Human petri dishes and COVID-19

17 March 2019

A Canadian friend of mine now facing the public panic around COVID-19 spread asked me about the situation in Korea. I sent him the following. There is nothing novel in my assessment, but I thought that it encapsulates my view well enough to post here for posterity or others' curiosity.

Korea is Korea. We're not in Daegu, so we don't feel the deep fear here. But everyone wears masks all the time, even hiking in the mountains. Well, almost everyone. Those of us who don't wear a mask can get strange, accusing looks. All the science says that the masks don't really help unless you're around people aspirating. I do wear them on public transportation, though. So people are taking it very seriously and worrying about it a lot. Kids have been out of school for a month so far. My semester just started yesterday after a two week delay and we're teaching online. The school gave me hand sanitizer (even though there is a sink and soap in my office) and some masks. There is hand sanitizer everywhere, even on the buses. Everything is shut down and social activities have been minimized. Delivery services are having a heyday. It's like quasi-quarantine.

And it's working...or at least seems to be. But, even though there is fear and suspicion, there hasn't been any real stockpiling. Well, except masks. There is a shortage of masks and they are now rationed out at pharmacies. You can only buy them once a week on a day of the week determined by your birth year.

That said, I think closing things down, though extreme, is probably the best thing to do right now. I'm all about the "flattening the curve" argument and also the Spanish Flu argument. We have to flatten the disease incidence curve (or whatever it is called). Coronavirus doesn't pose much more than the risk of a serious and unpleasant bout of flue to most of us, but it is nasty to older people. Older people who get infected are likely to need life saving, ICU kind of care. But ICU supplies are limited, so if they get full, doctors have to let people die because they don't have the facilities to treat them, even though they might be able to save their lives. And COVID-19 is infectious as fuck. So if we want to save lives, we need to stop people from spreading the infection, even if they are healthy.

And then there is the Spanish Flu of 1918-19 example. It started off the same way, mainly infecting the elderly and compromised, but as it travelled the globe it mutated into something that would kill just about anyone. Death estimates range from 17m to 50m and even as high as 100m. I don't think we want that to happen again. So we have to allow COVID-19 no room to mutate by reducing the size the of the human Petri dish.

Stay safe. Stay healthy.

Dirt spoons and procedural justice

28 November 2019

Reuters has published a story on how 'dirt spoons' are turning against the current president as their hopes for the future evaporate. And indeed "good" job opportunities for the youth are harder than ever to come by. Youth unemployment has fluctuated around 10% over the last five years or so. Though it is now at the lowest during that period, it is not clear that the jobs are those that college-educated youth are seeking (and almost all youth are college educated).

The interesting shift for me is in the pursuit of justice. Under the prior, conservative government, social movements were mainly calling for redistributive justice. Now, with a more progressive government in power, they are calling for procedural justice, for a leveling of the playing field between the top 20% and the bottom 80%, just as in the article. (Reeves' Dream Hoarders is selling well here.)

It is unclear to me whether or not this is an ideological move by conservatives, who used the pretense of the abuse of class privilege to oust an otherwise progressive Minister of Justice who planned to implement major reforms to the justice system. It may also be a move to shift attention away from structural injustice.

Either way, tensions are brewing in South Korea.

One country and two systems

18 November 2019

The parallels between the language used in China and the language used by Trump are growing uncanny for me. I have previously written that I believe the best way to know what is going on with Trump is to listen to his accusations of others. The following quote from the People's Daily seems to be just such an example.

Justice, dreams and the future can only be discussed on the basis of humanity, and dialogue and communication will help solve dissidents and contradictions. When it comes to the question of ending violence, it is time for all the people in Hong Kong to stand up and say no to violence loud and clear. --- People's Daily

It seems to me that this is exactly what the Hong Kong people are doing. It is time for the police and Beijing to "say no to violence loud and clear". By this, of course, I mean that it is incumbent upon the government to stop its own violence and engage in genuine dialogue. This, however, seems highly unlikely since the government continues to express it's own refusal to compromise and enter a meaningful, human dialogue. According to The Guardian, the People's Daily issued an editorial today that translates as:

What we are facing today is a struggle between safeguarding 'one country, two systems' and destroying it. --- The Guardian
On an issue involving national sovereignty and the future of Hong Kong, there is no middle ground and absolutely no room for compromise. --- The Guardian

