most liberal districts were 50-50.

   -- Owen

On Wed, May 3, 2017 at 9:45 AM, Owen Densmore <owen at backspaces.net<mailto:owen at backspaces.net>> wrote:
Voters smack down mayor’s beverage tax proposal

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/voters-smack-down-mayor-s-beverage-tax-proposal/article_3971faf0-2f9c-11e7-8374-532a52cd354f.html

Now maybe we can focus on health, pre-K, etc rationally rather than tying them together idiotically.

Quote:
Opponents resisted the proposed tax as an unfair overreach by city leaders and not the best way to fulfill a recognized need for expanding access to preschool programs.

Amen!

   -- Owen!

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Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org<http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
Saint Paul University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

merlelefkoff at gmail.com<mailto:merlelefoff at gmail.com>
mobile:  (303) 859-5609<tel:(303)%20859-5609>
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============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove

--
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org<http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
Saint Paul University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

merlelefkoff at gmail.com<mailto:merlelefoff at gmail.com>
mobile:  (303) 859-5609<tel:(303)%20859-5609>
skype:  merle.lelfkoff2

============================================================
FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv
Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College
to unsubscribe http://redfish.com/mailman/listinfo/friam_redfish.com
FRIAM-COMIC http://friam-comic.blogspot.com/ by Dr. Strangelove

--
Merle Lefkoff, Ph.D.
President, Center for Emergent Diplomacy
emergentdiplomacy.org<http://emergentdiplomacy.org>
Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
Visiting Professor in Integrative Peacebuilding
Saint Paul University
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

merlelefkoff at gmail.com<mailto:merlelefoff at gmail.com>
mobile:  (303) 859-5609
skype:  merle.lelfkoff2
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