{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T13:56:05+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314202913124745216",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ejz8lY4U0AIQVsM.jpg"
    ],
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/grynbaum/status/1314200898395090944",
    "content": {
        "text": "The lede: Superspreader in Chief does not care about working people https://t.co/ert23SRBvE"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/grynbaum/status/1314200898395090944": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2020-10-08T13:48:05+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/grynbaum/status/1314200898395090944",
            "content": {
                "text": "Our latest on Trump's refusal to go virtual, setting up the most significant test to the Debate Commission\u2019s legitimacy since its founding in 1987. nyti.ms/34CSNgM me & @maggieNYT",
                "html": "Our latest on Trump's refusal to go virtual, setting up the most significant test to the Debate Commission\u2019s legitimacy since its founding in 1987. <a href=\"https://nyti.ms/34CSNgM\">nyti.ms/34CSNgM</a> me &amp; <a href=\"https://twitter.com/maggieNYT\">@maggieNYT</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Michael M. Grynbaum",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/grynbaum",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3366881598/002dc46e15306d9d2c384a10703e2159.jpeg"
            },
            "post-type": "note"
        }
    },
    "_id": "15402170",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T12:41:20+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/slsoftworks/status/1314184099544862725",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ejzpm1uXsAEH3Bn.jpg"
    ],
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/jna_sh/status/1314180031028047872",
    "content": {
        "text": "OHBOY this was so much fun!!\nIf you missed this trip down memory lane\u2014from trawling through promise polyfills & ancient JS libraries to firing up a 7-year old #FirefoxOS app on an original Keon rewatch below! twitch.tv/videos/7641001\u2026\n\nTune in to @raisedevs live all #Hacktoberfest! https://t.co/CwEbFCFW6Y",
        "html": "OHBOY this was so much fun!!\nIf you missed this trip down memory lane\u2014from trawling through promise polyfills &amp; ancient JS libraries to firing up a 7-year old <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FirefoxOS\">#FirefoxOS</a> app on an original Keon rewatch below! <a href=\"https://www.twitch.tv/videos/764100130\">twitch.tv/videos/7641001\u2026</a>\n\nTune in to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/raisedevs\">@raisedevs</a> live all <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Hacktoberfest\">#Hacktoberfest</a>! https://t.co/CwEbFCFW6Y"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "flaki",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/slsoftworks",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/749678683514896385/7gxIRnoC.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/jna_sh/status/1314180031028047872": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2020-10-08T12:25:10+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/jna_sh/status/1314180031028047872",
            "content": {
                "text": "Streaming is a place where time is purely elastic and fails to have meaning. Such a fun show with @slsoftworks!!",
                "html": "Streaming is a place where time is purely elastic and fails to have meaning. Such a fun show with <a href=\"https://twitter.com/slsoftworks\">@slsoftworks</a>!!"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Joe",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/jna_sh",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1228316950884954114/YzosSgSI.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "note"
        }
    },
    "_id": "15400337",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T07:02:48+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/slsoftworks/status/1314098907245412352",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/raisedevs/status/1313955717246844936",
    "content": {
        "text": "Hey all I'm gonna be live on Twitch w/ Sparkling Heart Emoji Ambassador @jna_sh at 10:30 UTC today for the @RaiseDevs Hacktoberfest Helpdesk!\n\nFolks aren't sending enough tricky questions so we'll be unearthing a decade-old side project of mine for review! \ud83d\ude48\nGon' be fun! \ud83d\ude43",
        "html": "Hey all I'm gonna be live on Twitch w/ Sparkling Heart Emoji Ambassador <a href=\"https://twitter.com/jna_sh\">@jna_sh</a> at 10:30 UTC today for the <a href=\"https://twitter.com/raisedevs\">@RaiseDevs</a> Hacktoberfest Helpdesk!\n\nFolks aren't sending enough tricky questions so we'll be unearthing a decade-old side project of mine for review! \ud83d\ude48\nGon' be fun! \ud83d\ude43"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "flaki",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/slsoftworks",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/749678683514896385/7gxIRnoC.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/raisedevs/status/1313955717246844936": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2020-10-07T21:33:49+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/raisedevs/status/1313955717246844936",
            "photo": [
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ejwbup0WkAMCjGQ.jpg"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "Miss todays #Hacktoberfest Helpdesk show? We're back tomorrow!\n\nYou can submit questions at raise.dev/hacktoberfest.\n\nOur special guests:\n- 4pm IST: @slsoftworks \n- 4pm CEST: @TartanLlama \n- 4pm EDT: @shanamatthews \n\n\ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udcfa Tune in at twitch.tv/raisedevs",