To be fair, the People's Daily today reports a statement seemingly similar to the first as:

The combat against violence has evolved into a fight between standing for and against "one country, two systems" principle. --- People's Daily

While the language is more calm, the message is the same...and the intent becomes clear in the second quote. I don't know which translation to believe, but I am biased toward the Guardian's translation, since the People's Daily is hopelessly one-sided in its reporting. (It is quite revealing to read the paper's English reporting on Hong Kong. While every wound to pro-Beijing supporters and Hong Kong police are reported, the wounds being inflicted on the protestors goes unmentioned. I can't even find anything about the protestors who have been shot. The spin is incredible. Trump could learn a few things.)

If it is a stark choice between one country or two countries, perhaps it is time to consider the second option. If the PRC truly cares for the people rather than its own wealth and power, this should not be such a difficult consideration. Choosing to respect the interests of the people and to reflect them in governance is precisely Mao's ideal. And after all,...

There should be no double standard when it comes to political violence. --- People's Daily

Korea University and Hong Kong

13 November 2019

I am encouraged that my class last evening was disrupted at the beginning by the sounds of a student organized demonstration against totalitarian practices being exercised in Hong Kong to limit citizens' freedom to determine their own futures. I am further encouraged by the small table set up by the back entrance to the university promoting Hong Kongers' cause and inviting passersby to add their own voice to our own Lennon Wall. I am also encouraged that there will be an event on Korea University's campus this evening at 7pm to talk about Hong Kong.

As the Hong Kong police and the PRC step up the violence against Hong Kong citizens, including incursions onto campuses, it is more important than ever to decry these practices and to praise and support those who are sacrificing their own safety and future to protect our freedom to shape our own futures. As I wrote below, Hong Kong's struggle is our struggle. Democracy is under attack throughout the world. It is not perfect, but if we do not defend it, we will wind up serfs following the orders of the global elite. Democracy is our armor. And it is time to fight.

If you are an academic, you might consider signing this Petition by Global Academics Against Police Brutality in Hong Kong.

70 years and stains

01 October 2019

So China has stained its 70th anniversary with the blood of protesters in Honk Kong. After Xi Jinping vowed to pursue "peaceful reunification", HK police shot a protester, putting him in critical condition. The policeman, of course, claims that he felt that the lives of his colleagues and himself were threatened, but it is not clear why one should trust that story. There does seem to be a wider spread use of petrol bombs today, but it is more likely that this is a deliberate gesture intended to intimidate the protesters.

Celebrations and demonstrations

01 October 2019

Though China's military parade was much more impressive than Trump's feeble 4th of July showing, ultimately it plodded along as a ridiculously boring demonstration of the country's military might. (Who actually gets off on military parades? Maybe just politicians with big buttons?)

Either way, the more important issue is that Xi Jinping reasserted the PRC's commitment to subordinating Hong Kong and Taiwan, just as is has Tibet and Xinjiang. Xi stated that Hong Kong and Taiwan must be peacefully unified with China. He also stated that the Chinese military will "resolutely protect world peace", which---as we know from our experience with late-19th century imperialism and US expansionism---refers to China's vision of world peace and is a way of justifying violent intervention in any sphere that threatens an empire's power. That is to say that China will surely justify violence to bring peace. And true to form, there is a new report suggesting that the supposed "rotation" of PLA forces in August was actually a reinforcement that doubled the size of the PLA's presence in HK.

During the artificially enthusiastic display of patriotism, Joshua Wong, a prominent participant in Hong Kong's fight for democratic practice and rights, tweeted that everyone should "call on [their] government to exert diplomatic pressure on Beijing". Here is the letter I sent to my Congressional representatives.

Dear Senator/Representative,

Today is a momentous day for China and for Hong Kong. At today's 70th anniversary celebration, Xi Jinping has restated the PRC's ultimate commitment to integrating Hong Kong and Taiwan into its authoritarian, anti-democratic political system.

This immediately threatens the human rights of Hongkongers and their freedom to make choices about their own lives. Those bold individuals protesting in Hong Kong are fighting for the same democratic principles and human dignity that are currently under threat throughout much of the world, including our own nation.

I am writing to encourage you to press forward with more active and visible Congressional support for democratic practice in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's fight today may be ours tomorrow.


