Links - 23rd April 2018 (2)

UK should learn from how big government damaged Swedish society - "The favourable social outcomes in Swedish society were evident before the creation of an extensive welfare state. The expansion of welfare benefits, however, created huge social problems. Generous benefits, in conjunction with high taxes and a rigid labour market led to high levels of dependency amongst large segments of the population and have limited the ability of Swedish society to integrate migrants into the labour market."

Slavoj Žižek: 'Humanity is OK, but 99% of people are boring idiots' - "The obsession of western liberals with identity politics only distracts from class struggle, and while Žižek doesn't defend any version of communism ever seen in practice, he remains what he calls a "complicated Marxist" with revolutionary ideals. To his critics, as one memorably put it, he is the Borat of philosophy, churning out ever more outrageous statements for scandalous effect. "The problem with Hitler was that he was not violent enough," for example, or "I am not human. I am a monster.""

Is Interracial Marriage More Likely to End in Divorce? - "Most studies conducted on interracial marriages conclude that same race marriages tend to last longer"

India’s Rich Benefit From Schools’ Affirmative Action - The New York Times - "While affirmative action in the United States is now threatened, the program in India is a vast system of political patronage that increasingly works to reward the powerful rather than uplift those in need. Indeed, the caste-based affirmative action here raises questions for nations like Brazil and Malaysia that have adopted anti-discrimination programs that are in some ways similar to India’s. Without diligent judicial oversight, experts say, the efforts can help perpetuate inequality rather than redress it. In Tamil Nadu, for instance, 69 percent of university admissions are now set aside for what the state has determined to be “backward castes.” Many of those favored with these set-asides have controlled Tamil Nadu’s government and much of its resources for generations, but they claim special status by pointing to a caste survey done in 1931... rich students routinely get preference over more accomplished poor ones who do not happen to belong to the favored castes... quotas have transformed the taint of “backwardness” into a coveted designation. The Gujjars of Rajasthan, for instance, held violent riots two years ago to protest the government’s refusal to declare them as “most backward.” Politicians win elections in India by promising to bestow this one-time curse, which has led to a dramatic expansion in those considered backward decades after the designation had true economic meaning. Indeed, caste awareness among the young is sustained in part because of set-asides, so a program intended to eliminate the caste system is now blamed by many for sustaining it... D. Sundaram, a retired professor of sociology from Madras University and a longtime member of Tamil Nadu’s now-disbanded Backward Classes Commission, defended the state’s quotas by saying that even three generations of wealth and power cannot reverse centuries of backwardness."

‘Justice League’ Actress Defends Skimpy Amazon Costumes - "Actress and stunt person Samantha Jo has taken to Twitter to sound off on a simmering controversy involving the apparently skimpy and sexualized costumes worn by the Amazon warriors in Zack Snyder’s upcoming “Justice League”... Jo adds, “I have never once been told to stand in a pretty way or perform something with more skin or feminine moments. I have been most appreciated for my strong stances and posture in my fighting. I’ve always felt not just comfortable, but confident in what I was wearing and how I was being represented.” When it comes to the actual costumes, Jo also notes that “it’s important to remember that the fighting style of the Amazons is quite different…We’ve been able to see that the Amazonian fighting is a little more acrobatic and larger than life requiring armor that allows for that kind of articulation in the body. I was overjoyed with the mobility I had.” She also adds that tweaks made to the Amazon costumes between “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League” actually offered up practical fixes for “chafing, scrapes, pinched and bruised skin.”... Some fans have noted that it’s possible that Snyder’s film includes female warriors from other tribes (or Amazons not necessarily primed for battle) or flashback sequences of the early years of Wonder Woman’s tribe. Other looks at recurring characters — including Connie Nielsen in costume as Diana’s mother Queen Hippolyta — feature costumes very much in line with the looks sported in Jenkins’ film."

Erin Blevins - It seems like people have a lot to say about the... - "It seems like people have a lot to say about the Amazonian costumes in Justice League, people who frankly don’t deserve an opinion about it. For those claiming that it shows somehow that @zacksnyder is sexist or is in any sort of way harmful to the progression of females, you can fuck off. I was an Amazonian - My scene didn’t make the final cut of the movie -but that doesn’t change the relationship I have with the part and my experience as a female on set. I loved it, I felt empowered. I looked around and saw strong women who are proud of their bodies and their abilities, both physical and other. I saw other women I look up to, athletes and actors who all wanted the perception of women to be one of ability and strength. Yes we wore costumes that showed our bodies, much like the guys did in 300 (which people seem to forget is a Zack Snyder film). At no time was my experience in Justice League sexual which brings me to the point: Clothing, or lack thereof is NOT sexual. If you feel like the revealing of skin summons certain sexual feelings, then you are the problem. Do you look at a naked child and think “sex!”? Do you look at a topless elderly woman at the beach in France and think “I just can’t control myself”? Your concern isn’t for the safety and security of our children or to protect the value of women, it’s to mask your own disease, which by all accounts is a fetish of flesh. I’ve fought against this type of person my entire life, the ones that commented my shorts were too short, that made me go home from school because my belly showing was distracting to the male teachers and students... You can call me whatever you want, you can assert that scantily clad females is regression, but you might want to realize that your attitude is the problem, the ignorance of your own perversion is the culprit, and it is only further masked by your comments that fall under the banner of “equality” and false flags of feminism... The hypocrisy of this outrage is stunning. I worked on Justice League first and foremost as a personal chef (I was later cast as an Amazonian). My first order of business was to make sure my client (a male) would look physically imposing, because his appearance on screen would be shirtless for the majority of the film... So while these keyboard warriors search for relevance in their opposition of this film, I want to make it clear, my Amazonian sisters and I hold our middle finger high to you"

