Little Green Men

"That wheat ain't going to Beijing."

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Stranded without a guest in beautiful Springfield, Illinois, Jonah is forced to record another Ruminant, and the result finds his mind drifting from place to place like a wayward spy balloon. After a brief foray into dirigible-based punditry, he quickly turns to protectionism and Biden’s “Buy American” mantra, providing some extended thoughts on why both are so annoying. From there, his ramblings fall into an uncontrolled tailspin, covering everything from NIMBianism to René Girard and, finally, the incomparable Cronut.

Show Notes:

– Real life Up

– Dominic Pino: “Biden Promises to Spend Your Money Poorly”

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  1. Jeff

    Jonah:

    I am a new subscriber. Joined up because I enjoyed David French's weekend essays... Oh well, I already had an NYT subscription.

    Now that I am under your umbrella, I have found all sorts of other cool things, not the least of which is your Remnant Podcast!

    Listening to the Little Green Men episode, I wanted to add some color to your memory of the lawn chair balloon man. That was an AMAZING adventure, if not quite as fully thought out as it might have been. It landed him a ROLEX sponsorship and they used him in print ads for sometime thereafter!

    Keep up the good work!

    Jeff

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  2. Hartzlk

    Oh my goodness! I'm not the only person in this world who has an irrational fear of being up in the sky with a bunch of balloons and no way down!

    I have yet to watch the Disney movie Up, because my aversion to the basic premise has me subconsciously place it in the horror category.

    Trigger warning, Jonah: I'm going to describe some balloon scenarios my mind has come up with. Stop reading now if you think that will bother you.

    My imagination (both asleep and awake) has had time to work out some variety:
    The gun (to pop the balloons) or knife (to cut the rope/ribbons) drops to the ground, and I helplessly watch it disappear from sight.
    The chair is so unstable I can't move without risking it tipping me out from an altitude where cars look like tiny ants.
    I'm clinging in midair to a massive wad of balloon strings, trying to carefully let just a few slip through my fingers so that I can go down.
    When I first notice I'm going up, I have half a second to judge if I can drop safely or not before it's clearly too late.
    I've got a parachute pack, but I don't know if it's going to work, or how to tell the right time to pull the cord.
    Multiple balloons pop without me doing anything and then the fall starts. Do I try to shed weight? I can't undo it if I drop too much and start going up again...

    It's not like I'm afraid of balloons. I'll happily hold a small bundle of helium-filled latex as much or more as the next person. I'm not afraid of being up high. I don't do great in really small planes (like four seaters), but I don't think about it as much as the balloons. For me, I think it's the sheer lack of control with the balloon-lawn chair vehicle and no reliable backup that freaks me out. Or maybe it's just so weird, to be anxious about something with balloons, that it fits the freaky dream fodder mold really well.

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    Andrew Richards

    Here's a great book on the impact of AI on society that we went over in a wonky "Law of AI" course I took last year, it might be useful (or at least interesting) for whatever it is you're working on: AI 2041
    https://a.co/d/1b2JBei

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  5. Callmecal

    I would like to see you have someone like Chuck Marohn, Nolan Gray, or Jeff Speck on to talk about city development (NIMBY vs YIMBY, suburbs, etc)!

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    Michael Garrett

    I found Jonah' s recap on the tension between the bourgeoisie and the aristocrats, the importance of observing and maintaining distinctions among classes, as well as the seeds of antisemitism, all especially relevant because I had earlier in the week rewatched Robert Altman's film "Gosford Park." (A few times, actually, to hear the writer's and director's commentary.)

    Those class matters are just one of the themes that the movie incorporates, and handles well, that make it a work of art, and of enduring worth.

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  7. Joe1776

    What to do if technology takes care of our basic needs like in the Jetsons? I think the answer is the same as now. Some will no doubt pursue fame for status. But I think plenty of studies show that is less likely to bring happiness than developing personal relationships. As a Christian I believe our purpose is to build bonds of love based on service to others. That will always be something people can do and I think it will always be the best way to spend free time.

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  8. Stephen.Fenwick

    But Ezra Klien recent podcast was basically about how ‘conservatives’ n ‘the right’ are the cause of poor regulation or how they’ve constrained local n state implementation of laws n regulations? Interesting next podcast with Ezra or his guest from his recent podcast? So confusing lah.

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  9. CCA

    In reference to the section on poverty and class, I am reminded of something I heard many years ago about Charleston, South Carolina (which also applies to a handful of other similarly situated places),

    "You can move to Charleston, but you will never be from Charleston."

    That captures the essence of aristocracy and classism better than just about anything.

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  10. Joe1776

    I live in Bloomington Illinois. It is the place where Lincoln gave his famous lost speech.
    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln%27s_Lost_Speech
    Abe Lincoln said the night he gave that speech the Republican Party was started.

    If you want to visit we are just north west south and East of the corn fields north of Springfield. If you let me know you are coming I will gladly buy you a beverage.

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