Tuesday, February 25, 2020

How to Play the Yes-No Game; Example Yes-No Game with Myself; Playing the Game with Bernie Sanders (aka BS); How Politicians Would Probably Corrupt the Game; Homebody Chronicles Continued; Sympathy for Wuhan;

  • I learned of the Yes-No game from the James Delingpole podcast. I enjoy the game because it is simple to play, and very fun and revealing of the game's participants. I have been playing the game in speaker corner classes. Two or more people can play the game. One of players posits things. The other(s) respond with a Yes or No answer. Yes indicates approval of the thing; No indicates disapproval. The tone in which the answers are made can also indicate the degree to which the person approves or disapproves of the thing. 

  • So let me play the game with myself. Trump? Yes!; Chinese Schools? No!;  Canadian Schools? No!; Mayor Pete? NO!; Stalin? NOO!; The Rolling Stones? Yes!; Rap Music? No!; Chairman Mao? NOO!; Justin Trudeau? NOO!; Never-Trumpers? No!; Antifa? No!; SJWs? No!; Catholicism? YESSS!; Jesus Christ? YESSSS!; Free Markets? Yes!; Tattoos? No!; Pizza? Yes!; Beer? Yes!; German Punctuality? Yes!; German Immigration Policies? No!; Eggplant? No!; Tofu? No!; Chinese Driving? No!; Frank Sinatra? Yes!; Pink Floyd? No!; Pope Francis? No!; Pope Benedict XVI? Yes!; 

  • Currently, a person I would like to play the Yes-No game with is Bernie Sanders (BS). Here are some things for which I would like to see BS's reactions: Communism; Fascism; Karl Marx; The Soviet Union; An independent Taiwan; The People's Republic of China; Tariffs; Open Borders; Leon Trotsky; Vladimir Lenin; Joseph Stalin; Fidel Castro; Chairman Mao; China's one-child policy; Ikea; McDonalds; Walmart; Mom and Pop Shops; Catholicism; Islam; Jesus Christ; Woody Allen Movies; Woody Allen; Government Housing; Government Summer Cottages; Jewelry; Judging a person by the content of their character and not the color of their skin; Meritocracy; Plastic Straw Bans; Junk Food Taxes; Limiting the Size of Soda Drink Cups; Cancel Culture; Unlimited Free Speech; Small Business; Hot Dogs; Cadillacs; 

  • In theory, I think the Yes-No game would be a good one to play with politicians. But as with trying to bring democracy to the Middle East and other low-grade cultures, to hold candidates debates, and to try Socialism, the actual practice may blow up in one's face. I can see politicians not sticking to just giving one-word Yes or No answers. They would come up with up one word weasel answers, or they would insist that their thoughts on the topic are long, complex and nuanced, and that it was totally unfair to make them give categorical answers. Still, it would be a worthwhile experiment to try on politicians. It would surely confirm the hypothesis that they are all weasels.

  • Anyway, enough of my thoughts on things for which I don't have a say. What's happening with my homebody chronicles? Not much really. I am having a grand time. I love staying at home and not working, even with the threat of my wife Jenny going off about something. The last three days, I have been going outside the apartment and playing catch with my son. We go to the basketball court where there aren't that many players and one of the baskets is broken so that we have lots of room to throw the ball back and forth. Tony is getting better at catching the ball, but he can't throw the ball worth a darn yet. 

  • Two more things: 1) I am finishing this blog entry on Ash Wednesday. I think that it is a good thing at this moment in history that Lent is starting. To do penance is good practice for actual suffering. The question for me is how do I do penance for the next forty days? I don't know what to do. 2) I get my news about the virus crisis from western sources; Jenny gets her from Chinese. The stories I have been reading are all over the board about what is going on, who is to blame, and how bad the crisis is and will be. From what I have seen from Jenny's is that there is more "Rah-rah; Let's be strong China!" theme to it. My wife has been watching videos of foreigners sending this message to China. One message though, had my head scratching. I saw a video of a foreigner praising the behavior of Wuhan locals during the crisis. Fine sentiments as far as that goes, but then the foreigner said that world, when the crisis ends, will have to thank the people of Wuhan for their behavior. I don't know how this message would fly outside of China. My first thought upon hearing the foreigner say that was that the virus originated in Wuhan. And anyway, 99 percent of Wuhanren do deserve sympathy and concern; but not thanks.


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