Disqus - Latest Comments for alexfiles

Re: What Do We Really Know About Losing Weight? - Megan McArdle - Business - The Atlantic

alexfiles — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 14:19:22 -0000

There are chemicals in our food and our environment with which our bodies never evolved to grapple. There are medications which throw off our metabolism. The government recommends and promotes foods that are bad for us to support lobbies. That's just the start of the list of differences between now and the past.

That it's a recent occurrence it precisely the clue that more is going on than willpower. It's not the nature of being human that's suddenly changed. It's what's around us.

Re: Rick Perry to 'Activist Judges': Save Me - Garrett Epps - Politics - The Atlantic

alexfiles — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:25:37 -0000

I agree that Texas has flaws. But caricaturing a group does not make them behave more intelligently - in fact, it's more likely to have the opposite effect, by putting them on the defensive. And why is it even necessary to judge Texas as well as Perry?

I don't want to be at the mercy of "yahoos," but sinking to their level only gives them ammo to use against us.

I'm a native Texan who's lived in places ranging from Seattle to Germany. I currently reside in Austin. I didn't vote for Perry and I'm not sending him to Washington. Should I be judged harshly because Perry comes from my state?

Re: Rick Perry to 'Activist Judges': Save Me - Garrett Epps - Politics - The Atlantic

alexfiles — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 16:04:51 -0000

I don't like Perry. But I'm tired of articles that emphasize his Texas origin while disparaging him, because they end up disparaging Texas along the way. In this context, phrases such as "he just hates them activist judges," "that don't sit right with Perry," etc., seem intended to mock a Texas dialect used by quite a few intelligent, well-intentioned people, many of whom are Democrats. There are ignorant Texans, and educated Texans, but our accent is not the primary means of differentiating between us.

Perhaps you didn't mean this. Perhaps I'm getting thin-skinned after hearing all the Texas-slamming in other articles and blogs. But given your extensive writing credentials, you must be aware the effect this will have on both Texans and non-Texans. It's not good. It's not justified. Besides, Perry offers many, many other opportunities for slamming that don't make use of easy, regional caricature.

Re: 'You Two Should Be Fired' - Businessweek

alexfiles — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 20:02:21 -0000

Your description is quite different from what the authors proposed. They suggested firing without digging deeper, and advised HR on how to avoid getting sued in the process; what you suggest might actually inspire someone, leaves the resolution up to the person you view as a problem, and has the added bonus of not being illegal!

I like your approach.

Re: Bullying and the Phoebe Prince Case - Politics - The Atlantic

alexfiles — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 15:52:21 -0000

I agree with his concerns about those who stood by and did nothing (all the devil needs, right?), but I have to disagree with you on calling TomPainesBrother's comment compassionate. "No other achievement in life will ever give me more pride than choosing kids first for my team who always got chosen last, or smashing a boy's face against a pole because he and his friends had been calling a Jewish kid a Jesus-killer."

I hate abuse, I despise bullies and name-callers, and anti-Semitism is evil - but do we really want to call "smashing a boy's face against a pole" compassionate? I've faced down bullies on behalf of others (standing up for myself was good training), but I've never resorted to violence. - and I'm female, and not at all TPB's self-described "imposing physical presence." Somehow, they all stood down without my needing to turn into a violent bully myself.

The important thing, I think, is that someone simply show the bullies the victim is not alone. Standing up for myself hasn't always worked for me; but standing up for the other guy has worked every time.