On IBM, Sun, Sex and Guns

Tim pointed me at this guy Jeff Kesselman who posted a sweet differences between IBM and Sun with SEX in the title screed. On further reading I found this gem in an attack on unskeptical Ayn Rand ism.

People in general are myopic. Americans are so socially nearsighted that they probably qualify as legally blind. Not long ago I had someone look at me in all seriousness and say, “You don’t have kids. Why on earth do you want to pay for public schools?”

Now there are all kinds of good reasons for having top quality schools. Reasons in my self-interest having to do with the health of the American economy, our ability to globally compete, and the ability of the masses to do any kind of justice to this thing we call democracy. For this person though I realized a more down to earth explanation was going to be necessary and I simply said, “If your kid has a good job, he won’t steal my stereo.”

That is excellent material for my Contribution Society frame. I really like Jeff’s closing remarks; great use of anecdote to make the point. Chimes nicely with my own thoughts on gun ownership fetishism and the beautiful contradictions of the American mind/gut. A conversation with a libertarian went like this:

I said to him, “You know, I’ve heard the statement that an armed society is a polite society. That assumes that people are smart enough to consider the consequences of their actions. I don’t think most people are.” He smiled at me and said, “You misunderstand. An armed society is a polite society… after about a month.”