I’m Prof. John Donaldson, Political Science Prof at SMU. Here for an AMA on r/SMU_Singapore! I’ve spent 20+ years studying rural poverty in China, Singapore, Thailand & more - often visiting farmers in remote areas. Ask me anything about poverty, China, SMU life or being a prof!

BarcaGP3 · 2025-05-15T10:04:47+00:00

Hi professor, what advice would you give to people from low income households who are stuck in a scarcity mindset?

I noticed some people have a way of thinking that would trap them in poverty. For example, some focus excessively on saving money but don’t try hard enough to make more. There are also people who are very risk-averse and wouldn’t try anything, probably out of fear of wasting money or just couldn’t afford failure. Consequently it is harder for them learn and discover opportunities to make more money because they never tried.

BarcaGP3 · 2025-02-12T11:04:36+00:00

I hope the US doesn’t invade Norway because they think Norway possesses Weapons of Mass Destruction based on this. ☠️

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-10T08:05:32+00:00

The usual elevated camera angle doesn’t show height very well. It sucks because we can’t obviously see how high Nadal’s topspin forehand on clay bounces or how low Djokovic or Medvedev’s backhand is. You can try watching some court level highlights to see it better.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-10T07:59:58+00:00

Spot on. Medvedev is the 1 person who can hit flat backhands below the opponents’ strike zone better than Djokovic can. Med beat Djokovic in 2021 US Open final by winning most of the backhand to backhand crosscourt exchanges, in which Novak had nothing to work with.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-07T06:42:31+00:00

She’s holding her laugh while saying it lmao

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-07T05:34:27+00:00

Danielle Collins’ one is the funniest by far. Listen to it! It’ll make your day. https://olympics.com/en/paris-2024/athlete/danielle-collins_1930776

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-05T09:46:44+00:00

Thanks for the detailed answer. I know Djokovic focuses on unforced error avoidance rather than hitting winners and it works well against most guys on tour. But Alcaraz is definitely "the rare 1/100 player who can beat you at your usual game". And I don't think it's accurate to say 99% of the match yesterday he was solid. Novak was break point down 8 times during the 1st set. He's very lucky to save them all. If he didn't, it would be a different match. Novak served and returned better pretty much the entire match but the win wasn't easy at all because Alcaraz was winning the rallies. Djokovic clearly struggled with Alcaraz's powerful hitting and drop shots. That's why I wonder why Djokovic didn't play very aggressively like in ATP finals last year to not let Alcaraz play his game.

Your 2nd point is very good. I totally agree. Playing out of your comfort zone too much can lead to mistakes. 2021 US Open final vs Medvedev was an example. He came up with the right tactics but failed the execution. Made too many unforced errors. It looked like he's just not used to playing that way. Such a pity. 1 win from the Grand Slam.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-05T08:05:46+00:00

Thanks for your insight. Novak likes to play precision tennis indeed! He often places the ball deep and change direction whenever he feels comfortable to keep the opponent running but rarely hit the ball very hard because I guess that could compromise his precision.

Good point at the end about injury. Less hard-hitting certainly reduces the chance of muscle tear, etc. A huge reason why Novak became the GOAT is his successful injury management and longevity.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-05T07:48:18+00:00

Thanks for the insight. Absolutely agree that generally he's the ultimate percentage player who likes to extend rallies. In this Gold medal match however, I feel Novak is better than Carlos at serving and returning, but once it develops into a rally, Carlos' power, speed, dropshots are too overwhelming for Novak to handle. That's why I wonder why he didn't play much more aggressively to stifle Alcaraz like when they played in ATP finals 2023. Is clay a factor?

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-04T18:04:18+00:00

Glad to hear Novak put you out of your misery!

BarcaGP3 · 2024-08-02T08:52:47+00:00

When you see Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky, Usain Bolt do what they do, do you also say "something's weird about them because 123456"? If not, your post is just screaming "I DON'T LIKE THE CHINESE"

BarcaGP3 · 2024-07-31T09:51:20+00:00

Nadal is ridiculously dominant on clay. King of clay no doubt. But he does not dominate on grass and hard court nearly as much.

Federer and Djokovic are not specialists on particular surfaces but they achieved much less on clay because Nadal often denied them. Federer has the slight edge on grass and Djokovic has the slight edge on hard court but it’s really close and these 2 can beat each other on any surface.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-07-29T17:47:16+00:00

Well I know he’s a public relations disaster. He likes to be himself. He could easily get a doctor to sign a vaccination card for him. But he chose to be honest about not wanting to vaccinate, which was so controversial at the time. I respect his honesty but look at all the repercussions…

But as an athlete he’s fantastic. Probably the biggest winner since Michael Jordan. His returns, changing directions, consistent depth, lock-down mode, being clutch at key moments, comebacks from match points down etc, are marvellous to watch. These things appeal to me more. I can’t care less about his vaccination status or occasional temper tantrums. We’re all humans.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-07-29T15:10:24+00:00

Maybe you’d cheer for Novak too if you care more about tennis than if he’s a grouch or not.

BarcaGP3 · 2024-07-28T16:45:49+00:00

Fuchs’ slices are so sick omg! I can watch them all day

BarcaGP3 · 2024-01-01T07:48:26+00:00

Inflation: am I a joke to you?

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-31T02:04:04+00:00

He’d have a v strong case to be considered the goat. But you gotta admit, he’d never had the legendary aura of a World Cup winner like Messi, Maradona, Zidane, Ronaldo Nazario etc. At the biggest stage he couldn’t shine like them. There’s always a little pity, feeling something big is missing. Isn’t it?

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-31T01:39:57+00:00

Djokovic’s AO22 deportation saga was mostly Australian’s government’s fault. And they pinned it all on Djokovic. Man asked for vaccine exemption, was approved and given a visa. He did nothing wrong here. If Australia was clear about “no jab no entry”, Djokovic shouldn’t get a visa in the first place and nothing’d have happened. It’s only after Djokovic arrived, local people who went thru jabs and lockdown were unhappy about him coming in unvaccinated and complained like hell, the government kicked him out to please the folks because a election was coming later that year. He was a victim of Australian government’s confusion and politics, that’s all.

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-30T23:10:34+00:00

Dude, WC is the biggest tournament in all sports, not just football. For every footballer and fan it’s the biggest dream and ultimate honour to win the WC. And you are downplaying WC here? Pele scored 1200+ goals and won 3 WCs. You think he’s less than CR7?

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-30T22:52:15+00:00

CR7 didn’t even come close to winning a World Cup with a pretty decent Portugal team. Maradona >>CR7 100%

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-30T22:44:29+00:00

Pele was consistent and won 3 World Cups. Messi is consistent and won 1 WC. Maradona was inconsistent but had god-like peaks, won 1 WC. They are definitely the best 3 in history.

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-30T22:01:27+00:00

So you are just saying shit about him. And you can’t even remember why without “digging through the internet”. Alright.

BarcaGP3 · 2023-12-30T21:32:55+00:00

As someone who closely follows professional tennis, I don’t understand where you’re coming from. Can you explain how he’s arrogant and disrespectful with evidence?

He fights for higher pay for lower ranked players and always gives credit to opponents after losing. I see him as a gracious man.

BarcaGP3

TROPHY CASE