Norm is a Norman. This is very important. It is why he is called Norm. According to wikimadeitupia this means: He descended from Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of mostly Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock.
Norm is also a hobbit.
In addition to being norman and a hobbit, Norm is also British. And American.
In addition to being norman, a hobbit, British and America Norm is also a libertarian transhumanist deist optimist. If you find yourself at this point saying "whatthefuckasaurus?" you'll find the wtfasaur is a common theme in the book, highlighting those head slapping keyboard pounding moments of incredulous rage.
My fundamental belief is that human society is on making its way along a nice little hockey stick, and right now we are where the head meets the shaft (thats what she said). The point is, this is a critical time where we can turn towards a rapidly improving future and embrace it, or we can put the brakes on development and leave billions leading crappier lives. In orther words - huge American spending and entitlement bills now mean less development later mean worse lives for the global population over the next 100 years. In a greatest common good argument, 1st world entitlement sepending is about as pro-human rights and liberal thinking as Stalin.
My goal is to break as many free from bullshit tint which has colored thinking. We need to remove misconceptions, tackle common conflations, understand the true factors which move the world. Most people accept a filtered version of the world, they see it in the way they want to see it, twist reality to fit their expectations. Many media outlets cater to this, regardless of party or political beliefs. It is fundamentally about seeing the world for what it is. This is not simply "the emperor has no clothes" for sometimes it is the other way around. Sometimes the emperor is splendidly garbed, but the courtiers convince the people that he is naked. Moreoften than not though it is simply that there is a lack of larger understanding. Most people think about only what is immediately around them, what immediately concerns them. Some pay attention to national politics and certain international developments. We need to think bigger, we need to think longer term, and we need to realistically evaluate the world around us. It is time to see the world for what it is.
