Beer and Conversation with Pigweed and Crowhill

Latest Episodes:

389: Why did nation building work in some cases and not others? Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review Red Flannel Logger from Aldus brewing, then discuss the successes and failures of nation building. (Starting at 4:50.) Why does it work sometimes and not others?

Pigweed calls this the curse of the Marshall Plan. The U.S. has a history of success with nation building with both Germany and Japan after WWII. Since then, we haven't had such great success.

Does every human heart yearn for freedom, McDonald's, blue jeans and democracy, the way George W. Bush believed? Does economic freedom and opportunity lead to political freedom? It doesn't seem to.

Why does it work in some cases but not in others? What are the necessary preconditions to a political structure that allows for free, democratic forms of government?

388: Five short stories by Anton Checkov Feb 14, 2024

Show notes

In another episode of "shortcut to the classics," P&C plus special guest Longinus review a few short stories by Anton Checkov (starting at 3:25).

After a quick review of his life, they review and discuss five short stories.

The Black Monk is a story about Andrei Kovrin, an intellectual who experiences a mental breakdown that leads to hallucinations of a black monk.

In The House with the Mezzanine a young painter becomes enamored of two temperamentally different sisters during his stay at a country house.

The Peasants explores the harsh reality of peasant life in Russia, following Nikolai Chikildeev who, as a result of sickness, has to leave his Moscow job to live with his poor family.

Gooseberries is a strange story about a man who is so consumed with achieving his dream that he is indifferent to the sufferings of others.

In The Lady with the Toy Dog recounts a love affair by a player -- Dmitri Gurov -- who "fooled around and fell in love" with Anna Sergeyevna, a married woman he met on vacation in Yalta. The affair seems to have come to an end, but Dmitri pursues Anna to the city.

387: The Texas immigration showdown Feb 02, 2024

Show notes

P&C don't usually talk about current headlines, but every once in a while an issue arises that compels comment. Hence "Nooze and Booze."

Immigration has been a crisis since before Ronald Reagan and has been a top concern for voters all that time. Nevertheless, both parties have refused to address it, and the Democrats have been absolutely insistent on open borders.

It's been causing a crisis for the border states for decades, but the problem is spilling over into our major cities. It's causing an absolute catastrophe. But still Biden and the Democrats insist on open borders. Why?

The boys discuss possible motivations.

If we need more workers, fine. Amend the law to bring in more workers -- legally. P&C have no objection to legal immigration, and Crowhill makes that point about 300 times. If we need more people, do it through proper channels.

Why are the Democrats so fixated on illegal immigration? Illegal immigrants are hurting the poor -- the very people the Democrats claim to be trying to help.

The U.S. already brings in more immigrants than any other country in the world. And that's not enough?

386: Smart phones are a threat to society Jan 29, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review Crowhill's homebrewed extra special bitter, then discuss the problems with smart phones (starting at 3:10). Mostly relying on the work of Jonathan Haidt, the boys discuss the good and the bad of social media and smart phones. Imagine social media like giving everybody a dart gun, and the social media platforms promoting everybody who likes to shoot. Social media makes even small conversations a mine field. A college professor lecturing 200 students can be a world-wide villain before the end of his lecture if somebody is offended and tweets it. The outrage mob on social media ruins reputations. As a result, most people self censor. They're scared to death of the mob. Smart phones are a particular problem for teenage girls. The effect has been severe and very negative. At a time when girls are already awkward, confused, and struggling, they compare their bodies to the air-brushed perfection of the top 0.1% of society. Some of them also post images of themselves to be criticized by millions of strangers. It's no wonder they're depressed. There are a lot of times when we should take a breath before we respond. We need to cool down and think before we speak. But social media is not that way. It's all in the moment. The Libertarians will say this should all be handled by parents. That's not reasonable or responsible. It's very hard for parents to impose a limit that the rest of society doesn't uphold. There's a place for the culture to create a limit. Social media is addictive because of the dopamine hit when you get a like, but it's also ready to destroy you on a moment's notice if you offend the wrong person.

385: Dogs vs. cats -- which are better? Jan 22, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review their friend Ben's Mosaic IPA, then discuss the relative virtues of dogs and cats as pets. (Starting at 7:15.)

Neither Pigweed nor Crowhill grew up with a dog or a cat, but both ended up with cats as adults.

Pigweed takes the cat case and Crowhill takes the dog case. They go back and forth on the relative merits and demerits of each.

* Cats are low maintenance.

* Dogs can be trained.

* Cats are better as "in-house" pets, so they're good for apartments.

* Dogs are affectionate, but also needy.

* Cats keep pests away, but dogs keep bad guys at bay.

* There are service dogs. There are no service cats.

* Cats are quiet (mostly).

