Indecent wealth, indecent poverty

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80% of private wealth in the United States is inherited. The richest 1% now own 41.8% of the wealth, while the poorest 90% hold only 22.8%. When you look at the differences between white and black citizens the gap is stark. For every dollar owned by a white family, a black family of colour earns less than a dime. The median wealth of white households in 2013 was $141,900, while black families had just $11,000 median wealth, Latinos $13,700. The average wealth figures by race would be even more skewed if the vast wealth of the richest minority were included.

Along with busting the budget, Trump and the Republicans in Congress have recently made the situation even worse, while assuredly being able to raise even more election money.

Historically, societies with such extremes of wealth and poverty have not survived. As examples look at France and Russia before their revolutions, Egypt, China and the Maya. One might add others, including ancient Rome. The difference is that the American rich have bought Congress, have persuaded the poor whites that their interests are identical to theirs, and that sensible things like a single-payer health service are “communist” plots. They have also sold the fairy tale that they too could be super-rich with luck (very possible years ago but the odds against it are now humungous). Moreover, the rich have cleverly persuaded the poorly educated that the liberals want to take their guns away. The ubiquitous nature of guns stacks the odds heavily in favour of the status quo, and against any form of serious reform.

Yes, in terms of naked self-interest and consuming greed, the American (Republican) super-rich have done a stunningly good job for themselves. Epicurus would be shocked: his mantra was moderation. He might well ask “What on earth do you need all that money for?”

So much for the ‘Mediterranean diet’

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Children in Italy, Greece and Spain are now the fattest in Europe. More than 40% of boys and girls aged nine are either overweight or obese. Sweets,junk food and sugary drinks have displaced the region’s traditional diet based on fruit and vegetables, fish and olive oil. (World Health Organisation)

One study suggests that your bank balance is the important factor. Researchers at the Mediterranean Neurological Institute in Italy, who carried out a study of more than 18,000 men and women over four years, found a 15 per cent reduction in cardiovascular risk for those on the Mediterranean diet, but only if they earned £35,000 a year or more. For the less advantaged, the benefits of the diet weren’t seen at all.

Even though all study participants followed the Mediterranean diet, those with higher incomes tended to eat food that had more heart-protecting antioxidants and polyphenols, and which was grown with fewer pesticides. Those with lower incomes had less access to a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and tended to buy foods that had lower nutritional value (International Journal of Epidemiology, doi.org/cbhh).

“The real extra virgin olive oil that was used in the Predimed trial is about 8 euros per bottle,” says Marialaura Bonaccio at the Mediterranean Neurological Institute. “So the question is, do I get the same benefits from a bottle of olive oil that costs 10 euros, as compared to the lower quality one that I paid 2 euros for?” She suspects that the difference in benefits may come down to higher quality foods that cost far more. “It’s a real paradox. When the Mediterranean diet was discovered, it was the diet of the poorest people in Italy and Greece. Now, it’s the diet of the rich people,” she says.

By the way, the World Cancer Research Fund is warning that as many as 12 different kinds of cancer are now linked to being overweight. It has launched an online tool to help people assess the risk posed by their diet and lifestyle.

All this sounds very familiar: health linked to income. Many people think that obesity is a matter of choice and no business of anyone else’s. Well, it is actually. Aside from anything else it increases national health costs for everyone, rich and poor. But it also reduces the quality of life and its length for poorer people. Not much point in championing the interests of the less well off if you are also indifferent to their health and longevity.

Trending today: Persuasion Art (a modern poem)

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I have always wanted to be an artist.
I have dabbled in painting, drawing, singing, acting,
Pottery, writing, poetry, verse and music composition.

But these days the most celebrated art is
Concept Art.
How could I muscle in on it?
Unmade beds have been done, along with
Sitting opposite someone, stock still, saying nothing all day.
Blue paintings are old hat, and putting Coca Cola logos on ancient
Chinese pots is an art already established as meaningful.

And then it came to me! I recently realized that
I had already devised a new trend in the art world:
Persuasion Art.
And I had been doing it all my life!

Who persuaded twenty-five housewives to separately pick up a foreign hitchhiker in rural America?

Indeed, who inveigled his way for three whole working days
Into the office of the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations
Committee and sat in on all the meetings, convincing all and
Sundry that he was a journalist?

Who persuaded numerous concerned mothers that their daughters
Were safe in his hands?

Who looked sufficiently competent (hah!) that a reluctant bank manager
Agreed not to foreclose on his business?

Who persuaded 120 restive suppliers to extend their credit for six months?

Who persuaded an Oxford college to offer a definite place to a young man who had not yet taken A Levels, was the world’s worst mathematician, and who had minimal Latin?

Who convinced a committed and successful economist to abandon her career and devote herself to music, while knowing nothing about it (along with said Persuasion Artist)?

Who talked his way out a severe Army reprimand when (falsely) accused of over-enthusiasm with a group of elderly ladies in a Cypriot village?

And who claims that his incompetence as a soldier finally convinced the British government that the draft was a menace to national security?

And now, Dear Reader, to persuade you that this is a poem……….

