In the Soviet Union, professionals, white-collar workers, and university-educated citizens were 2-3X more supportive of communism than semi-skilled laborers and factory workers. Being smart often just means being the best at being duplicitous and playing the status game well
In "The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich," William Shirer wrote about how shocked he was that "seemingly intelligent and educated" people parroted what they heard from Goebbels's propaganda campaigns. Some were scared. Some were playing the game well.
The smart people in the Soviet Union were the most supportive of communist ideology
I wrote more about this phenomenon here:

“Many have discovered an argument hack. They don’t need to argue that something is false. They just need to show that it’s associated with low status.” quillette.com/2021/04/03/per…

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More from @robkhenderson

20 Nov
Isaiah Berlin contrasts 2 theories of history

Personal theories stress character, purpose, and motives of individuals; these theories are viewed as vain and ignorant

Impersonal theories emphasize custom, culture, economics, and inevitability; viewed as serious and insightful
He writes that the "teleological" view is that individual responsibility is illusion. All disorder, disaster, suffering is because we don't understand the underlying meaning of things. If we understood the "real reason" behind events, we'd no longer suffer oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/0…
Whether due to mystical forces, physical cause-and-effect, or cyclical patterns of history, it's the view that "everything happens for a reason" and "it couldn't be otherwise." These theories rest on the belief that freedom of choice is ultimately an illusion.
Read 9 tweets
2 Nov
Echoes research about education, indicating that higher levels of education have zero effect on happiness because educated people's outcomes seldom match their expectations
Read 4 tweets
1 Nov
"the average audience member of The New York Post sits very close to the party and ideology of the average U.S. adult."

pewresearch.org/journalism/202…
Used to find it odd that anyone considered the NY Post "right-wing" or whatever. Until I observed members of the chattering class describe center-left academics as "right-wing." Then realized the typical member of the educated class is far to the left of the median citizen
Yep the chart shows that WSJ readers are to the left of the average U.S. adult. But their readership is still likely to the right of the typical member of the educated class. Most highly educated people, D or R, are left of the less educated in their party
Read 4 tweets
29 Oct
The Kim family in Parasite was not poor, but failed middle class. The dad lost $ starting businesses. Son and daughter took uni exam multiple times. It's why they did a bad job folding pizza boxes. Working class would do it fine. Bitter middle class think they're too good for it
This is also why critics adored Parasite. It allowed them to identify with resentful middle class people down on their luck (one of the greatest fears of affluent people; downward mobility) under the guise of feeling sympathy for the poor
My thoughts about Parasite with @RichardHanania here:
Read 9 tweets
28 Oct
'"I think it’s happening,” said Mr. Ahmed, the Gen Z consultant. “Do I think we control the power? No. But we’re pushing the envelope.” He confirms the laughing-sobbing emoji is dead: 'It’s an ironic thing, it’s kitschy. I would usually just say LOL.'" nytimes.com/2021/10/28/bus…
Good that compared to the past, we confer more esteem and respect to young people. More exhilarating to exist in institutions where people with greater narcissistic, Machiavellian, and psychopathic tendencies hold power. Keeps life interesting.
Young adults are also less kind, generous, and honest than older adults. Good indicator that they should be given more power and esteem.
Read 4 tweets
14 Oct
"Once we take account of genes...only the education of mothers matters: the association between mother’s education and child test scores is significant and large, whereas the association between father’s education and child test scores is insignificant" iza.org/publications/d…
To be clear, this is looking at effects above and beyond the role of genes. There is a genetic effect between father's education and children's test scores. But for genetically unrelated fathers, their education has no significant effect on children's test scores.
In contrast, the education of mothers of genetically unrelated children has a significant effect on children's test scores. Nearly equal to the education of biological mothers. Seemingly a powerful effect of nurture
Read 4 tweets

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