December Deductions 2020; Day 26

 I think today will be the last of the rules of thumb, tomorrow we'll go back to reason and arguments. But first:

Praise in Public, Reprimand in Private. 

This is an excellent rule to follow for anyone who has any sort of authority over others. Following this will generally result in higher morale, higher productivity, and just a better culture around you in general. Praising someone publicly not only gives them recognition, but it also shows others what you consider to be praiseworthy, and so what they should do to earn your praise on their own. Reprimanding in private preserves the dignity of the other person, gives them an opportunity to provide explanation, and gives you the opportunity to judge if correction and education will work, or if it's time to consider letting them go. Harsh, but true. 

Praising in private doesn't tend to do a lot of harm, you just miss out on some of the benefits, but reprimanding in public does a lot of harm. Not only does it turn the conflict into something very one-sided and final, since they can't really provide a reasonable explanation when they're having to defend themselves publicly, but it also causes others to be hesitant to act as well. Ruling through fear doesn't work these days, not unless you're a dictator who can actually execute people, so please don't try. Take the time to properly address the issue, not just turn it into a major problem. 

That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and otherwise have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 25

 Today we're continuing with those rules of thumb. 

If it's not your business, don't attack it. 

This obviously sounds a lot like yesterday's, but it's important enough to me to make an entire post on the topic. A lot of people like to butt into other people's business, and they're rarely nice about it. I've done it, most people I know have done it, it's a common thing to do as humans. We need to not do that. 

A really good example of this is someone's gender. I could literally go into a full dissertation on how gender works and why very few of the loudest people talking about it are getting it right, but for the sake of your sanity I can sum it all up in one simple phrase: The two situations in which what happens to be in someone's pants should matter to you are if you are their doctor or if they want you in them as well. Bar none. If it doesn't kill you to call someone by their preferred nickname ("Bob" instead of "Robert" for instance), it won't kill you to use someone's preferred name in general, or preferred pronouns. Otherwise, even if they're "wrong" about their gender, let them be, it doesn't affect you in the least. Get over yourself.

The same thing applies with personal problems; if you're just going to shit on someone for their problems, don't bother. You're wasting your time, doing harm, and nothing good is coming out of it. You can spend your time better by just shutting up and finding something else to occupy your mind. 

Seriously, the concept of "mind your own business" is so old it hurts, and yet people still aren't getting it. Just let people live. 

OK, I'll shut up now. Thanks for reading, and as I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 24

 The next few posts are going to be rules of thumb I find to be very helpful in day-to-day living. Let's start with the first one:

If it does no harm, don't attack it. 

Now, you probably immediately thought of stuff online, but this comes in handy in a lot of ways. A great example is spiders; they're small, they can creep us out, but 99 times out of 100, they don't want to be anywhere near you, and they take care of other pests that can cause harm. Don't get me wrong, there are some species of spider you should be sure to remove, like the brown recluse, but for most of those calling a pest control expert is better than trying to handle it yourself. If they're invading your living space, then find ways to remove them, but if you can, do so without hurting them. I say this as someone who, thanks to a quirk in my brain, can literally go into convulsions upon seeing them, so if anyone has cause to want them gone, it's me. 

Of course this does apply to online stuff too. A lot of people have a lot of hobbies that other people don't understand, everything from interest in a particular IP to strange kinks not everyone thinks are okay. By and large, if they're not hurting anyone, don't waste your time and energy attacking them. Furries aren't going to take over the world, Marvel fans and DC fans will keep arguing but that's as far as it generally goes, and those people you know that like to be tied up, blindfolded, and left completely in the hands of someone else are generally doing so safely and with consent. It's okay to let people enjoy things. 

As a side note: if you wish to encourage others to follow this rule, do so gently. Attacking people for attacking people just makes them feel like they were right to do it. That, and it's usually a lost cause if they get defensive. You have limited time and energy, maybe don't waste it on trying to hurt people for hurting people. That doesn't tend to help much in the end anyway. 

Well, that's all for today. As I've said before if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and otherwise have a good day. Goodbye!

P.S. Yes, I know this is late. I'm sorry about that. 

December Deductions 2020; Day 23

 Today we're going to face a harsh reality; my last tip doesn't fix everything, it doesn't give complete control, and it can be tracked and undone, but that's also a good thing. 

Any system can be exploited, but the people that know the system know how it can be done. 

This is obviously somewhat topical, as there was a system that many people who are not experts on that system insisting it was exploited, but can't tell you how, while the actual experts are saying it wasn't exploited because they know how it could have been exploited, it was checked repeatedly, and therefore wasn't exploited. 

This is something that is generally true of any system. Yes, those that know a system can bend it in many strange ways to get what they want or need, but anyone else who knows the system just as well will know how to do that. There are very few systems that have so few experts that major exploitation can exist. The more a system is used, the more people are likely to understand it. So if a system is used my millions of people, and administrated by tens of thousands of people on an local level, it's almost impossible for large-scale exploitation of that system to go unnoticed. 

