The following is a letter to Luigi Zingales and Bethany McLean after listening to Season 2 Episode 76 […]
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Political correctness in any language is a debated topic. Politicians resign after using racial slurs. Popular children’s books […]
In one of my first political science lectures at university, I learned about path dependency. If it has […]
Political polarization is not only a problem of the US’ two-party system. Populism and the rise of right wing parties all over the world is contributing immensely to divided societies. There are divides on local, national, and international levels. Black Lives Matter versus Blue Lives Matter, right-wing versus mainstream politicians, China versus US.
Communication between opposite sides seems more and more difficult every day. This is very visible on social media, where objective discussions quickly turn into personal fights and streams of insults. But that is not how you create productive political discussion. Why is that and how can we solve it?
According to The Economist, it is accepted widespread knowledge, that inequality has increased. However, when looking at the data and accounting for changes in demographics (such as marital status), economic inequality has actually remained constant over the past decades (Check out the Economist’s The Intelligence Podcast from Dec 03, 2019: With allies like these: NATO’s bickering leaders hold a summit). Why has rising inequality become general knowledge, while the data is not clear on it? Because the actual inequality doesn’t matter as much as the effects of it and the effects of inequality might have actually changed significantly over the past decades.
In the past, technological change has been slow enough so that the largest part of the population could spend their career following one profession, more or less. From Benz’ first gasoline car in 1886 to Ford’s Model T in 1908, the first mass-produced car, there was enough time for all conservative horse carriage riders to retire, while the younger one’s quickly learned to drive cars instead. The impact would have been quite different if that change had happened in less than a decade, which is the speed of development we see today.
Regularly, I get asked how Uber, car sharing providers, and other mobility providers plan on making profit. How can you be cheaper than cabs, but have a similar business model? How can you make money with car sharing, when a ride only costs around 10 dollars? How is it possible to make money on scooters, that only cost one dollar per ride? But still, Uber, Mercedes, and venture capital companies keep spending millions, if not billions, on these ventures. Why? What is going to change? – Everything!
Since Edward Snowden, we know how much intelligence agencies, especially the US’ and its allied intelligence agencies, collect about ordinary citizens. Nothing is private and everyone can become the target. Is that something we should be worried about? Should we be worried about the absolute power enjoyed by intelligence agencies? If so, why isn’t anyone doing anything about it?
First, it needs to be said that I am a strong supporter of Winston Churchill’s statement: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time”. I fully believe in the value of democracy and I would not want to have it any other way. But, recent events in democratic countries have allowed for doubt that the intelligence of the masses will guide humanity safely and peacefully through time: the rise of right wing parties in Europe and a general disenchantment with politics.