Cementing the Oligarchy

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“My judicial philosophy is straightforward. A judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law. A judge must interpret statutes as written and a judge must interpret the Constitution as written, informed by history and tradition and precedent.”
(Brett Kavanaugh, nominated by Trump for the Supreme Court yesterday).

Sounds correct, sounds innocuous. But in reality Kavanaugh‘s actual record appears to favour the Oligarchy, the banning of abortion, support for party gerrymandering, skepticism about immigrants and their rights, indifference to the environment and the plight of the poor and the black, the dumbing down of schooling and the elevation of ignorance, lack of belief in global climate change and human rights, and the literal interpretation of a Constitution over two hundred years old. This is not unusual – it describes a right-wing, politicized conservative lawyer, not a man wanting to do his best for all the people.

Although Epicurus taught indifference to politics, I believe times have changed (giant understatement!) and that the future of the planet itself is at risk. It wasn’t in the 4th Century B.C. Right wing conservatives poohpooh this mamby- pamby stuff and joyfully continue the plunder and the dismantling of what democracy we have left. This is short-sighted, immoral and distressing.

All un-Epicurean. Epicureanism stands for moderation and the greater good of all people. It stands for humanism and the rights of man, not a party or a rich group of corrupt election donors and politicians on the make. It respects the poor and the excluded, amd seeks to restrain aggressive capitalism and greedy bosses.

The gulf between Left and Right is becoming too wide. The government doesn’t care; on the contrary it rejoices in the turmoil. This could end very badly, if not addressed.

How to raise children, Epicurean-style

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It goes without saying that raising children is one of the most important things humans do. But there is so much bad advise on how to raise your children. In this post I’ll try to address what both the liberal secularists and the religious conservatives get wrong on parenting, and how to do it in an Epicurean fashion. Bearing in mind that this is written by someone who isn’t a parent, so comments and criticisms are more than welcome!

  1. Encourage independence of thought and action. Teaching your children independence has a vast array of benefits. It makes them more intelligent by giving them decisions that have consequences. It teaches them to learn things for themselves. It makes them happier, particularly if they make a decision that goes well. It instills a mindset of tolerance; as they learn to value their freedom, they believe in freedom for others. Most importantly, it allows them to learn from their mistakes.
  2. Trust your children as much as you can. Children can only act responsibly if they are given responsibility. Constantly questioning your children or disbelieving them will only cause friction. A healthy relationship has to start somewhere.
  3. Avoid being over-protective. This is a difficult one because parents naturally want to prevent their children from being harmed. But children are happier when they are freer. In Germany, children are encouraged to climb trees and spend a lot of time outdoors, even if the chances of them getting injured are higher. The idea that children should be protected from a little cold or rain is ludicrous in my view.
  4. Enstill your children with a strong set of morals. Post-modern moral relativism has gone too far in my view. Children need to know the clear difference between right and wrong, even given situations that are quite complex. Without this, children will always seek ways to bend the rules.
  5. Don’t pander to children. The most egregious example of parental pandering in the modern age is in food. Many parents will only cook a small choice of food because that is what their children like, supposedly. Whether its cutting bread a particular way, or always boiling vegetables to the same softness, parents are encouraging children to be particular. Rather, parents should expose their children to as wide a variety of food as possible. And while its often best not to force your children to eat it, you must not prepare a more familiar alternative. Hunger as a punishment for fussiness is perfectly appropriate. On a broader note, children must not expect to get their favourite toys or anything they see that they like. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of generosity. But for the most part, if children want something, they should have to earn it.
  6. Allow a little bit of immaturity. The idea that children must always behave like adults is insane and unrealistic. Children are by nature sillier than adults. As long as that silliness is not hurtful or totally beneath the age of the child in question, it should be allowed. One of the benefits of having children is that it cheers up people that would often otherwise be very sombre.
  7.  Don’t shy away from sex/nudity. One of the most preposterous contradictions of the morality of the modern age is that graphic violence is far more acceptable for child viewing than anything that could be construed as sexual. Instead of censoring all nudity and sexual content, parents should educate their children to be mature on such matters. If they don’t, the children will find out for themselves sooner or later. The only way for people to grow up with healthy attitudes towards sex is by proper parental instruction.
  8. Give your children an academic and cultured upbringing. Take them to as many museums, art galleries and theatres as possible. Read them Shakespeare, Homer and Dickens. Watch intriguing and important films with them. Put classical and jazz music on the radio. You’ll find this will give them a huge boost in life: you will always impress on when being interviewed for a job or writing a university application if you have a broad range of interests. You’ll also make your children more interesting people.
  9. Challenge your children, without being impossibly pushy. Children need to be taught the importance of ambition and aspiration. They need to be taught to work hard to achieve success. But there is a danger in pushing them beyond what is realistic. If that happens, children will feel demoralised and inadequate. This may manifest itself in mental health problems later in life.
  10. Regulate children’s use of technology. The overuse of technology, and in particular social media, can be detrimental to children’s happiness and mental development. Technology can be a wonderful resource, both for entertainment and information. But allowing children to whittle hours of their lives away online is a recipe for disaster.