Comments for Shoq Value http://shoqvalue.com Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:35:44 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Comment on George Carlin on the American Dream (with transcript) by Scrambled Stuff | George Carlin On the American, This Is Why You Should Join #OccupyWallStreet Transrcipt:  There’s a http://shoqvalue.com/george-carlin-on-the-american-dream-with-transcript/comment-page-1#comment-23203 Scrambled Stuff | George Carlin On the American, This Is Why You Should Join #OccupyWallStreet Transrcipt:  There’s a Mon, 30 Apr 2012 19:35:44 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=2326#comment-23203 [...] more: http://shoqvalue.com/george-carlin-on-the-american-dream-with-transcript#ixzz1ZUETF6sN This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. « KNOW YOUR RIGHTS [...] [...] more: http://shoqvalue.com/george-carlin-on-the-american-dream-with-transcript#ixzz1ZUETF6sN This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. « KNOW YOUR RIGHTS [...]

]]> Comment on What a Peace of Work! by Bedding http://shoqvalue.com/BHOpeaceprize/comment-page-1#comment-23184 Bedding Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:35:04 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=206#comment-23184 <strong>Links...</strong> [...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]…... Links…

[...]Sites of interest we have a link to[...]……

]]> Comment on War on Mails: The Postal Service Crisis by Bedding http://shoqvalue.com/war-on-mails-the-postal-service-crisis/comment-page-1#comment-23183 Bedding Sat, 07 Apr 2012 20:12:11 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=1051#comment-23183 <strong>Recommeneded websites...</strong> [...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]…... Recommeneded websites…

[...]Here are some of the sites we recommend for our visitors[...]……

]]> Comment on Ayn Rand: The Wingnut Cult That May Yet Kill Us, If We Don’t Kill It First by Jgassen15 http://shoqvalue.com/ayn-rand-the-wingnut-cult-that-may-yet-kill-us-if-we-dont-kill-it-first/comment-page-1#comment-23171 Jgassen15 Mon, 26 Mar 2012 15:33:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=4805#comment-23171 In theory that would be wonderful, but it's not like conservatism doesn't already have its fair share of misgivings, going not only largely ignored by the party and its adherents, but in many ways distorted into some sort of success: e.g. Reagan and "God Bless Income Disparity" In theory that would be wonderful, but it’s not like conservatism doesn’t already have its fair share of misgivings, going not only largely ignored by the party and its adherents, but in many ways distorted into some sort of success: e.g. Reagan and “God Bless Income Disparity”

]]> Comment on Ayn Rand: The Wingnut Cult That May Yet Kill Us, If We Don’t Kill It First by James VanLaningham http://shoqvalue.com/ayn-rand-the-wingnut-cult-that-may-yet-kill-us-if-we-dont-kill-it-first/comment-page-1#comment-23168 James VanLaningham Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:57:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=4805#comment-23168 Excellent post. A major difficulty in refuting Objectivism, or any ideology lies with our cognitive processes; particularly the way in which we process information. Humans "store" information in "bundles" of related concepts called "schema". If I say "Dubya" to someone on the street, it will immediately trigger a flood of memories, opinions and emotions associated with the former President. These schema not only serve as an aid in storing information, they also help us interpret new information; if you notice your chicken breast is pink, past experiences and information may lead you to conclude it's a bad idea to eat it. The problem with this neurological structure is that information which is inconsistent with or which contradicts existing schema is likely to be forgotten, disregarded or altered so as to make it consistent with one's existing preconceptions. If you've been told that biological evolution is a lie dreamed up by secular humanists working for Satan by people you admire, if you've been fed Chick Tracts that falsely claim there are no "transitional" biological species, if you've been told that radio-carbon and other dating techniques don't work... then any contrary evidence will quite literally be forgotten or dismissed. It is worth noting here that racial and ethnic stereotypes are forms of schema. Shoq astutely identifies the horrific social costs of having public policy made by people buying into the Objectivist schema. Fortunately, schema can be broken down over time, despite the fact that they are largely impervious to evidence. The technique for doing so is called "expectational disconfirmation". It depends on forcing the subject to make predictions based on his existing beliefs. An objectivist like Greenspan repeatedly predicted that unregulated finance would behave ethically because of market constraints. Events have proven him so utterly mistaken that even a schema based on 50 years of accumulated items was shaken.  "Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholder's equity — myself especially — are in a state of shocked disbelief... I have found a flaw. I don’t know how significant or permanent it is. But I have been very distressed by that fact.”  The key here is in forcing Objectivists, or anyone imprisoned by a fact-free ideology like political conservatism or fundamentalist religion, to make predictions. If they blow enough predictions, and if those gaffes are constantly pointed out to them (and to potential adherents of the erroneous belief system)... they are at least more likely to alter their beliefs. Excellent post. A major difficulty in refuting Objectivism, or any ideology lies with our cognitive processes; particularly the way in which we process information. Humans “store” information in “bundles” of related concepts called “schema”. If I say “Dubya” to someone on the street, it will immediately trigger a flood of memories, opinions and emotions associated with the former President. These schema not only serve as an aid in storing information, they also help us interpret new information; if you notice your chicken breast is pink, past experiences and information may lead you to conclude it’s a bad idea to eat it.

