David Hammer

In many early disney narratives, scenes of cleaning are not incidental, they function as a form of visual shorthand. The association between domestic work and moral worth reflects older cultural ideals, where patience, diligence & self-sacrifice were considered defining virtues.

"All the armies that ever marched, and all the navies that ever were built, and all the parliaments that ever sat, and all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man upon this earth as powerfully as has that One Solitary Life."

How do people in the suburbs genuinely look forward to Friday night on the couch, Saturday morning at Costco, and call that a weekend? Like you really moved out of the city just to LARP as your parents at 34?

Divorce is one of the most selfish and self-destructive choices a parent can make. Of course there are exceptions, people will say. Obviously. But most divorces are due to “falling out of love” or some other such nonsense.

Penguins meet a cat for the first time.

I've struggled to put this to words, so I haven't written about it before, but let me try to put it together No amount of money will fix inner-city schools because the pull of urban culture is too strong and destructive When I worked in inner city schools, students couldn't let a single slight go. Anything they perceived as a wrong against them, HAD to be avenged, always with violence. The smallest word of gesture of disrespect always escalated to fights Machismo-ism was truly, actually toxic (feminists want to complain about it among guys in the suburbs? No, they're weaklings play-acting as machismo). Young men in these schools constantly tried to outperform each other, always through destructive violent or sexual behavior. Kindness was weakness. Instead, take advantage of others, because otherwise they'll take advantage of you. Share, share, share. It's nice at first, but you start to realize that once someone gains anything (from a bag of chips to a stable income), everyone wants take it all away. No one can build wealth. No value on long-term outcomes or education. Glom onto whatever gives immediate gratification. Drugs, sex, fights, gang involvement. Get it now. It didn't matter there if students there had a brand new Chromebook. The pull of urban cultural attitudes and habits had these students caught in a destructive cycle that would end, inevitably, in jail, poverty, or death. Some will say I'm cruel for pointing this out. I think it's the exact opposite. If we don't address this cultural issue, if we pretend like it's not there because it offends our hoity toity pretentions, then we'll never actually help students in poverty. It's a luxury belief to say that all culture doesn't matter, when our bourgeois habits propel us to affluence and broken, urban culture consigns children to more broken homes and broken lives [Exeunt]