Hong Kong and heroes

17 September 2019

The protests in Hong Kong should be the 21st century's "shot heard round the world". Just as those first shots fired outside Boston signaled the beginning of almost a decade of fighting for Americans' right to self-determination, the ongoing protests in Hong Kong (both violent and nonviolent) represent the first salvo in our contemporary fight for the freedom to make choices about our own lives.

The 21st century has witnessed attacks on the democratic principles and practices for many citizens of the world. In the US, Trump and his lackeys have worked to turn the justice system into a tool for protecting themselves and for demonizing immigrants and protesters. Conservatives have gerrymandered voting districts and intimidated and purged voters to manipulate electoral outcomes. They have encouraged violence and aggression in both policing and terrorism through their winking support of white nationalism and gun rights. In the UK, Johnson attempted to suspend Parliament and steamroll a no-deal Brexit. But the US and UK are just two members of a gang of increasingly authoritarian states denying their current and potential citizens the power to make their own decisions. In addition to historically authoritarian states like Saudi Arabia, Zimbabwe, and so on, Brasil, Hungary, Turkey, the Philippines, and Russia are also full-fledged members, and a host of aspirants seek to join.

The People's Republic of China under Xi Jinping stands as a living example of what is possible for authoritarian states today. Modern technology has facilitated the Communist Party of China's ability to suppress freedom of thought and political participation. The social credit system and online censorship has made it easier for the state to restrict citizens' freedom to travel, their freedom to speak their mind, their freedom to make choices. The plight of Uighurs in Xinjiang represents one possible future of technological totalitarianism. The ubiquitous deployment of facial recognition technology, electronic surveillance, and incessant police stops creates a continuous stream of inmates for the region's “vocational training centers” whose goal is culturalif not actual—genocide of the Islamic Uighur population.

There is little reason to think that the rest of the world is not headed in the same direction. Through the relentless collection of user data, global tech and finance firms have built their own privatized social credit systems that they employ to determine individuals' eligibility for loans and taxis as well as their freedom of speech. Police departments, federal agencies, and now Amazon's Ring continue to deploy the same technologies applied in Xinjiang to manage local dissent and create an \href{}{umbrella of total surveillance}. All of these actions steadily undermine citizens' privacy and freedom.

It is not difficult to see how these tools might be employed in an all too easily imagined apocalyptic future. If people and governments fail to avert climate change, we will come to live in a hostile world of extreme weather patterns, including more destructive hurricanes and typhoons, higher temperatures, and flooding, all of which will take the lives of those unable to afford to live and work in secure buildings. If we fail to alter our consumption patterns, we will deplete resources and generate a toxic environment that will poison those unable to afford the technologies currently being developed for future trips to Mars. And the majority of the world's population will be precisely those more vulnerable to climate extremes and poisoned resources. Artificial intelligence and roboticization will have eliminated any need for the masses to work, leaving the 1% securely ensconced in their Wall-E-style bunkers and the rest of us scrambling for potable water. Resistance will be managed with the tools of technological authoritarianism.

Protestors in Hong Kong offer a vision of a different yet possible future where people are empowered to make decisions about their own lives. Recently protesters have been holding out their hands with each finger representing one of their five demands. These demands fundamentally push for democracy and the rule of law. Hong Kong's citizens are demanding their right to democratically elect their own chief executive rather than live under one chosen in Beijing. Demands for the withdrawal of the extradition bill, an independent inquiry into police violence, and the release of protestors are calls for accountability under the rule of law. They are insisting on holding the powerful to the same standards they are expected to accept. Quite simply, Hongkongers are fighting for the fundamental right to self-determination.

Hong Kong citizens' commitment to a better future and their actions to realize that future should serve as an inspiration to those living in deteriorating democracies. Their struggles are the most courageous example of fighting against the creeping authoritarianism that threatens all of us today. Hong Kong citizens are fighting the first major battle in the 21st century's War of Independence, in our War of Independence.

Borders and bullies

22 July 2019



Maybe Trump got his wall after all.

Historic and legendary

1 July 2019





Bodies and immigration

27 June 2019



Presenting and entertaining

31 May 2019






Hope this helps some of you.

Trump and sanity

24 May 2019


Maybe he does need a break from running the country.

Weber and rationality

23 May 2019





Intelligence and wealth

19 May 2019

