Tweet

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

11 Apr, 10 tweets, 6 min read

The Covid pandemic is a dress rehearsal for challenges that await us in the near-term future, notably climate change, population expansion, ballooning wealth inequality and more. Mostly we've failed - not everywhere and in all ways. But we haven't done well. #onpoli #cdnpoli 1/10

The good news is that we've rediscovered our ability to make rapid, large-scale changes when needed. Many things seem impossible until they really need to happen. Previous generations - anyone who lived through a war - knew what's possible. Now we know too. #onpoli #cdnpoli 2/10

The bad news is even in response to temporary changes and sacrifices, selfishness kicks in far too early - particularly in wealthy, western nations. For every act of heroism and compassion, there have been petty, selfish, and stupid acts in counterbalance. #onpoli #cdnpoli 3/10

Most troubling is the basic resistance to authority - people far too used to their own privilege who resent ever being told what to do. They've turned "control" into a dirty word when it's only what binds us as a society - imposing limits on our impulses. #onpoli #cdnpoli 4/10

China and other Asian nations - blamed in the public consciousness somehow - have important lessons to teach us. They already wear masks during flu season as a normal expression of politeness. They respect authority reflexively. These are not bad traits. #onpoli #cdnpoli 5/10

It's fashionable to hate government in all forms - but being governed literally means control - submitting oneself to public authority. Few people enjoy that. But without it we're back to everyone for themselves. And we know it doesn't work. We know that. #onpoli #cdnpoli 6/10

The vast, global challenges we face in the future will require massive, organized change. We can disagree over how and what needs to change. But surely we can at least agree that massive change can't be based on everyone doing whatever they feel like. #onpoli #cdnpoli 7/10

We need to accept that some measure of control is the price we pay for civilized society. We need to stop reflexively hating being told what to do. We need to see following the rules as inherently good, as a service we perform for those around us. #onpoli #cdnpoli 8/10

Also we all need to participate more in politics. Why? Because participating in the system, even when we lose, legitimizes it. Government isn't some force external to real people. It's all of us, acting together. If we can't manage that, we're truly screwed. #onpoli #cdnpoli 9/10

We think we're at the finish line but we're not. The next big challenge is around the corner, and the next. Respect for government - based in wide participation and legitimacy - can't be optional. Soon, it will be required if we hope to survive at all. #onpoli #cdnpoli 10/10

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More from @JeffRybak

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

6 Feb

I have a confession to make about Universal Basic Income (#UBI). I'm late to the party and was initially very skeptical. It's not because I don't believe in the research or the important equity issues. I just thought people couldn't swallow it. I let cynicism win. #cdnpoli 1/12

As a double confession, I felt the same way about legalizing marijuana. I thought well, of course I support it. Makes good sense on many levels. But it's too hard to sell. People won't get it. Basically, I succumbed to the dark side of centrism. #UBI #cdnpoli 2/12

The pitch for #UBI is complex. It goes far beyond issues of social justice and equity. Of course common decency alone says we should allow everyone dignity, inclusion, and stability. But it isn't just about being nice and fair. It's also good social policy. #cdnpoli 3/12

Read 12 tweets

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

3 Feb

A few days ago I wrote at length about how wealth inequality is the defining issue of our time - undermining our ability to solve every other problem. It was well-received, but several people asked what to do about it. So I'll attempt a follow-up reply. #cdnpoli 1/10

There's no single solution to inequality in society, just as there's no single cause of it. What we need is a variety of measures aimed at stopping the slide in one direction, and nudging it back on a trajectory pointed the right way again. So here's a short list. #cdnpoli 2/10

A tax on actual wealth to start, and not just income. We're on track to see trillionaires in a few decades. That's insane. No one needs so much personal wealth that every descendant of theirs for 26 generations never needs to work. No one. #cdnpoli 3/10

Read 10 tweets

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

1 Feb

It's still too early to invite post-Covid deconstruction of what Covid really means, beyond many families suffering losses, massive disruptions in our lives, isolation, etc. But this latest snowbird controversy has pushed me to it. We need to talk about privilege. #cdnpoli 1/12

The widening gap in economic reality is the defining issue of our time. "We're in this together" isn't just a Covid slogan. It's the binding promise of society. As long as it's true, we can act together to solve our problems. When it stops being true, we're screwed. #cdnpoli 2/12

The only way we all have an equal stake in society is if we all have a fair chance to enjoy its rewards. And that's the promise, isn't it? Work hard, do well, dash of luck, and you too can be one of the winners. Even if you started from behind. Pull yourself up. #cdnpoli 3/12

Read 12 tweets

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

31 Jan

@StephenPunwasi

Far better informed people than me have commented on the actual winners and losers associated with #GameStop and the #RedditArmy attack on the stock market (see @StephenPunwasi to start) but what fascinates me is the political angle. Which is real, but also completely absent. 1/9

This incredible movement of dollars, headlines, and memes is fundamentally driven by frustration with elites winning endlessly in a game perceived to be rigged. Leaving aside whether the response is productive or destructive, the motivating force is clear, pure, and real. 2/9

This movement has been compared to everything from Trump-inspired insurrectionists to violent Antifa activists. Such comparisons, from every side, are unfair and miss the point. Because this movement hasn't taken any side politically and hasn't come close to breaking any law. 3/9

Read 9 tweets

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

23 Jan

I have a new appreciation for conservatives who believe in "me first" politics. They believe the haves should keep what they have, the have-nots should stop looking for hand-outs, and that's the way it is. It's ugly, selfish, and short-sighted. But it's honest. #cdnpoli 1/8

I've been wondering why so many otherwise lucid right-wingers believe insane things about progressive leaders and politics. They can't accept it's about helping people and redistributing wealth. They believe in satanic, pedophiliac, supervillain Socialism. Why? #cdnpoli 2/8

My theory is that intelligent people who can see human suffering, and who understand they have enough to share but don't want to share, suffer from cognitive dissonance. They want and need to believe they are good, but also know they are selfish. So what to do? #cdnpoli 3/8

Read 8 tweets

Jeff Rybak🍁😷

@JeffRybak

14 Nov 20

I was asked recently about divisiveness on twitter, and how I engage reasonably with a range of different people and opinions. It led me to some interesting thoughts I'd like to share, and which may be useful to anyone - even people who hate my opinions otherwise. 1/10

First off, let me say it's hilarious to be cited as a model for constructive engagement. In real life, I'm considered blunt and tactless, if not an outright asshole. But I maintain roughly the same tone here, while others crank it up to 100. There's a lesson in that alone. 2/10

The big thing is this. I don't consider twitter to be the main outlet for my social engagement. I see great value in social media. Talking to one another is good. Shouting all the time, maybe less good, but still it's something. In the end though, it's all hashtag activism. 3/10

Read 11 tweets

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