Bring on the Lanes
It has been a clear, chilly night in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where strangers are kind and beauty is overflowing.
Was it a university campus I momentarily stepped on, then off? Was it a downtown of a city? Or the windmills of the hive mind? Anyhow, the streets of this place, they are a-changin’.
Successful societies are built on two principles: liberty and trust. Liberty is the acceptance of the fact that each individual will do what is best for himself. Trust is the belief that if there are multiple equilibria, people will find a way to coordinate on the best one.
This model of success is elementary and unassailable. It admits no intelligent opposition. There is no shortage of unintelligent opposition, though. “Let’s Break Things!” is a popular specimen. It promises easy power. (Power is like sugar. Most people crave it, but the good-looking ones are careful to limit their intake.)
“Let’s Break Things!” divides and conquers. Its blueprint is this:
- Convert any game into a negative-sum game. Toss a coin to pick your side. Go for the kill.
- If a game resists conversion, coordinate on the worst equilibrium of the game you have.
- Enjoy the feeling of power as long as the fortunes of the adversary keep diminishing — your own fortunes be damned.
To hell with capitalism,
It has made you rich.
To hell with meritocracy,
Let your kids self-teach.
To hell with social trust,
Stick it to the upper crust.
“Let’s break things!” you shout,
“Meme my truth, or you’re out!”
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but with a whimper
And bicycle lanes.
Thank you kindly.
