MLK on justice

In honor of MLK Day, I offer you a short excerpt from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail". It defines justice and injustice, especially with regard to obeying and disobeying the law.

One may well ask: "How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?" The answer lies in the fact that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all."

Does money make you mean?

Hana suggested this TEDx Marin talk by Paul Piff, a professor at UC Berkeley, which discusses experiments that suggest that wealthier people are more likelythan poorer people to cheat, lie, and lose their compassion and sense of equity.

As to the solutions, I'm also a bit skeptical. First, the nudging certainly seems plausible, but it is probably limited in its effects, especially when compared to the power of capitalist growth. (Note, however, the delightfully reflexive aspect of this talk being given to comparatively wealthy individuals!) Second, I see the current trend in philanthropy as a sort of cover being used to protect wealth. In the US, the last large philanthropic movement followed the period of the Robber Barons. I think these newly (obscenely) wealthy folks try to legitimize their wealth (and thus power) by buying the population off in a massive PR move.

Detaching from the Google-borg

My wife always says that at the end of each semester I have a little computer project. Fortunately this semester it has turned out to be a fairly easy one (as far as I can tell). Over the last two days I have made the move away from Google (except for searching and Android registration). I set up my own set of cloud services (calendar, contacts, tasks, Dropbox-style file sharing, and some other bits) using ownCloud and a collection of syncing apps by Marten Gajda.

So now my contacts, calendar, and email are out of Google's ravenous eyes. Of course, they've got my basic information that I've already shared and as we know from the Snowden leaks, Google can triangulate and build on the consumer portrait of me by using searches and other people's emails. But at least I'll be a bit more blurry.

What's not on the education agenda in Korea

Education is fanaticism in Korea. Getting into the right college has long meant a promising career in one of the large chaebol (though this may no longer be the case). But getting into the top colleges requires ridiculously high test scores on the national test every senior in high school takes on the same day..and then an additional test at the school of interest. So that means getting into the right high school or (more accurately) attending an expensive, private after-school school (hakwon) in one of the more expensive neighborhoods in Seoul. To do that, you must go to the right middle school. To do that, you must go to a good elementary school (or hakwon). And even before that, you must go to a top pre-school, where they expect your kids already to read and write the Korean alphabet (at 3--4-years-old). With my own kids getting started in this system, I have also become sensitive to educational issues.

Mullet Pope?

So far I like Pope Francis. He's replaced the ornate golden Pope throne with a simply wooden chair. He drives around in a beat up old hoopti. He decries the impact of contemporary capitalism on the lives of those it exploits. But what if he is a Mullet Pope? As the classic description of a mullet goes: "Business in front; party in the back." What if he just plays the humble role as a PR move? What if the golden Pope throne has just been moved to his private quarters, where he can sit with a glass of holy wine and his XBox controller? I doubt it and I sincerely hope not, but my ever suspicious nature won't let me rest comfortably.

μ•ˆλ…•λ“€ν•˜μ‹­λ‹ˆκΉŒ. How are you?

The handwritten text below was posted on at least one bulletin board on campus recently. It has apparently been blowing up the Korean Internets since. It is apparently a statement that Koreans are not doing okay. Its public resonance is also somewhat significant since Korea University students were at the center of the democracy movement in the 1980s and early 1990s.

μ•ˆλ…•λ“€ν•˜μ‹­λ‹ˆκΉŒ.

