Not all doom and gloom
December 22, 2014 8:45 AM Subscribe
Ramez Naam says that 2014 Was a Good Year: Better Than You Remember.
(I have to admit I swore when MOO.COM sent me a marketing email entitled "Yay for 2014!")
posted by Artw at 8:55 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:55 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Yeah, there's been a lot of bad and a lot of good. It kind of feels like we're all just gradually becoming more and more self aware of everything and everyone , and growing into this new reality has us all a bit anxious.
posted by pwally at 9:11 AM on December 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
posted by pwally at 9:11 AM on December 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
Well, it's also sort of like how hyper-aware we are of exceptions to the rule that make us feel like those exceptions are the norm. Lots and lots of examples of this. I think it's one of the parts of the feedback loop that actual MAKES things worse in the long run.
posted by edgeways at 9:31 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by edgeways at 9:31 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
It's a great list, with some great points, but the framing bugs me a little - I'm not too wild about really well-off people telling me things aren't as bad as I think they are. (To be fair, I probably wouldn't be having this reaction if Bill Gates hadn't just written something with similar framing.)
posted by heisenberg at 9:32 AM on December 22, 2014
posted by heisenberg at 9:32 AM on December 22, 2014
No, we really didn't have more bad $#!+ happen in 2014, but we became a lot more AWARE of bad $#!+ happening. Now, we can either actually start to do something about it all, which would make 2015 and a few more years also 'considered bad but slowly improving' OR we can just shut up those annoying Social Justice Warriors and sweep it all under the rug so that 2014 can be considered 'an aberration'.
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:41 AM on December 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 9:41 AM on December 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
THIS is why my ultra-conservative dad is so mad all the time. It was actually a terrible year for him.
posted by vorpal bunny at 9:45 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by vorpal bunny at 9:45 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
Someone just pointed out on Twitter that I'm worried about imminent nuclear conflict again for the first time since the late 80s/early 90s, so from that point of view 2014 has certainly sucked more than preceding years.
posted by Artw at 10:07 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 10:07 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
I'm glad you posted this. Thank you.
2014 was indeed a shit year for much of the world. But as noted, none of the shitty parts of it were anything new. This means, then, that 2014 was a year in which the outcry could no longer be ignored or swept under the rug. That, too, is a very good thing.
Recognizing the good developments doesn't excuse or distract from the bad ones. The good stuff should be remembered, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:16 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
2014 was indeed a shit year for much of the world. But as noted, none of the shitty parts of it were anything new. This means, then, that 2014 was a year in which the outcry could no longer be ignored or swept under the rug. That, too, is a very good thing.
Recognizing the good developments doesn't excuse or distract from the bad ones. The good stuff should be remembered, too.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:16 AM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I was thinking a few weeks ago about how terrible things have been getting, and how terrible the future will be for kids. But someone on Twitter brought up that it's possible that things are not necessarily worse – it's just that we're noticing more.
I think these kinds of police atrocities have been happening all along. We've started noticing them lately, despite what CNN thinks should be ignored.
It is horrible that all of these other year preceding 2014 have also been horrible. But it is a huge breakthrough that we are noticing and speaking up about them. So, good work, 2014.
posted by ignignokt at 10:18 AM on December 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
I think these kinds of police atrocities have been happening all along. We've started noticing them lately, despite what CNN thinks should be ignored.
It is horrible that all of these other year preceding 2014 have also been horrible. But it is a huge breakthrough that we are noticing and speaking up about them. So, good work, 2014.
posted by ignignokt at 10:18 AM on December 22, 2014 [6 favorites]
Eric Garner's chokehold death WAS filmed. And they sent the guy who filmed it to jail (the only person even remotely connected who will see prison, most likely). And officers in Ferguson and elsewhere routinely show up with their badges covered or no badge at all. Transparency only works if those involved have anything to fear from sunlight--this does not appear to be the case. (See also: torture report, AIG bailout being worse than we thought, all of modern journalism.)
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:24 AM on December 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 10:24 AM on December 22, 2014 [3 favorites]
3/10. Would not year again.
posted by schmod at 10:35 AM on December 22, 2014 [15 favorites]
posted by schmod at 10:35 AM on December 22, 2014 [15 favorites]
I don't think body cameras would prevent Eric Garner's death, but Officers' use of force fell by 60% in Rialto. I think they would prevent some deaths.
posted by ignignokt at 10:52 AM on December 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
posted by ignignokt at 10:52 AM on December 22, 2014 [4 favorites]
So the reason we shouldn't implement body cameras is that they won't fix every problem?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:58 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:58 AM on December 22, 2014 [2 favorites]
No, implement away, but realize that they are not the magical solution portrayed in the article. We're really good at saying a shiny technical solution will compensate for the inherent problem that is people.
