Deus ex Machina & Modern Problems

How much does popular culture influence the modern

social paradigm?

Deus Ex Machina:

From the Ancient Greek Theatre, has two definitions.

Literal. Stage hands would lower an actor playing a Greek God onto the stage with a series of ropes and pulleys. This to solve the travails of the people. Once solved, Deus Ex Machina, off he goes.

Literary: A plot device that involves what I will call a magic solution that does not evolve from the plot, to solve a problem.

Which brings us to The Greek Chorus. In essence?

As Diana Rigg said to Miss Piggy after telling her the back story in the Muppets Great Caper, "It's exposition. It has to go somewhere."

This mechanism is a staple in Prime Time Sitcom TV.

Best used when introducing a serious theme to address

the concerns of the market. Still, if there is no resolution,

fret not. Next week it's a brand new show.

Bonus Lesson: The message of Antigone, by Jean Anouilh, published during the occupation of France in WWII is much different from the message of Antigone by Sophocles in Ancient Greece.

Despite this, we view problems or impending crises through a lense of popular culture, never academic substance. And this will be our downfall.

Please assist me, Did Orson Welles say to Diana Rigg, Please bring me the standard rich & famous contract" in The Muppets go to Hollywood.

Regards,

Slim

Box 33

Pen Argyl, PA 18072

Etats-Unis

Except as noted

Copyright © 2023 Robert Asken 

All rights reserved

Henri-Claude ENOUMBA Paola De Vecchi Galbiati The Wall Street Journal CNBC NY Times-Breaking News The Washington Post The New Yorker U.S. Department of State The Atlantic Time Inc. U.S. News & World Report Esquire magazine European Central Bank International Monetary Fund Chicago Tribune The Economist Foreign Policy Foreign Affairs Magazine The Brookings Institution Apple Amazon Google J.P. Morgan NPR

Boiled Eggs and Bad Logic

 

I am making hard boiled eggs.
I peel them.
It does not work out well.
I watch a cooking show.
I learn how to do it.
The next time I boil eggs, it works
The shells comes of easily
The time after that, they do not.

Headline: It works when it works. Not when it doesn't.

By now, many will have heard the Latin expression,
Post hoc ergo propter hoc
Simply put:
This happened after that happened.
Therefore that caused this to happen.
That is why it is called fallacious logic.

Too often we rely on this because;
It offers validation
It confirms a theory
It affirms our belief
It justifies the respect we have for those who say what we want to hear.
This, of course, leads to disaster

Some have theories.
They look for data to validate their theories.
I call them, data seekers.

Confirmation Bias: 

Confirmation bias is when someone accept what validates their opinion

Using the term, "Confirmation Bias", intellectualises the subject.
This changes the focus from the individual to the process.
This is another reason the problem continues.

Regards,

Slim.

Robert Asken

Box 33

Pen Argyl, PA 18072

Also on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/slimfairview/

The Quotations of Slim Fairview
© 2021 Robert Asken
All rights reserved

Shark Food

Shark Food

In a recently published article, I wrote, beware the datum.  I gave an example of how data is used to manipulate conclusions.


Here is an excerpt.

When I was young, the population was 100,000,000 people.  The population increased by 10,000,000 or 10%. 

Recently, with a population of 300,000,000, the population increased by 15,000,000 people or 5%. 

One report reads, the growth trend in population has increased by 50%.
The population increase went from an increase of 10 million people to 15 million people.

The other report reads that the growth trend in population has decreased by 50%. The population growth rate moved from 10% growth to 5% growth.


I am reminded of this each and every time I hear someone report a number.

Beware the Datum.


Now:

You and 11 friends are at the beach.  One friend says, "let's go swimming."

You don't want to.  You are worried about sharks.

Your friend runs down a list of facts about sharks and shark attacks.

Your chances of being attacked by shark.
Where you are most likely to be attacked by a shark.
The time of year you are most likely to be attacked by a shark.

Your friend convinces everyone it's safe to go into the water.

You are not convinced because you saw a dorsal fin cutting through the water.

Some are concerned.  But your friend goes down the list of facts again and convinces everyone that it is safe to go swimming.

Everyone goes in.  Except for you.

Then, a shark eats one of your friends.  And everyone scrambles to get out of the water.

You say to everyone, "See?  I told you it wasn't safe."