The problem with this neurological structure is that information which is inconsistent with or which contradicts existing schema is likely to be forgotten, disregarded or altered so as to make it consistent with one’s existing preconceptions. If you’ve been told that biological evolution is a lie dreamed up by secular humanists working for Satan by people you admire, if you’ve been fed Chick Tracts that falsely claim there are no “transitional” biological species, if you’ve been told that radio-carbon and other dating techniques don’t work…

then any contrary evidence will quite literally be forgotten or dismissed. It is worth noting here that racial and ethnic stereotypes are forms of schema.

Shoq astutely identifies the horrific social costs of having public policy made by people buying into the Objectivist schema. Fortunately, schema can be broken down over time, despite the fact that they are largely impervious to evidence.

The technique for doing so is called “expectational disconfirmation”. It depends on forcing the subject to make predictions based on his existing beliefs. An objectivist like Greenspan repeatedly predicted that unregulated finance would behave ethically because of market constraints. Events have proven him so utterly mistaken that even a schema based on 50 years of accumulated items was shaken. 

“Those of us who have looked to the self-interest of lending institutions to protect shareholder’s equity — myself especially — are in a state of shocked disbelief… I have found a flaw. I don’t know how significant or permanent it is. But I have been very distressed by that fact.” 

The key here is in forcing Objectivists, or anyone imprisoned by a fact-free ideology like political conservatism or fundamentalist religion, to make predictions. If they blow enough predictions, and if those gaffes are constantly pointed out to them (and to potential adherents of the erroneous belief system)…

they are at least more likely to alter their beliefs.

]]> Comment on About MT Code by Have You Seen MT Instead of RT on Twitter? It Means Modified Tweet http://shoqvalue.com/about-mt-signal/comment-page-1#comment-23151 Have You Seen MT Instead of RT on Twitter? It Means Modified Tweet Mon, 19 Mar 2012 15:55:27 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?page_id=54#comment-23151 [...] MT had its genesis way back in 2009. Among the guidelines or reasons for using the MT designation that the author suggests [...] [...] MT had its genesis way back in 2009. Among the guidelines or reasons for using the MT designation that the author suggests [...]

]]> Comment on Ayn Rand: The Wingnut Cult That May Yet Kill Us, If We Don’t Kill It First by Anonymous http://shoqvalue.com/ayn-rand-the-wingnut-cult-that-may-yet-kill-us-if-we-dont-kill-it-first/comment-page-1#comment-23167 Anonymous Sun, 18 Mar 2012 06:32:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=4805#comment-23167 Good luck. Far far more virulent and establishment-entrenched writers than you -- and the ridiculous Monbiot and the parasite Gary Weiss -- have tried to "kill" Ayn Rand. The reason Objectivism is immortal is: it is correct. Good luck.
Far far more virulent and establishment-entrenched writers than you — and the ridiculous Monbiot and the parasite Gary Weiss — have tried to “kill” Ayn Rand. The reason Objectivism is immortal is: it is correct.

]]> Comment on Ayn Rand: The Wingnut Cult That May Yet Kill Us, If We Don’t Kill It First by Dks7785 http://shoqvalue.com/ayn-rand-the-wingnut-cult-that-may-yet-kill-us-if-we-dont-kill-it-first/comment-page-1#comment-23166 Dks7785 Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:01:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=4805#comment-23166 I wonder how many people on the religious right are aware that Ayn Rand was an inspiration for Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan and author of the Satanic Bible .  "I give people Ayn Rand with trappings" - Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan (to Kim Klein of the Washington Post, 1970) "Anton LaVey is quoted as having admitted that his religion was "just Ayn Rand's philosophy with ceremony and ritual added." "I imagine it would be pretty mind-blowing for some.More here:    http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/5/4/9476/33834 and here http://books.google.com/books?id=1ovVPyL6AmwC&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=%22Ayn+Rand+with+trappings%22&source=bl&ots=ZfZNSoetFM&sig=Vfk6rFuxyEAu5iBNlXQ8ii_EMTM&hl=en&ei=lRjBTaKODKbq0QGCluyPDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Ayn%20Rand&f=false  I wonder how many people on the religious right are aware that Ayn Rand was an inspiration for Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan and author of the Satanic Bible
.  ”I give people Ayn Rand with trappings” - Anton LaVey, founder of the Church of Satan (to Kim Klein of the Washington Post, 1970) ”Anton LaVey is quoted as having admitted that his religion was “just Ayn Rand’s philosophy with ceremony and ritual added.” “I imagine it would be pretty mind-blowing for some.More here:   
http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/5/4/9476/33834

and here

http://books.google.com/books?id=1ovVPyL6AmwC&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=%22Ayn+Rand+with+trappings%22&source=bl&ots=ZfZNSoetFM&sig=Vfk6rFuxyEAu5iBNlXQ8ii_EMTM&hl=en&ei=lRjBTaKODKbq0QGCluyPDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Ayn%20Rand&f=false 

