James Nicolson
@jamesnicolson.bsky.social
Engineer 🇿🇦South African 🇻🇳Vietnamese 🚀 Traveler 💜 Kindness
📍Los Angeles
📍Los Angeles
of course they don’t care about what we gave to say. do we care about what they have to say? they are not feckless morons. they are humans with passions, hurt, dreams and struggles.
August 13, 2025 at 1:24 PM
of course they don’t care about what we gave to say. do we care about what they have to say? they are not feckless morons. they are humans with passions, hurt, dreams and struggles.
I think this comes from a problematic framing of regulation and particularly the role of government. @mazzucatom.bsky.social writes eloquently on this, for example open.substack.com/pub/marianam...
Building an Entrepreneurial State in the UK
Yesterday the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves outlined her growth strategy for the UK, presenting a vision for turning the country into "Europe's Silicon Valley." But to create genuine in...
open.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 8:22 PM
I think this comes from a problematic framing of regulation and particularly the role of government. @mazzucatom.bsky.social writes eloquently on this, for example open.substack.com/pub/marianam...
The false equivalence that Britain and France need leverage over *both* Israel and Palestine is so wrong. Israel is the unlawful occupier. Israel holds the power. Israel is the one that has to make the most fundamental concessions. I can't believe the Economist actually published this #palestine
July 31, 2025 at 8:52 PM
The false equivalence that Britain and France need leverage over *both* Israel and Palestine is so wrong. Israel is the unlawful occupier. Israel holds the power. Israel is the one that has to make the most fundamental concessions. I can't believe the Economist actually published this #palestine
The US needs to have an honest conversation about its core identity. Without that, it is vulnerable to these delusions being exploited and amplified through new technologies. As a foreigner living in the US, I find it amazing how disconnected people are from truth at an identity level
June 9, 2025 at 2:58 PM
The US needs to have an honest conversation about its core identity. Without that, it is vulnerable to these delusions being exploited and amplified through new technologies. As a foreigner living in the US, I find it amazing how disconnected people are from truth at an identity level
Very true. But why does US have the most extreme impact? I don’t think it is that new technologies are more pervasive for longer. From way back, the US has a uniquely delusional character. The right to bear arms, the justification of slavery, the glorification of war, hyper individualism , ….
June 9, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Very true. But why does US have the most extreme impact? I don’t think it is that new technologies are more pervasive for longer. From way back, the US has a uniquely delusional character. The right to bear arms, the justification of slavery, the glorification of war, hyper individualism , ….
I think that is idealistic. A more realistic statement is “we lost because they were better at lying than us.” Democrats lie, spin and excuse often enough. It opens the door to the pro liars. Democrats must take responsibility for the corrosion that leads to Trump.
May 25, 2025 at 2:13 PM
I think that is idealistic. A more realistic statement is “we lost because they were better at lying than us.” Democrats lie, spin and excuse often enough. It opens the door to the pro liars. Democrats must take responsibility for the corrosion that leads to Trump.
This is why America cannot get truly good leaders. Idolizing someone who armed a genocide, who lied repeatedly about his civil rights history… When you call this decent then you open the door wide for Trump, just an extreme version of what you label as “decent”.
May 20, 2025 at 1:57 PM
This is why America cannot get truly good leaders. Idolizing someone who armed a genocide, who lied repeatedly about his civil rights history… When you call this decent then you open the door wide for Trump, just an extreme version of what you label as “decent”.
and Jared Kushner profiting in the middle east from political association is OK? ☝️ this is the kind of rationalisation that has normalized corruption. This is exactly my point, America is ok with corruption. No need to blame Trump.
May 3, 2025 at 4:32 PM
and Jared Kushner profiting in the middle east from political association is OK? ☝️ this is the kind of rationalisation that has normalized corruption. This is exactly my point, America is ok with corruption. No need to blame Trump.
Any Democrat who does not feel revolted by how Hunter Biden made money is just an enabler of the same moral corruption at a smaller scale. It’s not baffling. Its not about the individuals, its about a collective choice to live in a system that rewards corruption.
May 3, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Any Democrat who does not feel revolted by how Hunter Biden made money is just an enabler of the same moral corruption at a smaller scale. It’s not baffling. Its not about the individuals, its about a collective choice to live in a system that rewards corruption.
I don’t think it is baffling at all. Trump is not a huge anomaly. He is a very American politician, but just very blunt and shameless about it. American politicians enrich themselves in so many ways. This is a deeply corrupt system. The point is to focus not on Trump, but on the corrupt system.
May 3, 2025 at 3:58 PM
I don’t think it is baffling at all. Trump is not a huge anomaly. He is a very American politician, but just very blunt and shameless about it. American politicians enrich themselves in so many ways. This is a deeply corrupt system. The point is to focus not on Trump, but on the corrupt system.
Create real communities based on profound human dignity and collective responsibility.
April 27, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Create real communities based on profound human dignity and collective responsibility.
Why even bring trump into it? Regardless of president, the problem is extreme individualism, materialism and glorification of war. The result is corporate corruption and a spiral of alienation that reinforces individualism, materialism and violence.
April 27, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Why even bring trump into it? Regardless of president, the problem is extreme individualism, materialism and glorification of war. The result is corporate corruption and a spiral of alienation that reinforces individualism, materialism and violence.
Why split hairs? Is it okay for 40% of American woman to support trump?
April 27, 2025 at 2:54 PM
Why split hairs? Is it okay for 40% of American woman to support trump?