Now, that doesn't mean a system can't be noticeably exploited and the guilty parties get away with it. For instance, the fact that we all know what a "swing state" is should tell you that the electoral college, as a system, is exploitable, a lot of people know how to do it, it's regularly exploited, and no one gets in trouble for it. There's also the possibility that the exploitation can be discovered, but tracing it back to a source isn't possible. That situation is fairly common in cyber-attacks, where we can see the results of the attack, even fix the problem, but can't definitively trace it back to it's exact origin point, though we can usually get some idea from out intelligence community. 

That's it. If you plan on exploiting a system, be aware that someone else probably can too and will know how you did it, so I suggest not doing something that can force you to face punishment. Anyway, as I've said before, if you're following along, I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020, Day 22

 Alright, today's tip is probably one of the hardest for me to teach, because I don't really know how to describe it, so we're going to do a really wide overview. 

Learn the system; Use the system. 

One of the biggest mistakes I see people make consistently is thinking that because the system doesn't function well for the purpose we need it to, we need to work outside the system to change it, or completely replace it. You can check history, that doesn't really work well. Even in instances where people think that someone was bucking the system and succeeded, many times they were just using a different part of that system. Case in point: the United States Revolution. We think that by writing the Declaration of Independence and fighting a war they were destroying the previous system, when they were actually using it. The Declaration of Independence acted as a diplomatic document, and war was, and still is, a diplomatic action. They simply used the tools and systems available internationally to reach their goals, namely to cut themselves off from the British Government. 

Learning a system is the key to success with that system. Part of learning a system is learning what systems affect it, so you can sometimes go outside the system to use the system. In the United States, almost every system that is related to the government can be affected by contacting your elected officials, for instance. Learning when to use the workarounds can be very important. 

One of the best examples of how to handle this particular issue comes from the Pixar film "The Incredibles." Early in the film, you see the main character, Bob Parr, working in an insurance company. His boss gets upset because Bob's customers have become "experts" at getting their claims handled, which we see Bob helping one client with just that. That level of expertise allows him to use the system to help people reach their goals. 

That's how you can win even when the system is set up against you, find someone who knows the system, or learn the system very well yourself. Experts on various systems, whether it be government systems like Social Security, corporate systems like medical insurance, or even computer systems, get paid a lot for their expertise, because they can make things happen. That's how one can succeed, learn the system, because once you learn the system, you can use the system, exploit the system, and even change the system when you press the right buttons. 

That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 21

 Today's another break day. You've earned it, so let's do something fun. You've seen me write essays, obviously, but let's see if I can write something else. I'm going to go grab a few short writing prompts, and just put the results here. If you feel inspired, take some time and try it out yourself. 

Poetry prompt - Vessel: Write about a shit or other vehicle that can take you somewhere different from where you are now. 

There's a van in the wood. 

In the van is a bed. 

By the bed is a shelf

full of books to be read. 

There's a book on the shelf

With red letters on back

Worn and decayed

But I can see "Jack." 

In the book there's a plant

That reaches up in the sky

Above all the clouds

Above birds that fly. 

Jack climbed up the stalk

And came down again

He learned to be good

To family and friends. 

The story ends there.

I close with a sigh,

That excellent novel. 

It took me so high. 

The book's back on the shelf;

The van's still in the wood;

I'm going on home, 

But not quite for good.

Some day I'll be back

To sit back on that bed,

There's another adventure

On which I must head. 

Prose Prompt: Choose an animal and write about it.

There once was a cat named Mars. He knew that was his name, but he didn't know why or how. His people used to when it was time for good things, like food, or treats, or sleep. They sometimes used it when he did something they didn't like, but he knew they didn't hate him. If they hated him they wouldn't keep loving him, and yet every day they call his name, and there's fresh food in his dish, a treat in their hand, and a warm bed to share. "If that's not love," Mars purred to himself, "I don't know what is." 

Paragraph prompt: Write something that begins with the word "hello."

Hello, my name is Mark Scott, and I'm here to tell you about the amazing world of vacuum cleaners! Have you ever noticed that your carpets get dusty, that there are webs in the corners of your ceiling, or that there's just a bunch of dirt in a place you can't quite reach? Well I have the product for you! Take this here vacuum cleaner, attach the hose and nozzle, turn it on and wowee, it'll suck up anything! OK maybe not anything. Maybe just dust and other small things. But still, it's pretty neat, right? No? What do you mean everyone already has one? I'm 50 years too late!? Oh boy, I better go back and tell the boss. Goodbye!

Alright, that's enough creative writing for one day, if you can call that creative. It was fun enough, and I hope you enjoyed reading. As I've said before, if you're still following along I'll "see" you in tomorrow's post, and have a great day! Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 20

 Wow, you've made it two thirds of the way through this month. Based on what I've seen so far, that's an accomplishment. 

