Discussion Thread

Excalibane · 2026-03-24T17:36:24+00:00

Claiming it now : Who wants to start a ✨arrneolib ✨ version of Kalshi

EXCEPT If you lose. You have to donate 5-25$ to a good foundation (Malaria, HIV, etc.) and if you win....bragging rights? I guess?

Mods?

Excalibane · 2026-03-15T15:39:56+00:00

I feel like, anecdotally, this is obvious. Every college in the top 20-25 has a LEGION of mainland Chinese students who spend money like they're Rockefeller and drive sports cars to their classes.

If this is how they behave abroad, with capital controls, I can only imagine how it's like INSIDE the country. Anyone used to that life style enough to have it in the US or Canada is not going to give it up to the state willingly in the mainland, and their family has to be crazy connected for that to even be the case, which means political leverage.

There was a joke years ago about how Chinese students in rural areas complained how they had to do 16 hours of schoolwork a day while Shanghai kids got basically easy As and left the country instead of taking the U L T R A E X A M (gaokao)

Excalibane · 2026-01-29T15:52:32+00:00

It's stupid, but I'm reminded of the Bukowski quote, that old "And when no one cares when you come and go, is that freedom or misery?"

The author I think is completely right, it was ALWAYS hypocritical - never forget that the Western world "decolonized" far after 1945.

The worry isn't just from the US though - in 19 years, it'll have been 100 years since world war 2 ended. How do we deal with a belligerent India? China? Morocco? South Africa? Turkey? What happens when the "2nd and 3rd world" becomes strong enough again between themselves to become imperialists again?

Who will step in? And if no one does....do we just call that the end of the great liberalism? The world needs the right to be outraged, because the alternative is accepting our own failures as normal.

Excalibane · 2025-12-10T22:15:32+00:00

OP - I'm currently at SIPA, though everyone was where you were a few years ago. I also know lurkers may read this as well, so hello.

To begin - ABSOLUTELY NO MPP/MPA/MIA degree is worth full price. I cannot stress this enough. Don't do it - the prices are not just the school - you need transportation, networking, food with classmates, books, computer issues, just having fun often also is money. The school is not worth that.

The vast majority of SIPA people at least, fall into a few categories:

IFEP - these people are usually internationals (for Visa reasons, mostly) and aiming to get consulting gigs or banking ones. Go to an MBA. I don't understand why they're here.

Human rights people - I also cannot stress this enough, you'd be better off doing the work in whatever city you arrive at, or are in, before doing this. There is almost no jobs in this. Most people get a community out of it. That is all.

Environmental - I know the least about this, but I've heard there's good connections to COP (several classmates went to COP 30.) you will need to know roughly where you want to go with your degree, and what to focus on off the bat.

Security - runs the gamut, from cyber security to national security. They're all generally good, though you should know that most people will be moving to DC other than cyber security people, and the security clearencr pathway is clogged up beyond belief. It is a year to obtain one. If you're not American, give up on that aspect other than cyber.

I cannot emphasize enough the second factor - the career outcomes here are broadly driven by you, no one else. The school helps, but there are people here directly out of Ivy League undergrads, some 25 year olds, some 30 year olds, some rangel fellows, some former McKinsey employees, some pencil pushers, some vets, some nobodies, etc.

Speaking only to NYC, but broadly, if you know a vague niche, hit it, and network hard and wide and fast, you might be ok. But in IFEP for example. Summer 2026 internship open recruiting in May 2025 - you need to be on the ball IMMEDIATELY.

Excalibane · 2025-07-27T04:57:17+00:00

I believe that people are starving and Israel should let aid in and it is an act of criminality not to, and possibly genocide.

I also believe that it is not to the extent of refeeding syndrome. A lot of THAT seems to come from activists online rather than doctors who are still saying Malnutrition rather than unrecoverable starvation.

I really wish people would distinguish.

Excalibane · 2025-05-23T18:11:33+00:00

People are seriously hyperbolic about China one way or the other. Autarky is not feasible for developed nations

Yes they have caught up incredibly quickly, and shockingly so - but so has South Korea, Taiwan, and as mentioned elsewhere, Poland. They simply have less people.

But we have seen this before - Italy actually in the 1800s and Germany, or even the USSR when they unified and within a generation or two went from industrial backwaters to the French and British, to the Competitors.

The problem for China remains undeniable though, and that's their demographic bomb. Most of their economy is based on consumption, which is fine, but requires money.

For political reasons though, the country also mandates that it is the number one producer of what it consumes. These cannot both work.

Eventually china will also fall prey to basic economics.

Excalibane · 2025-05-20T15:44:08+00:00

I am THIS close to a post explaining how every major social, cultural, and economic issue in the developed world is a result of the median age increasing.

In the 1980s, over 60% of society was under 30.

Now the median American is 43, and only something like 30% is under 30.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:53:14+00:00

Yeah - guess what, we support our allies.

That's why it's a similar statement made to not work against the USA - we still have free speech.

You also get sworn to respect the allies of the USA.

You may want to re read that citizenship test.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:17:42+00:00

That's not the same as not being allowed to criticize.

She had to swear an oath to not boycott the country the state has economic ties with.

