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Culture War Roundup for the week of March 25, 2024

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The "they take all our jerbs!" refrain against immigration is fundamentally selfish and rent seeking.

I'm beginning to see why Ayn Rand got a following. The world runs around people acting selfishly. EAs may claim they should give as much of their income as they can for malaria nets. Non-EAs earn money for themselves and their families. Yes, not wanting competition from immigrants is selfish. So is saying "you should hire me for this job over the other applicant" whether immigrant or not. So is spending money to buy yourself ice cream instead of donating it. So is saying "I really would like to keep my kidney even though someone else can use it more than me."

Maybe your parents told you "don't be selfish" growing up, but kids are told simplified versions of things. Look out for your own interests.

Maybe your parents told you "don't be selfish" growing up, but kids are told simplied versions of things.

"A moderate degree of sharing will result in positive goodwill which will in the medium and long run be considerably greater than the loss from deviating from pure selfishness" -- Adam Smith to his kids, probably.