So here is my Airing of the Grievances of all the ways you people have disappointed me this year:
#1: Fooled by randomness: Stop attributing every event to your preferred causation whether it is a person, other event, institution or aliens.
#1: Fooled by randomness: Stop attributing every event to your preferred causation whether it is a person, other event, institution or aliens.
#2: Did everyone forget about the concept of statistical noise from intro stats class? A tenth of percentage point whether in the stock market, GDP, a jobs report or almost any other economic, financial, or social indicator is irrelevant
#3: People that with the exception of a few weekends at the Shanghai Ritz have never been to China writing think pieces about China. My 8 year old could do a better job
#4: All you animals who forget all the research showing the President has at best minimal influence over the economy but yet somehow laud or criticize the President based upon the economy.
#5: "Experts" who have been so astoundingly wrong on China or have glaring red light conflicts of interest who are still consistently quoted on China. Being an "expert" is the only business you can be that wrong and be considered an expert
#6: People who never updated their priors. It's ok to wrong. It's ok to make a mistake. If you make the same mistake over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Maybe rethink why you're so wrong
#7: Almost all crises are not actual crises. Your inability to get vegan colored sprinkles for the ovo lacto free non sugar sugar cookies at Whole Foods on sale is NOT a crisis
#8: American democracy is not ending or in crisis. It is not facist, communist, or whatever -ist you may want to scream about. Democracy is a system of government not a person or a difference of opinion. Stop the histrionics
#9: The American is growing on long term trend and of major economies is at least the best house in a bad neighborhood. Japan? China? Europe? Things are going pretty well really
#10: I've never understood why people label me extreme, radical, or uber-hawkish. I hold positions like China is a real threat to liberal values. Alliances are good but realism about our allies important. I didn't hate Obama and I don't hate Trump. How on earth is that radical?
#11: Why is it now a mortal sin to work with people on a specific issue even if you don't agree with them on other issues? To get things done you need to build broad support across groups, not just your choir
#12: Almost no one is actually concerned about excessive power. Only concerned about excessive power when your opponent has it. I will actually believe parties are concerned about this issue when they voluntarily limit their own power
#13: The number of inconsistent beliefs that people hold in their head to make their desired beliefs reconcilable boggles my mind. If you reconciled your inconsistencies more, it would force you to hate your opponents less because they are a lot like your side
#14: The entirety of the US system of government is to PREVENT things from happening. People get frustrated or angry when it doesn't happen in Twitter time or when their opponent gets control lose the plot. Maybe there is an underlying logic at play?
#15: Laugh a little bit more. Seriously, life doesn't suck. The world for most people getting better. Laugh at yourself. Lot of angry people in 2019. I'm living in Vietnam. Lots of great nice people and you talk about people that didn't win the geographic lottery? Relax. Smile.
It's Christmas Eve in Saigon and 90 degrees or about 30 for all you Commies. Merry Christmas and time to enjoy some holiday cheer.
