“The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds”

I’m pretty sure most buyers never finished this book.

So why did I?

Maybe it’s fandom, I’m a Michael Lewis believer. He writes well about subjects I find interesting and he’s not self-aggrandizing and thin-skinned like Malcolm Gladwell, whom I’ve lost faith in. But both oftentimes write about science, when neither has any true expertise in the field. And after reading Clayton Christensen’s latest tome I’ve realized you’re much better off going to the source, only oftentimes the source can think, has experience, but can’t write.

Maybe it’s because of my Kindle policy. If I buy it, I read it. My inbox fills up constantly with print supporters, they’re even more vociferous than CD supporters, maybe not foaming at the mouth quite like vinyl supporters. And that’s part of what “The Undoing Project” is about, the investment the old guard has in debunking new theories. I got an email from a friend in Bora Bora telling me she had nothing to read, that the book she’d brought was boring her. I told her I was lying on my bed reading about a new book on my iPhone and went on Amazon and bought it and started reading it right away on my Kindle and was engrossed. Funny how the people addicted to their mobile devices can’t stray from hardcover books. Then there’s a publishing industry that won the war with Amazon by pricing digital copies almost the same as physical ones, and that just doesn’t feel right. And that’s another thing in “The Undoing Project,” how emotions, however irrational, creep into decision-making. If I had the hardcover I could lend it, it could sit on my shelf forever, even though lending can be rare and we end up weighted down by our possessions.

Maybe it’s because of Middlebury. I vividly remember Professor Andrews saying in anthropology freshman year that we were never going to discuss the reading in class, if we’d gotten this far and had trouble comprehending the book we had bigger problems. That was what Middlebury was about, reading. You’d sit in the dorm lounge on sunny afternoons for hours, poring through books you had little interest in, because you knew you’d have to expound upon them in the test, and expound you did, there were no objective exams at Middlebury, only subjective ones, essays, three hours long. So I know how to read a boring book and soldier on. Is this an asset? I oftentimes wonder. We hear all the time about pivoting, but I stay the course, I’m starting to think to my detriment, sometimes you just have to give up.

Like I’m sure most of the purchasers of “The Undoing Project” did.

But the reviews were so good!

Ever since Michiko Kakutani raved about “The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter,” I’ve doubted her opinion. Kinda like Steve Bannon. Who wondered why no one in the media that got the election so wrong lost their job. Because it’s a club, they circle the wagons, and the press keeps doing its job, reporting what it sees as the truth not realizing it didn’t work against Trump yet and it probably never will. And then you’ve got the lefties saying to throw money at the newspapers. Now I get three, but I will never look at them the same way since they got the election wrong. It’s kind of like a spouse lying to you outright. There should at least be consequences. And the truth is Trump and his cronies will not be beaten in the press or at protests but in the election booth. Like the Tea Party the left wing needs to line up Congressional candidates far to the left of Hillary, closer to Bernie, who excite the younger generation and will get people out to vote. But so far, the left has learned nothing from Trump’s election, it’s painful to watch, how the best and the brightest have their heads in the sand. And none of the reviews said “The Undoing Project” was nearly unreadable, they all focused on the bond between the two protagonists, but the truth is this is a story of psychological theory, do you care about that? I can’t say that I do very much, and I would have liked it better if it was a ten page article in “The New Yorker.”

But the media buys the pitch of the publisher and then the public buys the book and no one reads it. But it appears a best-seller. Once upon a time Amazon published how far people got in books, they’ve got that data (yes, you people afraid of Alexa can feel good about your position), but publishers don’t want that information out, certainly not authors. Then it would be like the music business, where we can see on YouTube and Spotify what people are actually listening to, and it oftentimes doesn’t square with sales, never mind the media spin. Hip-hop is even bigger on streaming services. Chew on that for a while.

And then there’s the curious case of “All The Light We Cannot See,” one of the best sellers of the last half decade. I was intrigued at first, but it took me a month to plow through it, because of the writing style. I don’t think that many people finished this book either. More than “The Undoing Project,” but… You see academics and critics laud that which squares with their principles. And if it cuts like butter and it’s easily readable it’s considered pop trash and pooh-poohed. But accessibility is a virtue. Anthony Doerr has won a slew of prizes, but I think they’d be better off going to a more populist writer, then again, the committees don’t want to acknowledge that work. The lunatics have taken over the asylum, and they want to keep it that way. You do know that prizes are a scam, that it’s a club and if you’re not a member the odds of getting one are almost nonexistent. But I will say Doerr’s book does qualify as art. The sense of loss and the suffering and consequences of war and the power of radio… They’re all in there. Funny how we live in a world where emotions are pushed under the rug, when emotions are the only thing worth living for.

So, if you’re gonna read one of these books, read “All The Light We Cannot See.”

As for “The Undoing Project”…

It starts off with an NBA anecdote, you’re riveted, but then it moves on to economics and psychology. You’re waiting for the NBA to return, but it never does. There are detours to a hospital in Canada, but most of the book is dry psychological theory, very important, but written in a fashion and at such length that unless you majored in the subject your eyes will glaze over.