                "html": "Miss todays <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Hacktoberfest\">#Hacktoberfest</a> Helpdesk show? We're back tomorrow!\n\nYou can submit questions at <a href=\"http://raise.dev/hacktoberfest\">raise.dev/hacktoberfest</a>.\n\nOur special guests:\n- 4pm IST: <a href=\"https://twitter.com/slsoftworks\">@slsoftworks</a> \n- 4pm CEST: <a href=\"https://twitter.com/TartanLlama\">@TartanLlama</a> \n- 4pm EDT: <a href=\"https://twitter.com/shanamatthews\">@shanamatthews</a> \n\n\ud83d\udc40\ud83d\udcfa Tune in at <a href=\"http://twitch.tv/raisedevs\">twitch.tv/raisedevs</a>"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "raise.dev",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/raisedevs",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1307007581857165312/SwZEHK42.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "photo"
        }
    },
    "_id": "15394919",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T03:51:19+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/andigalpern/status/1314050717062033408",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjxyKVvUYAEGk1o.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "#Debate2020",
        "html": "<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Debate2020\">#Debate2020</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Andi Ghoulpern \ud83d\udc7b\ud83c\udf83 #vote",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/andigalpern",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1162560868543893504/uo_XA_EA.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "15392192",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T03:31:15+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314045668143497221",
    "content": {
        "text": "Dr Phlox is rapidly becoming probably my favorite ST character ever, after Spock."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15391969",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T03:17:04+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314042098652336128",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/EugeneLeeYang/status/1314038062012219392",
    "content": {
        "text": "The banalifly of evil\ntwitter.com/eugeneleeyang/\u2026",
        "html": "The banalifly of evil\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/eugeneleeyang/status/1314038062012219392\">twitter.com/eugeneleeyang/\u2026</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/EugeneLeeYang/status/1314038062012219392": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2020-10-08T03:01:02+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/EugeneLeeYang/status/1314038062012219392",
            "content": {
                "text": "Need I remind everyone that Mike Pence is, and has always been, one of THE most disturbing and frightening dangers to LGBTQ+ people in this administration. The dude gets points for appearing calm and collected while actively stripping away an entire population's right to exist."
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Eugene Lee Yang",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/EugeneLeeYang",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1185324163281633287/yeX56lLJ.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "note"
        }
    },
    "_id": "15391677",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T03:05:01+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314039065159692289",
    "content": {
        "text": "#TheFlyOnPence was literally an illustration of Pence\u2019s handling of COVID....and everything else. \n\nNo flies on you - Idioms by The Free Dictionary\n\n idioms.thefreedictionary.com/no+flies+on+you",
        "html": "<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheFlyOnPence\">#TheFlyOnPence</a> was literally an illustration of Pence\u2019s handling of COVID....and everything else. \n\nNo flies on you - Idioms by The Free Dictionary\n\n <a href=\"https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/no+flies+on+you\">idioms.thefreedictionary.com/no+flies+on+you</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15391378",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T02:31:37+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1314030658914668544",
    "content": {
        "text": "YOU CAN JUST SAY AMERICANS. We know we are people."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic \ud83e\udd44\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 BLM",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1123802400731664385/dsHQG1nZ.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15390593",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T02:31:25+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314030609350631424",
    "quotation-of": "https://twitter.com/Subhah/status/1314027862102470657",
    "content": {
        "text": "Best tweet of the debate\ntwitter.com/subhah/status/\u2026",
        "html": "Best tweet of the debate\n<a href=\"https://twitter.com/subhah/status/1314027862102470657\">twitter.com/subhah/status/\u2026</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "refs": {
        "https://twitter.com/Subhah/status/1314027862102470657": {
            "type": "entry",
            "published": "2020-10-08T02:20:30+00:00",
            "url": "https://twitter.com/Subhah/status/1314027862102470657",
            "photo": [
                "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjxdYEKU0AASlTA.jpg"
            ],
            "content": {
                "text": "That fly is Mike Pence\u2019s only black friend"
            },
            "author": {
                "type": "card",
                "name": "Subhah",
                "url": "https://twitter.com/Subhah",
                "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1300549603079589888/4fHYzKfS.jpg"
            },
            "post-type": "photo"
        }
    },
    "_id": "15390594",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T02:04:39+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1314023871855484930",
    "content": {
        "text": "A sizable American family?!?"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic \ud83e\udd44\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 BLM",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1123802400731664385/dsHQG1nZ.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15389410",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:55:50+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314021654016618498",