* Dogs are loyal.

* Cats are less expensive.

* You can trust a dog with your baby. He'll actually protect your baby. With his life.

* Cats use the litter box. You have to walk a dog.

* Dogs promote a more active lifestyle.

* Cats groom themselves.

* There are more sizes and varieties of dogs than cats.

384: John Adams and the moral foundations of the U.S. government Jan 20, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review Crowhill's homemade Italian bitters, then discuss John Adams (starting about 3:50).

Pigweed starts off with some historical information on Adams, our second president, including his on-going dispute with Thomas Jefferson.

In a different context, John Adams famously said "Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."

What does that mean, and how are we to understand that in our modern society?

The equation seems to be that more freedom requires more personal self-restraint and morality. Without self-restraint and morality, you need a much stronger government. Think Saddam Hussein.

Or, to put it very simply, you have to trust people enough that you can leave them alone.

Unfortunately, modern politics seems to be a choice between which politician promises to give us more stuff.

383: The connection between mindfulness and joie de vivre Jan 19, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review Founder's Breakfast Stout then discuss the similarities between mindfulness and joie de vivre (starting about 3:30).

The very act of reviewing a beer is an example. The point is not to see how fast you can get a beer into your belly, but to savor the moment, pay attention to the world as it's going by, and understand its complexities.

What does mindfulness have in common with joie de vivre? They're both about noticing what's going on and taking pleasure in the small things.

"Mindfulness" is often associated with New Age weirdness, but it doesn't have to be. At its core, it involves one part of your mind dispassionately observing what's happening in another part of your mind, or in your body. It seems to have a connection with the acceptance of suffering.

Joie de vivre is similar except that it has an emphasis on cheerfulness and enjoyment.

For both, you're focusing on the present moment.

Most of our lives are chores and obligations. If you view all those things as drudgery, and your "real life" is only the fun stuff, you're not going to have much real life. You need to learn to enjoy all the aspects of your life.

Are you going to allow your circumstances to control your life and your emotions, or are you going to take charge and live the life you want to live?

382: The soft bigotry of low expectations Jan 17, 2024

Show notes

The boys drink and review Pigweed's brown ale, then discuss how low expectations harm the people they're supposed to help. (The beer review ends at 3:53.)

George Bush made the phrase "the soft bigotry of low expectations" popular in his 2000 campaign.

The evil of this "soft bigotry" is that it comes from people who pretend to be helping. But when you fail to hold people to reasonable standards, you're not helping them at all.

If you institutionalize low expectations to increase the participation of some group, everyone will now question the qualifications of the people in that group. How could they not?

P&C discuss how this poisonous attitude infects many areas of our culture.

It infects the SAT, grades, hiring, recruiting for schools, and even baking contests.

381: Does Santa need an evil counterpart, and other questions and answers Jan 11, 2024

Show notes

P&C drink and review Layered Up winter stout from Victory Brewing, then respond to some listener questions (starting at 1:47).

* Does Santa really need Crampus as an evil counterpart? Would Pigweed actually put coal in the stocking of a bad kid?

* Pentamom takes us to task on geography and explains the countries named "Guinea."

* Did the Sackler family face any consequences as a result of their evil doings with Oxycontin.

* What do P&C think of Taylor Swift as Time's man of the year, and what about the fact that universities teach classes about her?

* Why didn't we cover "Our Lady of Clearwater" in our show on apparitions?

* When are you going to upgrade your sound system?

* Is it really great -- as the media seems to think -- that the Baltimore mayor knocked up his girlfriend?

* Is there any evidence that the Flashman incident ever happened?

380: Is isolationism a bad thing? Jan 10, 2024

Show notes

P&C drink and review "Oaked Vanilla Porter" by Sam Adams, then discuss isolationism (starting at 3:57).

They start off with a general definition, then talk about the history of isolationism in American politics -- from the earliest days.

Americans don't like "entangling alliances." Or at least they say they don't.

There's been a strong current of isolationism in American politics since the beginning. Washington, Jefferson, and Monroe created the three pillars of American policy: neutrality, unilateralism, and non-intervention.

Also, even though we are a "nation of immigrants," we've had extended periods where we didn't allow almost any immigration.

The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor pretty much ended isolationism in the United States.

Now, the term "isolationist" is used as a slur, but it's become more popular because we're sick of sending our boys to die for other people's problems.

As with Pearl Harbor, the attack on the World Trade Center put an end to growing American isolationism.

But it's coming back. Trump was somewhat isolationist, and modern Republicans complain that we care more about Ukraine's borders than our own.

Why does the United States bear most of the burden of keeping the shipping lanes open?

Is it "isolationist" to say that the United States has taken on too much of these burdens?

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