The truth is people don’t act rationally. And economists thought they did. Amos and Danny proved them wrong. Over and over and over again.

We’d like to read the application of their theories, but mostly we just get theories.

And a bit of their interpersonal relationship, but if you’re reading this book for that you’re gonna throw it against the wall.

So what I’m saying here is we have a fact problem in the left wing world. We don’t question our media sources, we accept as a given everything put forth to us. We feel proud that we own unreadable books. We don’t look back and evaluate our choices. We’re overconfident and proud of it.

Not that I’m lauding the down and out Trump voters who don’t read at all and just dig in their heels as they vote for policies against their interest.

But first and foremost we must change us.

When you see people with a house full of books, ask how many they’ve read. Then pull one and quiz them about it. They like showing off, why else build a collection/monument to themselves?

Question authority.

Most learning takes place outside the classroom. Some of the dumbest, least analytical people have college degrees. Find an interest and pursue it.

Know that if you gain traction, if you break taboos, people will come after you, and no matter how much you fight back, you can never shut them up, this is what Amos and Danny realized, it drove Amos nuts.

We live in very dark times. My head is spinning from the inanity of the wall and the support of pipelines and dumb economic policies, but not only must we complain, we must put our faith in leaders and support them. Who is carrying the Democratic torch? Looks like no one at this point. We need someone to be our mouthpiece, and we’ve got to work the refs just like the right, call them on their b.s. when they attack our leader(s).

So it’s no wonder people turn to books.

Just don’t turn to this one.

Does not give its audience what it wants, does not tell it what it wants to hear.

Is not in it for the money.

Is not a member of the group. If you’re the quarterback of the football team or the head cheerleader chances are you are not an artist. An artist is a misunderstood outsider who doesn’t get along with others, sorry, but it’s true (see #1 above!)

Lives for feedback but hates that they do.

Is not an activist for rights they are not participating in. When you hear someone complain about streaming payouts and they’ve got none, beware. Pay attention to those in the game. You earn your presence in the game, until then what you say doesn’t matter.

Is not entitled to an income.

Speaks truth. To power, to everybody. If you’re afraid of the reaction to your work and flinch and don’t put it out you’re a sniveling wimp, not an artist.

Knows that the audience is the ultimate arbiter. Gatekeepers are to be tolerated, at this late date critics are nearly irrelevant. If you’re getting a good response you’re on the right track, ignore the haters.

Knows that awards are meaningless. Sure, they’re nice to get but they don’t represent quality, only acknowledgement by people you probably wouldn’t want to go to dinner with.

Knows chops are important, but they’re no match for inspiration.

Knows that credibility is everything, if people don’t believe in you, they will not believe in your work.

Looks for inspiration everywhere. The more you interact with the world, the better your art. In other words, an artist is CURIOUS!

Will take no for an answer, but will not stop creating.

Wants to give up on a regular basis, but always comes back to creating.

Is willing to sacrifice. If you want a house and a spouse and children and a cushy income art is probably not for you.

Knows when they ring the bell, which they do infrequently.

Gets better with time. Unless they’ve reaped huge success, then they usually get worse, because they worry about the audience’s expectations and are afraid to take risks and then become slaves to their income.

Challenges norms.

Is a student of history. If you don’t know how we got here, who came before, how the game works, chances are you won’t succeed. You’ve got to learn the parameters and see where you can test limits. You want to reinvent the wheel, but not EVERY WHEEL!

Is inspired by other artists. No “Sgt. Pepper” without “Pet Sounds.” You’re part of a community, some of the best art is a reaction.

Lives for stimulation.

Knows how to capture lightning in a bottle. Art is not 9-5 work, it’s about getting inspired and letting your freak flag fly.

What does this mean for radio?

“Bad and Boujee” is number one on Spotify, even number one on the “Billboard” Hot 100, but it’s nowhere to be found on the Mediabase Top Forty chart.

I’m fascinated by the Oscar nominations, because other than the voters and the media savants no one cares about these pictures. How can such a disconnect take place?

Both are run by old people, the Oscars and radio, and they want to believe they’re hip, but they could not be more out of touch.

If I write anything negative about radio, my inbox fills up with lifers saying I just don’t get it. As if waiting to hear one’s song come on works in an on demand culture. As for personality radio, theatre of the mind, that’s in podcasts, not over the air transmissions. All the story has been expunged from radio. But those involved keep saying it counts. And those in the industry, who grew up in the world of ads, kneel at the feet of radio, should they?

The Oscar organization has not realized its lunch has been eaten by television. That’s where you go for long form story. Where personalities are explored and you get invested in real life. Movies are for popcorn releases, flicks made to play around the world, with special effects and comic book heroes and you’re expecting the people who keep the industry alive to care about the Oscars?

No way.

But that’s a baby boomer for you, talking out of both sides of his mouth, believing if they wear the clothes of their children they know what’s going on.