    "content": {
        "text": "That little wry \u201chmhm\u201d from Kamala during this question about American leadership was fucking amazing #VPDebate",
        "html": "That little wry \u201chmhm\u201d from Kamala during this question about American leadership was fucking amazing <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23VPDebate\">#VPDebate</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15389413",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:53:51+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1314021156098207747",
    "content": {
        "text": "I will just like to remind you that tariffs on China hurt American farmers and american farmers FAR more than they hurt China."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic \ud83e\udd44\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 BLM",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1123802400731664385/dsHQG1nZ.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15389415",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:49:22+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/cleverdevil/status/1314020028275023872",
    "content": {
        "text": "My favorite part of this debate is not watching it. I don\u2019t need more reasons to be angry at Mike Pence and his twisted version of Christianity. I don\u2019t need more evidence that Kamala Harris is a thousand times more capable.\n\nTime for some Netflix."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Jonathan LaCour",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/cleverdevil",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/744804831064317952/W-gMo7AO.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15388987",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:48:25+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/andigalpern/status/1314019787375144961",
    "content": {
        "text": "You\u2019re making the Bay Area proud @KamalaHarris!  Keep going!  #Debates2020",
        "html": "You\u2019re making the Bay Area proud <a href=\"https://twitter.com/KamalaHarris\">@KamalaHarris</a>!  Keep going!  <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23Debates2020\">#Debates2020</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Andi Ghoulpern \ud83d\udc7b\ud83c\udf83 #vote",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/andigalpern",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1162560868543893504/uo_XA_EA.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15388988",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:35:12+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1314016462789517312",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjxTAccVgAAZkS5.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "I don\u2019t drink but really enjoying this non alcoholic \u201cwhiskey\u201d sour"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic \ud83e\udd44\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 BLM",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1123802400731664385/dsHQG1nZ.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "15388796",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:29:49+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily/status/1314015109153341441",
    "photo": [
        "https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EjxRxpNVkAMw5U8.jpg"
    ],
    "content": {
        "text": "Catching up"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "Lillian Karabaic \ud83e\udd44\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 BLM",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/anomalily",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1123802400731664385/dsHQG1nZ.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "photo",
    "_id": "15388329",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:27:23+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314014496726212609",
    "content": {
        "text": "#VPDebate if the drinking game is taking a shot every time Pence ignores the question and says what he wants, I'm getting hammered.",
        "html": "<a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23VPDebate\">#VPDebate</a> if the drinking game is taking a shot every time Pence ignores the question and says what he wants, I'm getting hammered."
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15388330",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:18:29+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic/status/1314012255889940483",
    "content": {
        "text": "INEPTITUDE FTW #VPDebate",
        "html": "INEPTITUDE FTW <a href=\"https://twitter.com/search?q=%23VPDebate\">#VPDebate</a>"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "jk",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/karabaic",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1256785873384861696/QfRzUvne.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15388028",
    "_source": "2773"
}

{
    "type": "entry",
    "published": "2020-10-08T01:12:22+00:00",
    "url": "https://twitter.com/tomwiththeweath/status/1314010717100609539",
    "content": {
        "text": "pence leading with the chewbacca defense"
    },
    "author": {
        "type": "card",
        "name": "@herestomwiththeweather@mastodon.social",
        "url": "https://twitter.com/tomwiththeweath",
        "photo": "https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/52629372/flickr.jpg"
    },
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15388029",
    "_source": "2773"
}

The Dispossessed

{
    "type": "entry",
    "author": {
        "name": "Cathie",
        "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/",
        "photo": null
    },
    "url": "https://cathieleblanc.com/2020/10/07/the-dispossessed/",
    "published": "2020-10-07T19:42:15-04:00",
    "content": {
