We are developing the social individualist meta-context for the future. From the very serious to the extremely frivolous... lets see what is on the mind of the Samizdata people.

Samizdata, derived from Samizdat /n. - a system of clandestine publication of banned literature in the USSR [Russ.,= self-publishing house]

Samizdata slogan of the day

When I hear the words “new push” I always think of a) the First World War, and b) the Soviet Union. It’s what people do when their systems aren’t working – apply more mindless force. So, no surprise to find that schools are being instructed to do more new pushes. Next they will be going over the top and introducing Five Year Plans.
– Alice Bachini (in her new blog Rational Parenting yesterday)

3 comments to Samizdata slogan of the day

  • OK, this in no way invalidates what you were saying but from what I know I would say that the application of force (certainly from the British point of view) in the First World War was far from mindless.

    In the four years of the war, the British Army had done a hell of a lot of learning. It learnt how to use tanks, how to use aircraft (for reconaissance and resupply), artillery (creeping bombardments, Chinese bombardments, smoke and gas).

    It had gone from a situation in 1916 where it had managed to lose 60,000 casualties in one day for almost no gain to a situation in 1918 where it took 20,000 prisoners for only about 1,000 casualties of its own.

    It is depressing that the “Big Push” theory seems to have gained hold. I often wonder how people who believe in it think we won the war.

  • As Warren Buffett once said “Turnarounds rarely turn.” That’s true in business, and it’s true in the public schools…