]]> Comment on Ayn Rand: The Wingnut Cult That May Yet Kill Us, If We Don’t Kill It First by Wes http://shoqvalue.com/ayn-rand-the-wingnut-cult-that-may-yet-kill-us-if-we-dont-kill-it-first/comment-page-1#comment-23165 Wes Sun, 18 Mar 2012 04:58:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=4805#comment-23165 When I was young, foolish and college age, I bought into religious fundamentalism and Ayn Rand. If I'd known that one of her idols was a sociopathic killer, I might have felt differently about it. Now, years later, I know better than to believe simplistic nonsense like libertarianism. It has never worked in practice for anyone except the wealthy elite, and the more it's practiced, the greater the wealth divide in the crippled society that tries it. There are two concepts that everyone must understand to see where libertarianism fails. The first is "the tragedy of the commons." This refers to areas that everyone uses and no one owns, and in the macro sense includes the environment, atmosphere, the oceans, the water supply and so forth. The "tragedy" is that when they can be exploited by everyone because no one owns them, they will be overused for profit and eventually destroyed. One of the main functions of government is to prevent this - a duty that libertarianism denies because libertarianism claims that enlightened self interest will cause unregulated businesses to always, or usually, do the right thing. Historical evidence for this is, of course, absent. It's a policy based solely on "trust me." The other concept libertarianism misrepresents is freedom. The fact is that in even the best societies, the strong tend to dominate the less strong, the minorities. History clearly shows that without civil rights laws on public behavior, minorities will be poorly served. This applies to racial groups, religious groups, gender groups, and LGBT groups. Libertarianism would remove the legal anti discrimination protections for all minorities in two ways. First, that free speech is more important than anything else, so hateful, abusive, vicious discriminatory speech shouldn't be limited. Secondly, business owners have the right to determine who they serve, period. We've seen how that works, and we're not willing to live in a country like that any more. Any Rand had one thing right - the real enemy of all of us is the unholy alliance of big business and corrupted regulatory agencies. We, the people, and the representatives we elect must do a better job with that. But that's the price we pay for a healthy society. When I was young, foolish and college age, I bought into religious fundamentalism and Ayn Rand. If I’d known that one of her idols was a sociopathic killer, I might have felt differently about it. Now, years later, I know better than to believe simplistic nonsense like libertarianism. It has never worked in practice for anyone except the wealthy elite, and the more it’s practiced, the greater the wealth divide in the crippled society that tries it.
There are two concepts that everyone must understand to see where libertarianism fails. The first is “the tragedy of the commons.” This refers to areas that everyone uses and no one owns, and in the macro sense includes the environment, atmosphere, the oceans, the water supply and so forth. The “tragedy” is that when they can be exploited by everyone because no one owns them, they will be overused for profit and eventually destroyed. One of the main functions of government is to prevent this – a duty that libertarianism denies because libertarianism claims that enlightened self interest will cause unregulated businesses to always, or usually, do the right thing. Historical evidence for this is, of course, absent. It’s a policy based solely on “trust me.”
The other concept libertarianism misrepresents is freedom. The fact is that in even the best societies, the strong tend to dominate the less strong, the minorities. History clearly shows that without civil rights laws on public behavior, minorities will be poorly served. This applies to racial groups, religious groups, gender groups, and LGBT groups. Libertarianism would remove the legal anti discrimination protections for all minorities in two ways. First, that free speech is more important than anything else, so hateful, abusive, vicious discriminatory speech shouldn’t be limited. Secondly, business owners have the right to determine who they serve, period. We’ve seen how that works, and we’re not willing to live in a country like that any more.
Any Rand had one thing right – the real enemy of all of us is the unholy alliance of big business and corrupted regulatory agencies. We, the people, and the representatives we elect must do a better job with that. But that’s the price we pay for a healthy society.

]]> Comment on Why You Shouldn’t Use Twitter’s Built-In Retweet Feature Too Often by Anonymous http://shoqvalue.com/dont-use-twitter-retweets/comment-page-1#comment-23164 Anonymous Sat, 17 Mar 2012 23:14:00 +0000 http://shoqvalue.com/?p=2543#comment-23164 I appreciate you explaining these things to me. I had no idea. I appreciate you explaining these things to me. I had no idea.

]]>