Material conditions are a fundamental driver of people’s experience. The reason that US politics “appears” to be decoupled from material conditions is because US politics is decoupled from reality. This is a land of delusion. Across the political spectrum, I don’t see anyone leading people out of it
April 7, 2025 at 5:59 PM
Material conditions are a fundamental driver of people’s experience. The reason that US politics “appears” to be decoupled from material conditions is because US politics is decoupled from reality. This is a land of delusion. Across the political spectrum, I don’t see anyone leading people out of it
to call a spade a spade, my reaction is that the piece is evil. it is context free, dressed up in claims of protecting freedom and adds a dash of threats to recognized chinese sovereignty. the US is a country of dutifully accepted delusion and lies. trump is truly its most suitable leader.
April 7, 2025 at 6:34 AM
to call a spade a spade, my reaction is that the piece is evil. it is context free, dressed up in claims of protecting freedom and adds a dash of threats to recognized chinese sovereignty. the US is a country of dutifully accepted delusion and lies. trump is truly its most suitable leader.
I think you are not wrong about that. I do think you are wrong about China. Understanding why will be a road to redemption for America.
April 6, 2025 at 4:54 AM
I think you are not wrong about that. I do think you are wrong about China. Understanding why will be a road to redemption for America.
very insightful, thanks. i am just not convinced that we can keep dismissing china as “authoritarian”. when we look deeply into it, & not through western liberal lenses, it is not obvious which of the USA or China is more free. i think this is the most important question to truly understand China
April 2, 2025 at 2:08 PM
very insightful, thanks. i am just not convinced that we can keep dismissing china as “authoritarian”. when we look deeply into it, & not through western liberal lenses, it is not obvious which of the USA or China is more free. i think this is the most important question to truly understand China
I think if we look deeper, liberal Americans are wrong in similar, profound ways. It is easier to see that others are wrong.
While individually good people, Americans collectively seem to adopt crazy illusions:
• wealth,materialism,power above humanity
• war,guns,domination
• demonize enemies
…
While individually good people, Americans collectively seem to adopt crazy illusions:
• wealth,materialism,power above humanity
• war,guns,domination
• demonize enemies
…
March 28, 2025 at 5:57 AM
I think if we look deeper, liberal Americans are wrong in similar, profound ways. It is easier to see that others are wrong.
While individually good people, Americans collectively seem to adopt crazy illusions:
• wealth,materialism,power above humanity
• war,guns,domination
• demonize enemies
…
While individually good people, Americans collectively seem to adopt crazy illusions:
• wealth,materialism,power above humanity
• war,guns,domination
• demonize enemies
…
I think that it starts with leaders who can diagnose problems and inspire people to reimagine their world; compassionately break down illusions:
• USA is the land of the free
• Glory to guns and war
• Business and wealth before people
• USA stands against tyrants
• Demonization of other humans
…
• USA is the land of the free
• Glory to guns and war
• Business and wealth before people
• USA stands against tyrants
• Demonization of other humans
…
March 27, 2025 at 5:58 PM
I think that it starts with leaders who can diagnose problems and inspire people to reimagine their world; compassionately break down illusions:
• USA is the land of the free
• Glory to guns and war
• Business and wealth before people
• USA stands against tyrants
• Demonization of other humans
…
• USA is the land of the free
• Glory to guns and war
• Business and wealth before people
• USA stands against tyrants
• Demonization of other humans
…
Americans keep waiting for some part of the completely broken system to save them. There is no chance. A new system needs to be forged. This is such a hopeful and exciting opportunity that I can’t believe that nobody talks about it.
March 27, 2025 at 2:58 PM
Americans keep waiting for some part of the completely broken system to save them. There is no chance. A new system needs to be forged. This is such a hopeful and exciting opportunity that I can’t believe that nobody talks about it.
fundamentally its about doing the slow hard work of turning people towards recognizing the real problems in the country and not just saying what is naively popular.
March 21, 2025 at 7:27 AM
fundamentally its about doing the slow hard work of turning people towards recognizing the real problems in the country and not just saying what is naively popular.
it is easy to call out Trump’s delusion and lies, but we will never solve the problem until we recognize the depth to which delusion and lies have been a part of the American project for centuries
March 19, 2025 at 3:32 PM
it is easy to call out Trump’s delusion and lies, but we will never solve the problem until we recognize the depth to which delusion and lies have been a part of the American project for centuries
“Our nation has never so brazenly sold out a country struggling to be free”… except for Palestine, Vietnam, Chile, Angola, Mozambique, Cuba, Granada, Haiti, Nicaragua… on what planet do we live on if we think America is historically the “defender of liberty against tyranny”
March 19, 2025 at 3:28 PM
“Our nation has never so brazenly sold out a country struggling to be free”… except for Palestine, Vietnam, Chile, Angola, Mozambique, Cuba, Granada, Haiti, Nicaragua… on what planet do we live on if we think America is historically the “defender of liberty against tyranny”
America has a long history of being the bad guy, pretty much under every president in living memory. Understanding that is the first step on the road to redemption from the horrors of Trump II.
February 25, 2025 at 5:54 AM
America has a long history of being the bad guy, pretty much under every president in living memory. Understanding that is the first step on the road to redemption from the horrors of Trump II.
That does make sense. But their “material circumstances” can be more broadly understood as including lack of meaningful agency in the real world. Progressive movements need to address this lack of agency rather than demonize the afflicted people. Change the structures that hollow out human life.
February 24, 2025 at 4:20 PM
That does make sense. But their “material circumstances” can be more broadly understood as including lack of meaningful agency in the real world. Progressive movements need to address this lack of agency rather than demonize the afflicted people. Change the structures that hollow out human life.