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:17 AM on December 22, 2014
posted by fifteen schnitzengruben is my limit at 11:17 AM on December 22, 2014
It's a great list, with some great points, but the framing bugs me a little - I'm not too wild about really well-off people telling me things aren't as bad as I think they are. (To be fair, I probably wouldn't be having this reaction if Bill Gates hadn't just written something with similar framing.)
Isn't it facts that are telling you things aren't as bad as you think they are?
posted by Sebmojo at 11:59 AM on December 22, 2014
Isn't it facts that are telling you things aren't as bad as you think they are?
posted by Sebmojo at 11:59 AM on December 22, 2014
Yes, and they assembled themselves of their own accord before our very eyes.
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by Rustic Etruscan at 12:25 PM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
No, implement away, but realize that they are not the magical solution portrayed in the article.
I agree with you that they are not a "magical solution," and I think the article does as well.
I agree with you that they are not a "magical solution," and I think the article does as well.
The video of Pantaleo choking Garner didn’t lead to an indictment, but that very fact led to voices on the right and left expressing dismay. One case won’t lead to change. But enough clear-cut cases will.posted by ignignokt at 12:45 PM on December 22, 2014 [1 favorite]
but realize that they are not the magical solution portrayed in the article.
Which article? The one in the FPP is very clear that they're not a "magical solution":
Which article? The one in the FPP is very clear that they're not a "magical solution":
That technology isn’t a panacea, by any means. As we saw in the Eric Garner case, a video doesn’t lead to even an indictment, let alone a conviction.posted by yoink at 2:05 PM on December 22, 2014
There's a fair bit of good news in there. And some good non-news, like violent crime (probably) didn't have sudden unexpected increase, and the U.S. rate of infant mortality has continued declining at least to 2011.
The bad news is that excessive optimism is still leading some people to make ridiculous pronouncements about renewable energy based on inability to get the numbers right. Just because it came from financial analysts does not mean it's correct. That data does not actually show that solar power costing less than the market price of electricity on the grid. Which the blogger should have known, since if you follow the link and scroll down a bit there's another chart right there showing "cost of solar power" as an order of magnitude higher. Which I'm going to go ahead and guess is also probably wrong, in the other direction. Also I notice that from the look of the wind power chart, installation slowed down markedly in 2013 (no data for 2014) - wonder what's going on there.
The increasing ubiquity of cameras (also not really new), I really can't guess if that's going to be a good thing or not. It's certainly a thing. If this year (and not, say for example, 1992) is the "tipping point", it may yet be remembered some decades from now not only as the moment when the worst police officers started to lose their freedom to beat up and murder people, but also the rest of us began to forget the freedom to do basically anything unconventional in public. Without universal surveillance, can we all get along?
In conclusion, it was a year of contrasts. Congrats on making your laws about marriage and gardening slightly less absurd, America.
posted by sfenders at 2:24 PM on December 22, 2014
The bad news is that excessive optimism is still leading some people to make ridiculous pronouncements about renewable energy based on inability to get the numbers right. Just because it came from financial analysts does not mean it's correct. That data does not actually show that solar power costing less than the market price of electricity on the grid. Which the blogger should have known, since if you follow the link and scroll down a bit there's another chart right there showing "cost of solar power" as an order of magnitude higher. Which I'm going to go ahead and guess is also probably wrong, in the other direction. Also I notice that from the look of the wind power chart, installation slowed down markedly in 2013 (no data for 2014) - wonder what's going on there.
The increasing ubiquity of cameras (also not really new), I really can't guess if that's going to be a good thing or not. It's certainly a thing. If this year (and not, say for example, 1992) is the "tipping point", it may yet be remembered some decades from now not only as the moment when the worst police officers started to lose their freedom to beat up and murder people, but also the rest of us began to forget the freedom to do basically anything unconventional in public. Without universal surveillance, can we all get along?
In conclusion, it was a year of contrasts. Congrats on making your laws about marriage and gardening slightly less absurd, America.
posted by sfenders at 2:24 PM on December 22, 2014
I admit I got excited by the first few and then glazed over with uh, boring after that. But the transparency point he made is a good one. And it's good that SOMEONE could come up with some positives for the year.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:22 PM on December 22, 2014
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:22 PM on December 22, 2014
On much the same note. But yeah, I think key here is that if we see a problem for the first time we think that it is a problem that just appeared, and if it is a pervasive one (violence against women, police brutality) we will think it is impossible to overcome.
posted by AdamCSnider at 11:57 PM on December 22, 2014
posted by AdamCSnider at 11:57 PM on December 22, 2014
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Probably right as well - it's not like 2014 was the year racist police violence or misogynistic internet trolls or any other the other things that have loomed over the year were invented, and in many cases they've been highlighted because people are aware if them and push back against them on a scale greater than seen before.
Still, it feels like an absolute fucker of a year regardless.
posted by Artw at 8:52 AM on December 22, 2014 [9 favorites]