July 2016 – Page 7 – Amalgamated Contemplation

Why Is Populism Taking Over the Republican Party? – The Atlantic

What we are seeing is anger at a disruption of our economy and, really, our social order—of the magnitude we saw when the agricultural age gave way to the industrial age

— Anne Marie Slaughter, New America

The answer may have less to to with the Trump himself than with broader social and economic changes—and the implications of that are daunting.

The full skein of reasons for anxiety about the surge of populist anger in America right now is of course more extensive still. It may be unlikely that any of them imply that an extreme form of political doom, like fascism, is coming. But the important consideration isn’t what to fear, it’s what to know: Donald Trump may be defeated in November; the anger and resentment behind him won’t be.

Source: Why Is Populism Taking Over the Republican Party? – The Atlantic

From Trump to Brexit: Trust in Government Is Collapsing Around the World – The Atlantic

People trust their peers much more than they trust their political leaders or news organizations.

For 16 years, Edelman’s company has been surveying people around the world on their trust in various institutions. And one of the firm’s findings is that people are especially likely these days to describe “a person like me”—a friend or, say, a Facebook friend—as a credible source of information. A “person like me” is now viewed as twice as credible as a government leader

Graph of the percent of Americans who always or mostly trust the U.S. government; plots of individuals polls and moving average by year (1960 to 2010) and presidential administration (Eisenhower to Obama). — Percent of Americans Who Always or Mostly Trust the U.S. Government

Source: From Trump to Brexit: Trust in Government Is Collapsing Around the World – The Atlantic

How Facebook Tries to Prevent Office Politics

Five tactics to keep company culture healthy.

Look for empire builders, self-servers, and whiners in the hiring process — and don’t hire them.

Take the incentive out of “climbing the ladder.”

Be open and transparent, and create opportunities for voices to be heard.

Make everyone accountable, so personal bias can’t creep into decision making.

Train your leaders to effectively manage politics out of conversations.

At Facebook, we’ve found these tactics helpful in maintaining a productive company culture. Interoffice maneuvering is a distraction. Working to stop politics before it starts results in a stronger organization and empowered, motivated teams.

Source: How Facebook Tries to Prevent Office Politics

How Children Went from Worthless to Priceless

Children are our future, but it’s only recently that they’ve been valued as such.

Colonial Americans buried infants without fuss, but in the 20th century, parents read books that advised them on how to cope with the unbearable loss of a child.

Source: How Children Went from Worthless to Priceless

Home Computers Connected to the Internet Aren’t Private, Court Rules

A judge in Virginia rules that people should have no expectation of privacy on their home PCs because no connected computer “is immune from invasion.”

Other courts have found the opposite. The Ninth Circuit, for example, held in 2007 that just connecting a computer to the network does not undermine a user’s “subjective expectation of privacy and an objectively reasonable expectation of privacy in his personal computer.”

Source: Home Computers Connected to the Internet Aren’t Private, Court Rules