You're doing great. 

Remember that rule of thumb I mentioned? Everyone is doing their best? Well, I think today we're gonna focus on helping each of us understand that applies to ourselves as well. It's very easy, especially for those of us with stress, anxiety, or mood disorders to fall into the trap of believing that every time something goes wrong, it's because we messed up, because we didn't try hard enough. The problem with that is if you really look at it, 99 times out of 100 you literally did everything you could have with the information you had at the time. Sometimes our best doesn't look great, whether it be because we ran out of steam, had the wrong info, or just miscalculated, we still mess up, but that doesn't mean we're horrible people. 

If you've been following along this month, or reading this at a later date, you've been exposing yourself to a lot of stressful, annoying, and difficult concepts to swallow. You've been working hard, believe it or not, and you deserve a few moments out of your day to admit that to yourself. I know to a lot of us it feels weird or wrong, but believe me, acknowledging how hard you've worked is just as important as acknowledging someone else's hard work. 

So please, take a few moments, and just thank yourself for what you've been able to do, big or small. You've done things to help other people, maybe just tiny things, but you've done 'em! You've done things to keep yourself going, even if it's just the basics, you had to put in the effort to get them done. In most cases, because of the effort you put into the world around you and the people you love, the universe is a better place than it would be without you putting in that effort. So take a moment and acknowledge that. 

Alright, take a deep breath, and let's continue on in our respective days. Thanks for coming to hang out with me today, and if you're following along, I'll "see" you in tomorrow's post. Have a great day! Goodbye! 

December Deductions 2020; Day 19

 Today we're going to talk about heroes, and why we need to be careful about them. 

Admiration is good, hero worship is not. 

I've described to you what the genetic fallacy is, but for review, it's the fallacy that judges an idea based on where it came from, rather than its actual merits. We talked about an example of this yesterday, when I mentioned the bandwagon effect, and the hypothetical example of going on a juice cleanse because an instagram model liked it. That specific version of the genetic fallacy, where we believe something based solely on the fact that someone we admire believes it, is hero worship. 

Hero worship causes problems in the belief acquisition process. Instead of appealing to an authority on a subject, we give our heroes authority on all subjects in our mind. We see this happen a lot, and we've seen it especially in the last decade or so here in America, with a lot people doggedly following their preferred politician, agreeing with them on every subject, fighting for their beliefs rather than one's own. 

Hero worship acts as a broken version of a legitimate form of argument: an appeal to authority. An appeal to authority generally uses the expert opinion from someone who is an actual authority on the subject at hand as evidence for an argument. For instance, if Neil Gaiman, one of the best writers alive today (in my opinion), were to give a talk about storytelling, I would probably consider almost anything he said in there to be expert opinion, and at least somewhat convincing in an argument regarding storytelling. 

Hero worship does the same thing, except it denies this basic fact: an expert in one thing is not necessarily an expert in anything else. We start with a simple belief that this person is an expert in something we care about, whether founded or unfounded, and then just let our minds run rampant with that. Really trust that politician? Then follow their random career advice! Think you've fallen for that actress? Spend your money on the products she recommends. That kind of thing. Don't do it. 

Still, it's not bad to admire someone, even to aspire to be like them in some way. I deeply admire Neil Gaiman, as you may have already guessed, and some day I'd like to develop a more fluid and enjoyable writing style, like his. That being said, if Neil Gaiman gave me a suggest on who to vote for in regards to fiscal policy, I should probably only consider that about as useful as any random person saying it. Now, if a former secretary of the treasury department were to make such a recommendation, backing it up with analysis based on their time in the office, then that's something more like an expert opinion. It's important to know that those two people are two different people. I would gladly take Neil Gaiman's advice on writing, but I don't think I'm going to get good writing advice from an economist. 

Our heroes should help us define who we are and who we want to be, but never should they be all that we are or want to be. Devoting yourself to becoming just like your hero denies one of the most valuable things about you: you're you. No one else can be you, and frankly, you can't really be anyone else. Be the best you that you can be, and decide carefully what that means to you, but don't try to be someone else. There's nothing wrong with looking up to a fitness expert, but don't try to have their exact body type. The same goes for a musician; learn from them, be inspired by them, but don't try to copy them. Every hero you have should be someone you admire for a reason, or multiple reasons, but you should also be willing to admit that person's faults. If you find you can't, you may need to reassess how you see them in relation to yourself. 

TL;DR: it's okay to admire people, to let them inspire you, but don't let their existence consume you. You're important too. 

That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 18

 Today's should be short, it's just a very simple concept that most people already get. 

Improvement rarely comes without change, but not all change is improvement. 

