Random Question

Why doesn't Windows have an easily accessible "view only files of type X" function for browsing?

And I don't care if XP does, since I'm using Windows 98.

Methinks I need either Linux, or to get a mac. Heh.

Class Matters

I was going to make a post here, about how class matters in the US, at least as much or more than race. But the NY Times has already beaten me to it. As stolen from this post over on the Washington Monthly, and this article over at the NY Times, Richest are Leaving Even the Rich Far Behind. Which seems to be part of a series of articles. Which are probably better written and better researched than my vague impressions based on traveling, but I'll post them anyway.

Remember my post way back when about the justification of progressive taxation? The Washington Monthly post has a graph of actual tax rates in the US. It's not progressive. It's bell-shaped. Lowest rates at the bottom and the top. That's not right. It's a symptom of the Republicans' constant drive to make income from investment and inheritance untaxed.



At any rate, my thoughts on class, quickly. Class matters, at the title says. For all that libertarians and others try to deny it, it's true. Economic and Social class both have a major effect on how people live. At least as much, maybe more than race. Or it might just look that way since I'm a middle class liberal white guy. But I have more in common, culturally, with middle class folks if they're black, white, asian, hispanic, whatever, than I do with poor white people. Well, that's not completely true, because personally, I'm poor, just sponging off my parents. And most of my friends tend to be gamers, who tend to be moderately poor, because gamers tend to be more interested in interesting jobs and spend their money on games and interesting things, rather than saving and investing as much.

At any rate, there's wide gaps of culture and expectation and values between classes. And musical tastes, even. The poor in the US are more foreign to the rich than the rich from other countries, who hang out at the same metropolitan clubs and resorts with each other. Actually, that's one of the biggest differences, the ability to, and the expense of, travel. If you're poor, you're working all the time, and can barely travel. Middle class, you've got a car, you can drive, you've got vacation time, you can maybe fly somewhere or take a vacation, travel's a lot easier, but it requires planning and forethought. The rich can just jaunt anywhere they want, on a daily basis. And do.

Yeah, the NY Times's stuff is probably more insightful than mine. But it was an interesting overlap, since I was just about to post something on that.

Tags: Politics, Links, Economics, Mindscribbles, News

On Music

It's interesting how musical tastes change. I mean, I've sorta drifted sideways into listening to punk music now. Part of this is politics, since a lot of good punk songs are about politics, that's kinda the whole point. And part of it's my brother, who started listening to some, which was how I got exposed to it. But more I think it's my interest in politics. Looking through my CD collection, it reflects that a) I've spent way too much on used CDs, and b) my tastes are mostly fairly mainstream. And I tend to buy all of the CDs of a band if I like their music. But y'know, it doesn't matter. The whole point of individual taste is you don't care if something's popular or not, if you like it.

Anyway, back to the punk thing. Why I was thinking of that, besides listening to it, was the fact that one of my relatively close friends back in HS was this big guy, and a smart guy, and was in a punk band. Lots of (good) punk bands are smart, both in words and in issues. I never went to any of their shows or rehearsals or anything, though I thought about it a couple times. Heck, I don't even remember his name, sadly. Back then, I figured most punk was guys randomly screaming into a microphone to loud music. Which is what a lot of bad punk is, so I wasn't totally wrong. But I wonder what woulda happened if I'd been interested back then, and how I'd have turned out. This wasn't just a one time choice, it was days and days of choosing not to do anything. Which is what most choices really are, only a few are decide right then things. I wonder what he's up to these days.

Tags: Music, Mindscribbles, Me