1. μ–΄μ œ 뢈과 ν•˜λ£¨λ§Œμ˜ νŒŒμ—…μœΌλ‘œ 수천 λͺ…μ˜ λ…Έλ™μžκ°€ 일자리λ₯Ό μžƒμ—ˆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. λ‹€λ₯Έ μš”κ΅¬λ„ μ•„λ‹Œ 철도 λ―Όμ˜ν™”μ— λ°˜λŒ€ν•œ 이유만으둜 4,213λͺ…이 μ§μœ„ν•΄μ œλœ κ²ƒμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. λ°•κ·Όν˜œ λŒ€ν†΅λ Ή 본인이 μ‚¬νšŒμ  ν•©μ˜ μ—†μ΄λŠ” μΆ”μ§„ν•˜μ§€ μ•Šκ² λ‹€λ˜ κ·Έ λ―Όμ˜ν™”μ— λ°˜λŒ€ν–ˆλ‹€λŠ” κ΅¬μ‹€λ‘œ μ§•κ³„λΌλ‹ˆ. κ³Όκ±° μ „νƒœμΌμ΄λž€ 청년이 슀슀둜 λͺΈμ— λΆˆμ„ 놓아 μΉ˜μΌœλ“€μ—ˆλ˜ β€˜λ…Έλ™λ²•β€™μ—λ„ β€˜νŒŒμ—…κΆŒβ€™μ΄ μ—†μ–΄μ§ˆμ§€ λͺ¨λ₯΄κ² μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. 정뢀와 μžλ³Έμ— μ €ν•­ν•œ νŒŒμ—…μ€ λͺ¨λ‘ λΆˆλ²•μ΄λΌ κ·œμ •λ˜λ‹ˆκΉŒμš”. μˆ˜μ°¨λ‘€ λΆˆκ±°μ§„ λΆ€μ •μ„ κ±° 의혹, κ΅­κ°€κΈ°κ΄€μ˜ μ„ κ±° κ°œμž…μ΄λž€ 초유의 μ‚¬νƒœμ—λ„, λŒ€ν†΅λ Ήμ˜ νƒ„ν•΅μ†ŒμΆ”κΆŒμ„ 가진 ꡭ회의 κ΅­νšŒμ˜μ›μ΄ β€˜μ‚¬ν‡΄ν•˜λΌβ€™ 말 ν•œλ§ˆλ”” ν•œ μ£„λ‘œ 제λͺ…이 μš΄μš΄λ˜λŠ” μ§€κΈˆμ΄ κ³Όμ—° 21μ„ΈκΈ°κ°€ λ§žλŠ”μ§€ μ˜λ¬Έμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€.
μ‹œκ³¨ λ§ˆμ„μ—λŠ” κ³ μ•• 솑전탑이 λ“€μ–΄μ„œ 주민이 μŒλ…μžμ‚΄μ„ ν•˜κ³ , 자본과 κ²½μ˜μ§„μ˜ β€˜λ¨ΉνŠ€β€™μ— μ €ν•­ν•œ μ£„λ‘œ ν•΄κ³ λ…Έλ™μžμ—κ²Œ μˆ˜μ‹­μ–΅μ˜ 벌금과 징역이 떨어지고, μ•ˆμ •λœ 일자리λ₯Ό λ‹¬λΌν•˜λ‹ˆ λΆˆν™•μ‹€ν•˜κΈ° 짝이 μ—†λŠ” λΉ„μ •κ·œμ§μ„ 내놓은 ν•˜ μˆ˜μƒν•œ μ‹œμ ˆμ— μ–΄μ°Œ λͺ¨λ‘λ“€ μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ‹ μ§€ λͺ¨λ₯΄κ² μŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

2. 88만 원 μ„ΈλŒ€λΌ μΌμ»¬μ–΄μ§€λŠ” μš°λ¦¬λ“€μ„ 두고 세상은 κ°€λ‚œλ„ λͺ¨λ₯΄κ³  μžλž€ ν’μ‘±ν•œ μ„ΈλŒ€, μ •μΉ˜λ„, κ²½μ œλ„, 세상 물정도 λͺ¨λ₯΄λŠ” μ„ΈλŒ€λΌκ³ λ“€ ν•©λ‹ˆλ‹€. ν•˜μ§€λ§Œ 1997~1998λ…„ IMF 이후 μ˜λ¬Έλ„ λͺ¨λ₯Έ 채 맞벌이둜 빈 집을 지킀고, 맀 수λŠ₯을 μ „ν›„ν•˜μ—¬ μžμ‚΄ν•˜λŠ” μ μž–μ€ 학생듀에 λŒ€ν•΄ μΉ¨λ¬΅ν•˜κΈΈ, λ¬΄κ΄€μ‹¬ν•˜κΈΈ κ°•μš”λ°›μ€ 것이 우리 μ„ΈλŒ€ μ•„λ‹ˆμ—ˆλ‚˜μš”? μš°λ¦¬λŠ” μ •μΉ˜μ™€ κ²½μ œμ— λ¬΄κ΄€μ‹¬ν•œ 것도, λͺ¨λ₯΄λŠ” 것도 μ•„λ‹™λ‹ˆλ‹€. 단지 단 ν•œ λ²ˆμ΄λΌλ„ 그것듀에 λŒ€ν•΄ 슀슀둜 κ³ λ―Όν•˜κ³  λͺ©μ†Œλ¦¬λ‚΄κΈΈ μ’…μš©λ°›μ§€λ„ ν—ˆλ½λ°›μ§€λ„ μ•Šμ•˜κΈ°μ— κ·Έλ ‡κ²Œ 살아도 별 νƒˆ μ—†μœΌλ¦¬λΌ λ―Ώμ–΄μ˜¨ κ²ƒλΏμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. 그런데 μ΄μ œλŠ” 그럴 수쑰차 μ—†κ²Œ λμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. μ•žμ„œ λ§ν•œ κ·Έ 세상이 λ‚΄κ°€ μ‚¬λŠ” 곳이기 λ•Œλ¬Έμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. μ €λŠ” λ‹€λ§Œ 묻고 μ‹ΆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€. μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ‹œλƒκ³ μš”. 별 νƒˆ 없이 μ‚΄κ³  κ³„μ‹œλƒκ³ . λ‚¨μ˜ 일이라 외면해도 λ¬Έμ œμ—†μœΌμ‹ κ°€, 혹 μ •μΉ˜μ  λ¬΄κ΄€μ‹¬μ΄λž€ μžκΈ°ν•©λ¦¬ν™” λ’€λ‘œ λ¬ΌλŸ¬λ‚˜κ³„μ‹  건 μ•„λ‹Œμ§€ 여쭐 λΏμž…λ‹ˆλ‹€. 만일 μ•ˆλ…•ν•˜μ§€ λͺ»ν•˜λ‹€λ©΄ μ†Œλ¦¬μ³ μ™ΈμΉ˜μ§€ μ•Šμ„ 수 없을 κ²λ‹ˆλ‹€. 그것이 무슨 λ‚΄μš©μ΄λ“ μ§€ λ§μž…λ‹ˆλ‹€.