People like to use the viral quote “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Side note: this was never said by Einstein that scholars know of, it just got misattributed to him at some point. The point of the quote is somewhat accurate, if you want to improve, you need to change something about how you're living. 

That being said, "change for change sake" is generally not helpful either. 

Sometimes changing things to how they once were is helpful. Sometimes keeping some aspects the same will result in better results than a sweeping change. Sometimes, you're already on the road to improvement, and you just need to keep doing what you're doing. Pushing forward doesn't mean constantly changing things, it just means you continue to put forth the effort. 

Make your choices on changes based on whether or not the change will be worth it, not based on a simple desire to add in more change. Comparing risks, effort required, and potential gain will be more useful than focusing on whether or not you changed something recently. 

Also, don't fall into the trap that since a lot of other people are seeming to benefit from a change, you should try it too. That's the bandwagon effect, and it's not terribly useful. Look into what's actually going on, and if it's new information to you, or if maybe something related to it in your life has changed since you last considered it, then sure, maybe it's a worthwhile change. Just, don't suddenly decide to go on a juice cleanse because an instagram model you follow did it and liked it. 

That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following along I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!

December Deductions 2020; Day 17

 Today we're going to talk about something that comes in very handy when trying to understand current events. You've heard the phrase "don't put all your eggs in one basket," which means don't devote all your resources to one thing that can fail, use multiple baskets so that if one fails, you still have some eggs. This is a news related corollary of that:

Don't get all your eggs from the same basket. 

Internationally, the concept of news programming is somewhat broken. Sometimes, like in the USA, they're all based on what pays the most, because we failed to protect against that. Since ratings and views pay, we get content that's selected, written, and presented to entice us, rather than inform us. In some nations they have just state-run media, which inevitably becomes little more than an arm of government control. In some nations, they have a combination of the two, with both benefits and detriments of both. Still, news is something we consume, because we want to understand what's going on. 

One of the easiest traps to fall into when it comes to news is the false idea of neutrality of a single source. FOX News has been labeled the "most trusted" news source, and many of their regular viewers only get their news from FOX. Every major network in the USA is the same in that aspect, they convince their viewers that they are truly neutral, and therefore accurate, and try to entice their viewers to watch only them. That's where things like exclusive interviews and those horrible opinion shows on news networks come from. It's all about getting more views, and it's not great. 

Still, there is a certain level of accuracy news organizations generally have to maintain. Outright lies from a news organization will be met with lawsuits, for instance, so they tend to avoid that. Like we talked about in my posts about word choice, they'll often do that through carefully wording things so they're not legally a lie. The important thing to remember is that all of these news sources have bias, some much more than others, but none are truly neutral. 

As a result, it's important not to get caught in a news echo-chamber, and only getting your news from one source, or from sources that almost always agree with each other on the interpretation of the facts. You'll need to get your news from multiple sources with different biases to get a better picture of what's really going on. That on it's own won't create an extremely accurate picture, but it will at least give you an idea of what pieces of interpretation are in dispute. 

These days, getting your news from multiple sources is pretty easy, since there are apps and commentators that will do it for you. News highlight shows on YouTube, like the Philip DeFranco Show, often mix in and note the differences from multiple sources. Apps like Google News on Android devices will choose what sources to give you based on which ones you've actually interacted with, so you can keep it coming from many sources by going to many sources. None of these are perfect, but they do help. 

In addition, it helps to understand the difference between news and news commentary. In some cases, there's a nice, clean line, like when the anchor says a key phrase like "I think," or "to me," but most times there isn't. There are cases where entire shows should be treated as news commentary, like any opinion show regardless of what network its on. Generally, the more famous the anchor, the more likely that they're leaning on commentary more than just the news. As you experience news from multiple sources, you'll get better at knowing when they've started to add their own spin to it. Obvious bias is nice in that it makes it clear when they've stopped being objective. Stating a motive for action that wasn't stated by the person making the action is a common example, they can't know, but they'll go ahead and imply that an alleged criminal committed a crime because of one of the anchor's pet causes. 

All of this makes it sound like to understand anything you need to spend hours and hours comparing sources, that's really not the case. A few good sources will be all you need to get the gist of a situation. For me, I prefer to try to find the news sources that are generally rated as high in accuracy, with moderate bias as opposed to significantly left or right. Once I get the gist of a situation, I'll often decide I don't need the details, and be able to move on. If I decide I need details, that's when I start going in deep, looking for other sources, looking for raw footage on social media, etc. Don't spend a lot of your personal resources on researching something that you really don't need to exhaust yourself over, most news stories are over within 24 hours, replaced by the next sensational story. 

To sum up: if you're taking in the news, don't take it from just one source, or from very similar sources, branch out to avoid getting sucked into the bias of the sources you naturally gravitate towards. 

That's all for today. As I've said before, if you're following alone I'll "see" you in the next post, and have a great day. Goodbye!