You're friend says,  "I didn't say no one would be eaten.  And besides, the shark only ate one person.  Ten of us got out safely."

"Yes," you reply, "but first everyone had to scramble to get out of the water.  And now everyone has to scramble for a good spot on the beach.  I got my spot while you were all in the water.  And besides, while it's true that the shark only ate one person, the other ten had to scramble to get out of the water.  So they're not swimming either."

You can look at all the statistics you want.  If you see the dorsal fin, you are not going  to go into the water.


Sincerest regards,

Slim.

Copyright (c) 2017  Bob Asken
All rights reserved.

Beware the Datum

 
I am watching television.  I hear a number.  Population growth percentage. This is given to bring calm to those who predict that overcrowding will bring doom.  I hear this and I feel better.

About a year later, I remember something I posted to my blog about statistics.

If the Government spends $100,000,000 a year on a programme, then cuts $20,000,000 from the program bringing the spending to $80,000,000, The headline reads, the Government cuts spending by 20%.

A year later, the Government restores the $20,000,000 in spending, increasing the spending from $80,000,000 to $100,000,000, The headline reads, the Government increases spending by 25%. 

A similar paradigm applies to population.


When I was young, the population was 100,000,000 people.  The population increased by 10,000,000 or 10%. 

Recently, with a population of 300,000,000, the populations increased by 15,000,000 people.  Or 5%. 

One report reads, that the growth trend in population increased from Ten million people to 15 million people or that the population growth rate increased by 50%.


The other report reads that the growth trend in population growth moved from 10% to 5%.  Or that the population growth rate decreased by 50%.  


I am reminded of this each and every time I hear someone report a number.

Beware the Datum.


Regards,

Slim.


Copyright (c) 2017 Bob Asken
All rights reserved.

Side Street Journal Tuesday 12 July 2011

Commentary on Global Political and Economic Events by Slim Fairview

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Fastenal, Nuts & bolts, sales up. Analysts happy. Don't be. Those nuts & bolts are to keep the economy from collapsing. Kudos to Fastenal!!

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WSJ: "Dow Down on Europe Debt Worries." Picture? Tower of Pisa. Droll. Instead: show Palace of Versailles. "Après moi, le déluge." Slim

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WSJ: Paper Company's Offer Goes Hostile. (Paper Company?)

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Nestle Goes To China. Okay. Now tell me what happened to those Nestle Bars without the crunchy stuff in them. Slim

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Publishing? The hairy elephant in the Ice Age Movie. Editors? The Squirrel chasing that acorn. slimviews.blogspot.com/2011/03/social… Regards, Slim

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WSJ: We can't afford to train fewer doctors. Idea. Take scholarships away from law students, give them to med students.

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Kenya, Somalia. Hunger? No. STARVATION! slimviews.blogspot.com/2010/10/mudpie…

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US Sells fighter jets to Iraq. Don't we always get into trouble selling fighter jets? Lend-lease. Gotta love it. FDR came up with that one.

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US: Things are not good in Pakistan. US: We have a plan. Make things worse.

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China Bank allegations? Auditors? WSJ: "Shine a light on..?" Lyndon B Johnson, "When you got a problem--shine a light on it."

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Cisco counterstrikes competitors. Overhauls its switching systems. Okay, like, that's all that technical stuff, right? Okay, never mind.

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WSJ: Hedge funds investing in private tech companies. We're doomed.

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How 2 revive housing market? What will banks do with inventory of foreclosed houses? Discount them, Sell them, finance the mortgages. Slim

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News Corp. delays bid to buy BSkyB. Why bother waiting. Just pony up & buy it. Be real careful about whom you put in charge, that's all.

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Spain Confronts Regional Financing. You can't play a zero sum game among yourselves. Cooperation, my friends. Make Stone Soup!

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Europe is suffering from epidemic of austere proportions. At least they're in the same boat. Too bad they all own a share of the boat. Slim

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Sincerest regards,

Slim

PS.

Paul Harvey I am not.  Still, I am open to becoming a paid blogger, columnist, or commentator.

In the meantime, if anyone finds my blogs to be helpful, please don't hesitate to send me on of those tricked out Apple laptops and to tuck a few dollars into the envelope with the thank you note.

Sincerest regards, 

Slim

Mail slimfairview@yahoo.com

Copyright (c) 2011 Slim Fairview