Bush must be held accountable for the wars he started and mismanaged. However, he must also be given credit for PEPFAR, the program to combat AIDS in less developed countries.
Yes, if we're going to argue on consequentialist grounds that Bush wasn't one of history's worst presidents, I think that we need to first make a case that PEPFAR is phenomenally important. Dylan Matthews makes exactly that case at https://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8894019/george-w-bush-pepfar.
Something to add to the roundup: I thought Kelsey's appearance on the podcast Frames of Space to talk about AI was interesting. I particularly liked her rant at the end about AI boosters giving AI credit for things it hasn't done yet, like curing cancer.
Thanks so much for the shout-out! I must admit that my current views on AI have been ping-ponging back and forth between optimism and safteyism, but Kelsey definitely made some pretty convincing arguments in the direction of AI doomerism.
(Also, I do sincerely hope that Jerusalem adds any future podcasts of mine with Lakshya and Kelsey and co. to the roundup the next time I speak with them 😅)
I worked on a private event where Bush Jr spoke a few months ago. He was one of the most charming funny old guys I have ever come into contact with. He was up on stage just talking about his paintings of immigrants and cracking everyone up.
Trumps vile personality seems to be damaging our national psyche in a unique way, probably especially for children coming into political consciousness during this time. But Bush’s, and perhaps even Obama’s, insidious monster lurking beneath the surface of a friendly face seems like seems to have been an equally unhealthy status quo that we all grew used to.
It is extremely disturbing to see that highly educated liberal Democrats who lived through the first years of this century now look fondly on George W Bush as a kindly old man with whom they may have disagreed – but it wasn’t a big deal, they seem to think.
Ten Cent Beer Night in 1979? But we have Ten Cent Beer Night at home in 1999! I mean, of course, Knott’s Berry Farm’s Cinco De Mayo 5 Cent Admission promotion, which also ended in a riot.
I was 11y old and in the middle of it. The part that doesn’t seem well-documented is that it ended up attracting large numbers of members of rival gangs…who were then stuck in line together for hours. That was….”fun”?
"George W. Bush, for instance, made sincere efforts to display a high level of personal morality — no affairs, no personal financial corruption, and a public commitment to his faith."
Let's not automatically attribute people's virtues, such as they are, to "efforts to display ... morality." In some ways, people's lives simply are what they appear to be. I wouldn't want my no-affairs, no-corruption life chalked up to efforts.
"Here is a reel about a book called A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs, which combines two of my special interests, birds and dinosaurs."
I'm not sure whether or not I hate to be that guy but... Aren't these the same interest?
Bush must be held accountable for the wars he started and mismanaged. However, he must also be given credit for PEPFAR, the program to combat AIDS in less developed countries.
Yes, if we're going to argue on consequentialist grounds that Bush wasn't one of history's worst presidents, I think that we need to first make a case that PEPFAR is phenomenally important. Dylan Matthews makes exactly that case at https://www.vox.com/2015/7/8/8894019/george-w-bush-pepfar.
Something to add to the roundup: I thought Kelsey's appearance on the podcast Frames of Space to talk about AI was interesting. I particularly liked her rant at the end about AI boosters giving AI credit for things it hasn't done yet, like curing cancer.
Link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/kelsey-piper-on-whether-ai-will-kill-us-all/id1756833505?i=1000758919309
Thanks so much for the shout-out! I must admit that my current views on AI have been ping-ponging back and forth between optimism and safteyism, but Kelsey definitely made some pretty convincing arguments in the direction of AI doomerism.
(Also, I do sincerely hope that Jerusalem adds any future podcasts of mine with Lakshya and Kelsey and co. to the roundup the next time I speak with them 😅)
My fault it didn’t make this roundup, Andrew! I shared it in the wrong channel
No worries Kelsey! Maybe you guys could share it in next week's Closing Argument, if that's not too much to ask?
I worked on a private event where Bush Jr spoke a few months ago. He was one of the most charming funny old guys I have ever come into contact with. He was up on stage just talking about his paintings of immigrants and cracking everyone up.
Trumps vile personality seems to be damaging our national psyche in a unique way, probably especially for children coming into political consciousness during this time. But Bush’s, and perhaps even Obama’s, insidious monster lurking beneath the surface of a friendly face seems like seems to have been an equally unhealthy status quo that we all grew used to.
It is extremely disturbing to see that highly educated liberal Democrats who lived through the first years of this century now look fondly on George W Bush as a kindly old man with whom they may have disagreed – but it wasn’t a big deal, they seem to think.
Ten Cent Beer Night in 1979? But we have Ten Cent Beer Night at home in 1999! I mean, of course, Knott’s Berry Farm’s Cinco De Mayo 5 Cent Admission promotion, which also ended in a riot.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1999-may-06-mn-34646-story.html
I was 11y old and in the middle of it. The part that doesn’t seem well-documented is that it ended up attracting large numbers of members of rival gangs…who were then stuck in line together for hours. That was….”fun”?
Being churlish here, maybe, but...
"George W. Bush, for instance, made sincere efforts to display a high level of personal morality — no affairs, no personal financial corruption, and a public commitment to his faith."
Let's not automatically attribute people's virtues, such as they are, to "efforts to display ... morality." In some ways, people's lives simply are what they appear to be. I wouldn't want my no-affairs, no-corruption life chalked up to efforts.
What happened to “worst take of the week”? It was a valuable feature.
All the takes this week were good. Solid gold, no notes, zero bad takes published, maybe next week there will be a bad take published somewhere.
I like this new format
"Here is a reel about a book called A Field Guide to Mesozoic Birds and Other Winged Dinosaurs, which combines two of my special interests, birds and dinosaurs."
I'm not sure whether or not I hate to be that guy but... Aren't these the same interest?
That’s the joke
Dang. Not only did I miss it, I then attempted to make the same joke. Bell of shame.
Haha, in my song, "Let Love Live" I call him the ORANGE ELEPHANT. Here's a link to the video/song. ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrkJFKhna2w Eric