Broom of the System
Contrarianism as Dogma
As one would expect, each piece of nonsense triggered a strong counter reaction. Environmental bloggers and advocacy groups jumped on Levitt and Dubner, picking apart each and every piece of misinformation that they are using their fame to spread. Criticism of Weiner was centered on Twitter, where users offered satirical “Slate pitches” with theses as ridiculous as the notion that Creed has any redeeming value, like “Suicide: Why it might not actually kill you” or “Bank of America: Too awesome to fail.”
A Federation of the Whole World
Upon the UN’s founding, selection of the council’s five permanent members seemed straightforward. Ultimate control would rest with the nations that collectively won the war leading to the body’s creation—to wit, the U.S., U.K., France, the Chinese nationalists, and the Soviet Union. Historically speaking, this was to be expected. Traditionally, the victors of a conflict claim a key stake in any postwar order, a major spoil of victory. As a matter of justice, the legitimacy of this norm certainly warrants debate, but it at least made historical sense.