Making Justice League's Aquaman Sexy Is the Smartest Thing Warner Bros. and DC Have Ever Done
Feminism means power relations means double standards for men and women are good

Women's Boobs Are Not Free Speech, Says Federal Court - "Tagami's suit argued that banning women from going topless in public while allowing men to do so is a violation of the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause as well as her First Amendment rights. Neither the district nor appeals court agreed, dismissing Tagami's claims... As for Tagami's equal-protection claim, Chicago argued that specifically prohibiting female but not male toplessness "does not actually classify by sex" since the reason more of women's bodies must be covered is "wholly attributable to the basic physiological differences between the sexes.""
Does imposing a jail term for someone who touches a woman's breast but not a man's violate the Equal Protection Clause?

Shane Gill - How dare he stay adequately hydrated. That privileged... - "this kid literally brought a jug of water to class and is just drinking out of it. i hate college and i hate white people"

Men With Muscles and Money Are More Attractive to Straight Women and Gay Men—Showing Gender Roles Aren’t Progressing - "Muscles and money are qualities that straight women and gay men typically find attractive in men, according to an analysis of Tube Crush—a website where people post unsolicited pictures of men seen on the London Underground... “This celebration of masculine capital is achieved through humor and the knowing wink, but the outcome is a reaffirmation of men’s position in society,” lead author Adrienne Evans from the Coventry University’s Centre for Postdigital Cultures said in a statement. The problem, according to Evans, is that “although it appears as though we have moved forward, our desires are still mostly about money and strength.”
So it seems the liberal agenda is not about equality, tolerance and respect - but total reengineering of society and changing everyone's preferences

SHOCKING: Feminist Study Finds Women Want Men With "Muscles And Money" - "Diversity is limited, with nonwhite men being virtually absent, and when included, often notable for their defining racial features. This absence of the bodies of nonwhite men is significant given that London is hailed as a multicultural city, so that we might expect more diversity.
Of course, leftists explain this fact strictly in terms of racism, despite the fact that London is less than 50 percent non-British at this point. It is not unreasonable to assume that many of the women snapping pictures on the Tube are women of color—are they racist too? Apparently so, the study suggests... Summing up the study: (1) women objectify men just as men objectify women, (2) women like large, strong, rich men, and (3) British women prefer white men. Nothing here should come as shocking. If it did, I suggest you get out of your liberal bubble once in a while."

What Makes Men Hot? Consider Their Facial Hair, Research Says - "Overall, women displayed a higher level of attraction to men with facial hair compared to the images of clean-shaven faces, but the women’s attraction to a man’s appearance during certain stages of his beard growth surprisingly depended completely on what that woman was looking for... A separate study Dixson published in the Journal of Evolutional Biology in 2016 found similar results of more women being inclined to choose bearded men for long-term relationships and found women considered men with facial hair to be more masculine, confident, industrious, generous and sincere."

How to make sure your kid doesn’t go to Snowflake U. - "Here are the telltale signs to look out for:
Rewarding students for protesting... At the University of Missouri, a relatively small group of students held a sit-in at the campus library for two days in the fall of 2015. The demonstrators demanded that all staff, faculty and students go through training that aligned with their myopic and closed political worldview. They actually stipulated that any student who didn’t complete the training couldn’t enroll in any classes. The group didn’t stop there. They demanded the resignation of both the president and the provost and, shockingly, the board of trustees capitulated. By rewarding these rioters and accepting their demands, Evergreen and the University of Missouri did nothing but enable further selfishness and dysfunctional behavior at their respective institutions.
Teaching political correctness rather than truth...
Talking about God is off limits. Christian organizations and clubs at Purdue, Vanderbilt and Syracuse have been under attack for years now. In 2011, Vanderbilt University boldly told its Christian clubs that they could no longer require their leaders to be Christian. This does not just affect the clubs that define themselves as Christian, but also those that are run by Jews, Muslims, Mormons and others."

Man hides in woods for 10 years to escape nagging wife

Why Clicker Heroes 2 is abandoning free-to-play - "We really don't like making money off players who are in denial of their addiction. And that's what a large part of free-to-play gaming is all about. Everyone in the industry seems to rationalize it by shifting the blame, assuming way too much cognizance on the part of their victims... We want the experience to be good. The mere existence of real-money purchases puts an ugly cloud over the player's experience, with the persistent nagging feeling of "My game could be so much better if I just spent a few dollars". That alone feels terrible."