κ·Έλž˜μ„œ λ§ˆμ§€λ§‰μœΌλ‘œ 묻고 μ‹ΆμŠ΅λ‹ˆλ‹€.

λͺ¨λ‘ μ•ˆλ…•λ“€ ν•˜μ‹­λ‹ˆκΉŒ.

The Pope takes on capitalism

Thanks to this article in Salon, I became aware of the Pope's new statement on the evil of free market capitalism. It turns out that each pope issues an apostolic exhortation (multiple?) that elucidates his policy platform. Pope Francis just released his Evangelii Gaudium. It mainly seems to provide guidance for prosyletizing, but there is one section that directly addresses free market capitalism. In essence, it argues that free market policies are evil and that governments have a responsibility to intervene in markets to reduce inequality.

He describes the current economic order as an "economy of exclusion and inequality" that "kills". By excluding individuals from the benefits of economic growth, by turning them into outcasts and leftovers, it literally starves and kills them. And this is driven, he argues, by an attitude that privileges profits over people.

Development and efficiency

In the same class, one of the students (Tim) mentioned that efficiency is essential to development. This simple claim, which I think is correct, is easy to overlook if you are critiquing capitalist conceptions of development. But the fact of the matter is that if you want to improve people's material wellbeing, you have to improve the efficiency of their work. (Or perhaps you can just help them build better sewerage systems or houses?) Similarly to reduce material throughput in production and consumption, you have to improve efficiency. The consequent questions then are how much efficiency do we need? how quickly do we need to achieve it? and what forms of social organization will let us achieve the desired level of efficiency in the desired time?

Love and development

So my graduate school class today took a surprising and welcome turn. There were two things that I'll separate out. The first is this: love and development. For class we read the 30-year update to Limits to Growth. At the end, the authors identify five tools for reshaping the feedback loops in the existing global system. One of these is love, which unsurprisingly gave everyone pause. And we spent most of the class discussing what love is, how it applies to development, how politicians have used love (current mayor of Bogota Gustavo Petro Urrego and former Paraguayan President Federico Franco), and love's connection to philanthropy and charity. It has me thinking that it would be interesting to look at the relationship between love and development. So here is a list, which I will amend over time as new ideas emerge, of books and articles that might be useful for such an endeavor:

Even my worst one was right on the money

So I've finally started to sit down properly with Deleuze and Guattari's "A Thousand Plateaus". I read "Anti-Oedipus" years ago and found it very exciting, but I haven't found or made an opportunity to take "A Thousand Plateaus" off the shelf until now. This summer I suggested a tentative organized panel at ACSP to explore how D&G's ideas could fit into planning, since they've been largely ignored by planners with the notable exception of Jean Hillier and a few others.

So I read the conclusion a few weeks ago and over the last two days read Bassumi's introduction and the first chapter. And I am intrigued yet unconvinced. The text is certainly rich in provocative ideas, but I'm not sure its own ideas hold up or are desirable. Here I will try to identify why. Note, please, that this is a fragmentary and first reading, so I'm sure my thoughts will develop as I go further. In a sense, this can be thought of as one of the response papers I assign my students.

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