Most of those deaths probably had a positive or null effect, since they primarily occurred in the 65+ demographic.
edit: It is interesting to contemplate the possibility that the death of so many seniors exacerbated the inflation problem. That's a lot of assets that were previously tied up in retirement accounts and real estate that suddenly flowed into the hands of middle aged people.
Correct, parent comment is confused. UPS hires many seasonal employees, and even pays higher wages during the holiday season to all workers (Union and seasonal). After the holidays if the facility has need for more workers, some of the seasonal workers are offered permanent employment, after which time they become part of the Union.
I used to read the Economist and likewise gave it up in 2021 due to the creeping politicisation and simplification of their coverage. I think this is representative of a larger illness that is pervading Western journalism, an ideological illness that has journalists viewing themselves as school marms of the hoi polloi rather than reporters and analysts of fact.
My suggestion is to peruse smart political magazines from a diversity of sources. Four I can recommend for this purpose are
https://jacobinmag.com ("democratic socialist" a la Sanders. Critical of the Democrats from the left. Frequently critiques establishment policies on numerous issues, occasionally including foreign policy.)
https://www.tabletmag.com (Jewish conservative magazine. A useful balance to my other selections in that it is Zionist.)
https://www.theamericanconservative.com (This magazine is one of the few smart conservative publications. It is critical of Republican interventionist foreign policy and free trade ideology. It is very culturally conservative.)
https://unherd.com (This British magazine doesn't have a specific orientation. It leans slightly cultural conservative, but doesn't have a big bias on other issues in my view, and even on cultural topics it publishes feminist viewpoints.)
And then, since these magazines are all fairly contra-establishment, you can wash down their flaming hot takes with a nice glass of neoliberal apologetics, by simply visiting any other newspaper of magazine, and viewing either the headlines or the opinion section--they are pretty much indistinguishable at this point anyway.
Exactly. I loved how even in this piece he managed to sneak in some jabs at the people he doesn't like--he just didn't call them "misinformed." Progress!
This list is absurd for two reasons. First, it tunnel visions on tech companies without having the self awareness to note that most of the things it criticizes these companies for are shared by all capitalist enterprise. Just look at the list of evils committed by Amazon. Poor working conditions? Cutthroat competition? Seeking taxpayer subsidies? Manipulating the tax code to achieve a lower bill? Working closely with the government? Kowtowing to China?
How on earth are any of these things unique to Amazon or tech?
And the second flaw is resultant from Slate being a propaganda outlet for big city liberals--absolutely no mention of the campaign of Democrat supported free speech suppression that these platforms have embarked on.
The author seems bright and I'm sure he realizes this, but it is of course true that (what I assume to be) the premise of his article--that individual thriving is most important--is itself a core component of modern liberal ideology.
I'm not sure what you were doing in the gym, but for me lifting heavy and pushing the boundaries of what I can do every single time I'm in the gym makes it fun.
To clarify, when I said "neurotically conscientious" I was referring to two of the traits in the Big 5 personality assessment scheme--neoroticism and conscientiousness. So not an "atypical mind state" so much as an ingrained way of viewing the world.
So in response to "what personality traits would you associate with meat eaters?" I would say, closer to average levels of neuroticism and conscientiousness, and hence also closer to average levels of anxiety and depression.
This is nothing but conjecture, but my suspicion is that neurotically conscientious people are more likely to become vegan, and also more likely to be depressed and anxious.
Excellent point! There has often been a part of me that has secretly wished for a slightly more rigorous schooling, even if that would have meant some pain and sacrifice. There is so much that can be accomplished when one is young that can't be made up for later on (languages in particular). The movie "Whiplash" is thematically relevant--an emotionally abusive director of an elite music school orchestra, when confronted by the student he has been targeting, explains that he treats his pupils so poorly because he thinks that all of the pain is worth it if even one of them goes on to become a truly great musician.
Here is Orwell's essay about his time at a public school, "Such, Such Were the Joys." I, an American, had had a romantic view of these schools for years, after reading Harry Potter as a youngster. Reading this essay disabused me of my enchanted castle imaginings. It also speaks more generally of the cruelty of the old ways of thinking about children and sexuality.
edit: It is interesting to contemplate the possibility that the death of so many seniors exacerbated the inflation problem. That's a lot of assets that were previously tied up in retirement accounts and real estate that suddenly flowed into the hands of middle aged people.