How To Turn Around A Tech Giant? With Empathy, Microsoft CEO Satya NadellaSays - "the culture of Microsoft went downhill. The company had missed the mobile revolution. By the time he became CEO in 2014, critics say (and even Nadella suggests), very smart people at the company had turned very resentful and unmotivated. People stopped caring about what the customer needs, and there was infighting. A cartoonist once made a sketch of Microsoft employees pointing guns at each other (instead of at the rapidly growing competition)... He's also made some very hard, even cold decisions. When Nadella decided Microsoft can't beat Apple or Samsung at making smartphones, he axed his 18,000 employees working on it. How does a man who preaches empathy explain that? "I was thinking of the 100,000 people who work at Microsoft and how the future of this company would be jeopardized if I didn't pick right""

Can You Be a Great Leader Without Technical Expertise? - "There is a broad assumption in society and in education that the skills you need to be a leader are more or less transferable. If you can inspire and motivate people in one arena, you should be able to apply those skills to do the same in another venue. But recent research is rightly challenging this notion. Studies suggest that the best leaders know a lot about the domain in which they are leading, and part of what makes them successful in a management role is technical competence. For example, hospitals managed by doctors perform better than those managed by people with other backgrounds. And there are many examples of people who ran one company effectively and had trouble transferring their skills to the new organization."

National Hangeul Museum (국립한글박물관) | Official Korea Tourism Organization - "The National Hangeul Museum showcases the history and value of Korean orthography, Korean’s most-valued cultural asset, through exhibitions, activities, and education."
To have a museum dedicated to your alphabet... Also why is it not spelled Hangul?

I am a size ten eating machine - "STANDING 5ft 5in tall, with a 28in waist and a size-10 wardrobe, the only thing big about Kate Ovens is her colossal appetite... she was hailed as “the World’s Best Girlfriend”."

Village burned down after 'Prophet Mohammed insulted' - "A mob of angry Muslims burned down a Hindu village in Bangladesh after a rumor spread a local had insulted Prophet Mohammed on Facebook. One person was killed and at least five more seriously injured after 20,000 Muslims attacked Hindu homes in the village of Thakurbari, in the Rangpur Sadar region of the country"

Why public sees foreign workers as more helpful than locals - "Bangladeshi construction worker Mahbub Hasan Dipu, 30, who hails from Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, said he has many friends from villages in Bangladesh. He described these village communities as "one big family... They are all very helpful". But he said there could be another reason for such friendliness: "We need this job. We want to stay here. We are scared that if we are rude, bad things will happen.""

Transracial? Florida man, born white, says he feels Filipino - "Ja Du is part of a small but growing number of people who call themselves transracial. The term once referred only to someone (or a couple) of a one race adopting a child of another, but now it’s becoming associated with someone born of one race who identifies with another... He is also transsexual and is considering changing his gender as well... Ja Du knows some may question intentions or accuse him of cultural appropriation. This can be a problem, he said, but says he’s not trying to take advantage of anything."
Are FTMs trying to benefit from male privilege?

The secret to a happy marriage: it's all in your height difference - "a greater height difference in a couple was positively related to the wife's happiness - although that relationship weakened gradually over time, and tended to dissipate entirely after 18 years of marriage. .. According to a 2014 study by Rice University and the University of North Texas titled "Does Height Matter? An Examination of Height Preferences in Romantic Coupling," 48.9 per cent of women insisted on dating men who were taller than they were. Moreover, a 2007 study of some 2,000 personal ads revealed that "23pc of men compared to only 4pc of women would accept a dating relationship where the woman was taller"."
Again, women are fussier than men

The Difference Between a Happy Marriage and Miserable One: Chores - "Although working women's feelings of being overwhelmed is well documented, in some cases men are also often highly stressed by managing everyday household decisions and prioritizing the needs of family members. Travis, the father of two boys ages two and a half and eight, laments the constant demand of "managing someone else's needs," specifically, being unable to fulfill the "demands" of his wife, which often comes at the expense of his own health... for working parents one's job offered a less stressful environment than life at home... Alice and Travis expressed having divergent needs and expectations of what is necessary for running a household successfully. They have different ideas about how to organize their everyday lives... For Travis, Alice's micro-managing is problematic because it does not occur only when something needs to be done; it permeates almost every moment of his waking life. He comments on his wife's continual negative appraisals and states that there is a great deal of "punitive language coming my direction... Conflict was more prevalent when couples had not worked out a clear division of labor in the home and had to renegotiate responsibilities from one day to the next."
The Second Shift and Emotional Labour are basically women having different expectations than men

All the Single Ladies: Job Promotions and the Durability of Marriage - "This paper addresses women's under-representation in top jobs in organizational hierarchies. We show that promotions to top jobs dramatically increase women's probability of divorce, but do not affect men's marriages... No divorce effect is found in couples that are more gender-equal in terms of having a smaller age gap and a more equal division of parental leave. We argue that norms and behavior in the marriage market hinder the closure of the gender gap in the labor market."