Minutes of a Monday #65
#minutesofamonday
Brain Food
“Opinions can confer status regardless of their truth value. And the individuals most likely to express certain opinions in order to preserve or enhance their status are also those who are already on the upper rungs of the social ladder.
There may be unpleasant consequences for this misguided use of intellect and time on the part of highly educated and affluent people. If the most fortunate members of society spend more time speaking in hushed tones, or live in fear of expressing themselves, or are more involved in culture wars, that is less time they could spend using their mental and economic resources to solve serious problems.
Smart people are usually better at finding the truth. But they’re also better at knowing which way the ideological winds are blowing, and thereby producing and accepting absurdities.”
on why dumb ideas capture smart and successful peopleSoul Food
“Everything turns grey when I don’t have at least one mark on the horizon. Life then seems empty and depressing. I cannot understand honest men. They lead desperate lives, full of boredom.”
Count Victor Lustig, 1890-1947
LOL
Irish V English Bank Holidays:
Appendix
“Today, the politics of the beer halls are still with us. The conventions and the rallies of populist politicians and the digital beer halls of the present all bear some resemblance to Munich’s beer halls in 1923… when we think about Weimar’s crisis year, it would be a political mistake if the crucial history lesson went unheard: the politics of hatred can only function when violent and discriminatory speech acts go unpunished.”
Mark Jones in an extract from his book ‘1923: The Forgotten Crisis in the Year of Hitler’s Coup’
AOB
Thank you for reading this week. Mind your good self out there - Niall