        "html": "<p>I\u2019m reading Ursula K. LeGuin\u2019s <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dispossessed\"><em>The Dispossessed</em></a> and am fascinated by the portrait of the three societies in the novel. An interesting side note is that my copy of the book doesn\u2019t have the subtitle (<em>An Ambiguous Utopia</em>) on the cover. In fact, I only realized it had a subtitle when I looked for a link to put into this post. The subtitle only appears on the cover page inside the book in my copy. Not sure what to make of that.</p>\n<p>I\u2019m only about halfway through the book but there are so many interesting bits to the novel that I think are representations of our lives today, even though LeGuin wrote the novel in 1974. The protagonist is Shevek, a native of Anarres, a planet colonized by revolutionaries who live by the principles of <a href=\"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarcho-syndicalism\">anarcho-syndicalism</a> which views workers\u2019 self-management as the means for achieving freedom. For much of the novel, Shevek is visiting the planet Urras, which has two rival superpowers. One is a hyper-capitalist state and the other is a socialist state ruled by an authoritarian. While on Urras, Shevek takes a teaching position in the hyper-capitalist part of the planet. LeGuin is masterful at showing the ways in which the political philosophies of the various characters\u2019 native states play out in their behavior and ways of thinking about the world.</p>\n<p>In particular, the following passage about Shevek\u2019s teaching jumped out at me:</p>\n<blockquote><p>He was appalled by the examination system, when it was explained to him: he could not imagine a greater deterrent to the natural wish to learn than this pattern of cramming in information and disgorging it at demand. At first he refused to give any tests or grades, but this upset the University administrators so badly that, not wishing to be discourteous to his hosts, he gave in. He asked his students to write a paper on any problems in physics that interested them , and told them that he would them all the highest mark, so that the bureaucrats would have something to write on their forms and lists. To his surprise a good many students came to him to complain. They wanted him to set the problems, to ask the right questions; they did not want to think about questions, but to write down the answers they had learned. And some of them objected strongly to his giving everyone the same mark. How could the diligent students be distinguished from the dull ones? What was the good in working hard? If no competitive distinctions were to be made, one might as well do nothing.</p>\n<p>\u201cWell, of course,\u201d Shevek said, troubled, \u201cIf you do not want to the work, you should not do it.\u201d (pp 127-8 in the Harper Voyager edition)</p></blockquote>\n<p>I don\u2019t have any profound thoughts about this other than to recommend the novel. It\u2019s so interesting that the novel points out the many ways in which capitalism has infiltrated every aspect of our own society and to think about how things might be different.</p>",
        "text": "I\u2019m reading Ursula K. LeGuin\u2019s The Dispossessed and am fascinated by the portrait of the three societies in the novel. An interesting side note is that my copy of the book doesn\u2019t have the subtitle (An Ambiguous Utopia) on the cover. In fact, I only realized it had a subtitle when I looked for a link to put into this post. The subtitle only appears on the cover page inside the book in my copy. Not sure what to make of that.\nI\u2019m only about halfway through the book but there are so many interesting bits to the novel that I think are representations of our lives today, even though LeGuin wrote the novel in 1974. The protagonist is Shevek, a native of Anarres, a planet colonized by revolutionaries who live by the principles of anarcho-syndicalism which views workers\u2019 self-management as the means for achieving freedom. For much of the novel, Shevek is visiting the planet Urras, which has two rival superpowers. One is a hyper-capitalist state and the other is a socialist state ruled by an authoritarian. While on Urras, Shevek takes a teaching position in the hyper-capitalist part of the planet. LeGuin is masterful at showing the ways in which the political philosophies of the various characters\u2019 native states play out in their behavior and ways of thinking about the world.\nIn particular, the following passage about Shevek\u2019s teaching jumped out at me:\nHe was appalled by the examination system, when it was explained to him: he could not imagine a greater deterrent to the natural wish to learn than this pattern of cramming in information and disgorging it at demand. At first he refused to give any tests or grades, but this upset the University administrators so badly that, not wishing to be discourteous to his hosts, he gave in. He asked his students to write a paper on any problems in physics that interested them , and told them that he would them all the highest mark, so that the bureaucrats would have something to write on their forms and lists. To his surprise a good many students came to him to complain. They wanted him to set the problems, to ask the right questions; they did not want to think about questions, but to write down the answers they had learned. And some of them objected strongly to his giving everyone the same mark. How could the diligent students be distinguished from the dull ones? What was the good in working hard? If no competitive distinctions were to be made, one might as well do nothing.\n\u201cWell, of course,\u201d Shevek said, troubled, \u201cIf you do not want to the work, you should not do it.\u201d (pp 127-8 in the Harper Voyager edition)\nI don\u2019t have any profound thoughts about this other than to recommend the novel. It\u2019s so interesting that the novel points out the many ways in which capitalism has infiltrated every aspect of our own society and to think about how things might be different."
    },
    "name": "The Dispossessed",
    "post-type": "note",
    "_id": "15387016",
    "_source": "2782"
}