The Crowhill Journal

P&C drink and review some hot and cold sake, then discuss gaslighting.

They start with a review of the 1940 film with Ingrid Bergman — to get the original context for the term — then, along with special guest Longinus, go through a list of modern issues that might or might not be gaslighting.

The goal of gaslighting is to get the person being gaslighted (gaslit?) to accept as true something the gaslighter knows is false, to the benefit of the gaslighter. But as you go through things that have been held up as examples, it can get complicated.

• Does it have to be a single deceiver on a single victim?
• Does there have to be an intent to deceive?
• Does it have to be sustained — not a one-off?
• Does there need to be malice involved?
• Is a sign of gaslighting that “the argument is over”?
• Can there be unintentional gaslighting?
• What if you’re lying in service of a greater good?

By the end of this show you might not have a perfect answer, but you’ll have a better sense of the concept.

P&C drink and review Sierra Nevada’s bottle-conditioned porter, then discuss Ayn Rand and objectivism, with special guest Longinus.

They quickly review the basic tenets of objectivism, then discuss how those ideas play out in three works: Anthem, Atlas Shrugged and Fountainhead.

The boys discuss what these ideas mean, and whether they’re useful and applicable in the real world.

My home office is in my daughter’s old room. It’s not the greatest location. One of the walls was a dark red color (not too bad), but in front of it was a pink bookcase, which I didn’t like. And the light was behind me, which wasn’t good for zoom calls.

This weekend I moved the light. That messed up the wall, so I had to spackle and re-paint. I also painted the bookcase. The wall went from dark red to green.

It occurred to me that switching from red to green was an opportunity. I was hoping someone would ask me about the change. I was going to pretend nothing had changed and ask if they were red-green colorblind, or maybe their monitor was having a color problem.

Nobody asked. 🙁

P&C drink and review a hazy IPA from Sam Adams, then do five topics in five minutes each.

#1 – What’s up with the Game Stop / WallStreetBets / Robinhood deal?
#2 – Has the pill changed what women like in men?
#3 – Will the Biden administration forgive student loans?
#4 – Awards shows have become pointless
#5 – What is right-wing?

When and why does the president have this authority?

P&C drink and review Pigweed’s homebrewed winter warmer, then discuss executive orders.

What is the function and purpose of an executive order? Is it a way to get around Congress? What are the limits? Is this one of the ways the imperial presidency has usurped the legislative function, or is it a valid power of the executive?

The boys look at the history of this strange executive power and comment on its use.