So there’s this thing that’s been bugging me, which is the fact that like every liberally educated twentysomething likes to rail against colonialism, neocolonialism, neoliberalism and “the patriarchy.” Okay, yes, me to—BUT…

When our fore-parents might have said, “Well, they’re taking our resources so let’s kill them and enslave their women,” now CEOs and bureaucrats intimidate and exploit them, which is at least a tiny bit better than slavery. The world is more open today than it’s ever been because of neoliberal exploitation. I’m not saying we should laud these things, but progress does have to be recognized where it clearly has occurred.

One more example: A patriarchal society that let’s women vote is an improvement over a patriarchal society that doesn’t.

To sum up, I call this the “heads-on-sticks” rule. A society that has the technology to put decapitated heads on sticks is actually an improvement over one that doesn’t.

That said, of course—full speed towards a more-inclusive future!