The same media that trumpeted the effort known as Beats 1. Heard much from Zane Lowe recently? The story is today’s young ‘uns don’t cotton to radio, they want what they want and they want it now, but the oldsters keep playing by the old rules, when’s it gonna change?

Sure, radio is the icing on the cake, a victory lap where you can make even more money, but songs that cross over from streaming services are hits there months later, appealing to the most casual of listeners, and we all know it’s the dedicated who pay our bills. Used to be you listened to radio for the new releases, for exclusive announcements, now you go there to find out what happened last spring. When is it going to change?

The truth is streams count, they’re all that matter, all sales are nearly irrelevant, because streams tell how much people are actually listening, they’re the ultimate arbiter, they illustrate that Lady Gaga’s new work is an incredible stiff, something the NFL could never fathom when it booked her for the Super Bowl, but they’d be better off booking Migos.

And radio spoon-feeding us tracks in a world where hit artists constantly release new material? Explain to me how this works?

The model is broken.

We have to bring everybody into the present. A fluid world where acts are built on streaming services and live there. Late night TV is a circle jerk. Why does everybody love Jimmy Fallon? When it counted, he punted, he didn’t ask Donald Trump the hard questions, but he needs to be liked, whereas artists are edgy, hell, Migos’s career was stymied by a member being in jail, and I can’t say I approve of that, but it’s definitely an illustration of refusing to color inside the lines.

Oldsters don’t believe it until they see it in the newspaper. As if the reporters had a crystal ball wherein they could see truth. But too often reporters are harried writers with little expertise subject to the efforts of public relations people. There’s no news there.

But there’s plenty of news on the internet.

If only we had a chart for news on the internet…

But we do have music charts. And they show what people are really listening to. Why does radio, why does the industry ignore them? A hit is such the moment it’s released, so why isn’t radio playing Rag’n’Bone Man? Number one in many countries, they’re waiting for the green light from the label, they’re so behind the times it’s not funny.

Music is about immediacy. When you capture that people are excited. We should all get on the same page and lionize that which is happening now, instead of confusing the customer. And if radio wants to survive, it must add tracks when they are new and turn over the chart more.

So the internet has disrupted music exposure, not only distribution. It’s a hit first on the internet. Why can’t we all accept and embrace this?

I remember when it was a badge of honor to be a lawyer. Before all the attorneys lied during Watergate and the profession was revealed to be ethically challenged.

Now I never mention I’m an attorney. Because the people on the other side of the desk will laugh. If I amp it up and say I’m gonna take action, they say to go ahead and sue, which calls my bluff, because any attorney knows it’s a long hard process to achieve minimal goals.

I just read a story in the “New York Times” about nut allergy people being kicked off airplanes.

These weren’t coal miner’s daughters from West Virginia, not heartland denizens going to visit grandma, but the sons of a doctor flying off to Turks and Caicos. They said they just mentioned there was a nut allergy and they were kicked off the plane and if you believe that you probably believe George Soros and the Koch Brothers eat at McDonald’s.

I’m not saying nut allergies aren’t real. But I am sure these people felt entitled to special treatment and that just doesn’t happen in America anymore.

Why can’t the elites see that their act is offensive? That the disadvantaged and left behind can’t wait to shove it up their rear ends?

That’s why they voted for Donald Trump. And I’m not endorsing Donald’s actions, but I just can’t get over how the educated left acts so superior and believes it is entitled to rule because it worked hard in school to get good jobs.

Kinda like the people who pre-board on Southwest Airlines. I pay extra for early boarding but the better part of twenty people get on before me. What makes them so special? Why does everybody in America feel entitled to win?

Then there’s the issue of “facts,” the laughing at Kellyanne Conway by the holier-than-thou. But these are the same people who will not believe Spotify pays out 69% of its revenues to rights holders. They’re really no different from the Trump voters. Their cheese has been moved and they want to jet everybody back to the past.

Everybody’s trying to hold on to what once was, only some people have more power than others.

The elites rigged the game in their favor, and if you don’t believe this, you can’t see that money and power yield advantages and the left wing lawmakers did not stand up for unions.

So this is the country we now live in. Where the rich hold sway over the poor and feel entitled to do so, they have contempt for everybody not like them, who wasn’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth and didn’t work hard to get into a good school and slave seventy hours a week to get ahead.

And the left behinds believe the canard that manufacturing will come back to the States and the problem is all immigrants.

And the winners don’t reach down and lift these people up, but laugh at them.

And the truth is there are more losers than winners and that’s how Donald Trump got elected.

So the next time you ward your privilege over us, beware of the backlash.

And the next time you laugh at alternative facts ask yourself what you refuse to believe, because it doesn’t fit in with your world view.

This is not the twentieth century. Technology has fostered income inequality and the spread of alternative, often false views, and everybody in power thinks it’s the same as it ever was, and they’re entitled to rule.

Not so.

“Travelers With Nut Allergies Clash With Airlines”