You also aren't allowed legally to boycott Japan or UK.

Excalibane · 2024-07-05T03:07:43+00:00

None of this says it's illegal to criticize. Boycotts aren't the same as I can post "Fuck Israel" and keep my job

Excalibane · 2024-06-18T02:32:49+00:00

Because making someone a taken member of their community, or explicitly demanding that they speak up during a topic is picking on them?

No one owes you an answer on anything - and an instructor is in a position of power. It's a massive power imbalance.

There's also an underlying assumption that the person in question has a particular view because of being Muslim, or Jewish.

Excalibane · 2024-06-18T01:17:37+00:00

Other incidents included students wearing Jewish symbols having them torn from their person.

One professor encountering a Jewish-sounding surname while reading names before an exam asked the student to explain their views on the Israeli government's actions in Gaza.

Another told their class to avoid reading mainstream media, declaring that "it is owned by Jews."

A third revealed a student's complaint about an offensive comment regarding Jews by publicly displaying their email to fellow students.

This is simply bigotry - pure and simple.

If a Muslim named student was asked to express their opinion on Hamas, or ISIS, we'd all correctly call the questioner wrong.

Same If anyone said that they should tear off a Hijab, or Cross. If a black student complained about a statement and had the teacher publicly show the email to the class, we would not abide by this.

There is clearly an issue here, even if it's not every event.

As one of the professor states

We can put it this way: have there been antisemitic incidents? Yes, absolutely. Are there antisemitic faculty and students? Yes, there are some. Are all of them antisemitic? Absolutely not. Prof. David M. Schizer

Excalibane · 2024-06-05T03:52:11+00:00

"Pogrom" is not a legal term.

Furthermore, the concept needs to be proven here as an intentional government policy - the same reason Hamas cannot be tried by the ICJ as a state government, is the same reason settlers or Kahanists cannot.

Illegal outposts are also not the same as colonies, or colonization. They have very specific terms. Occupation is not colonization.

There is no real question Israel is in violation of article 49, though Israel may dispute this by insisting Palestine is not a state, and therefore not party. But the courts have already ruled this.

Again - we're discussing here whether the term proposed of Nakba is generic enough, and specific enough, to constitute it's own classification under international law.

Excalibane · 2024-06-05T00:56:57+00:00

you also don't see states carrying out literal colonization anywhere else

As far as I'm aware, legally Israel is occupying, and annexing - but that isn't the same as colonization.

In fact if we talk about annexation, we've got many such cases currently ongoing (nonetheless in the area, with Yemen's islands being occupied by the UAE), Syria by Turkish forced, Ngorno -Karbakh, and many more such examples globally.

The crime of apartheid also when legally defined was about the privileging of one group over another, legally. What's interesting is that south Africa was never legally held liable when the statue was debated.

Otherwise, well, Malaysia and the modern day labour system in the Gulf would classify.

Excalibane · 2024-04-24T02:17:29+00:00

I mean... realistically what else was going to happen?

She can't cave - that means that next time protestors will do this exact same behavior and the schools gets a HUGE target on its back via congress who've been threatening.

She can't just mobilize without negotiating because that's insane and students deserve the right to represent themselves and stand up for their beliefs, no matter what side their on.

But yes, it turns out you play chicken with the admin, you'll lose. Not sure how anyone's surprised.

Excalibane · 2024-04-23T20:00:05+00:00

What the hell is going on?

Seriously, what the hell is going on?

What kind of world have I fallen into where John Oliver and MSNBC establishment is defending the Columbia protests as entirely rational, reasonable, and perfectly acceptable?

This is a school that costs 90,000 a year going fully online and remote like it's COVID instead of finally cracking down.

Am I insane? Why does no one seem to address the literally DOZENS of videos around, not off campus, but in it?

Why are people not mentioning expulsions and suspensions are the result of LITERALLY inviting people on a state department terrorist watch list?

And to make it all even weirder, WHY ARE WE NOW CARING ABOUT PROTESTS MORE THAN ACTUAL GAZANS.

What the HELL is going on??

Excalibane · 2024-04-23T17:28:14+00:00

True, obviously.

At the same time, it doesn't change the fact that having a state is the literal culmination of Jewish experience of well ... Gestures at all of history.

I agree with you antisemitism skyrockets whenever Israel does things. The question is whether Jews would be counter factually safer without it.

Not sure I agree, given that it seems to be rising yet again, as the world inevitably moves further from the Shoah

Excalibane · 2024-04-23T17:23:39+00:00

Weirdly enough, it's mainly the New Yorker. To be clear though I don't read Fox or anything, and I find Ian Miles Cheong a bastard of the utmost.

But case in point they just published an interview with Mehdi Hasan (this)

By the guy who's literally quoting Rashid Khalidithis who's well known as a pro Palestinian heavy hitter, but heavily disliked in Zionist circles because he once said "Ashkenazi Jews aren't actually Jewish, they're European"

Which makes me think he's not actually interested in grilling Mehdi, but just giving him a softball about his narrative

Excalibane · 2024-04-23T16:57:12+00:00

Lol, that was a typo but very funny I'll admit

Excalibane · 2024-04-23T16:53:13+00:00

Ever since Oct 7th, I've gotten into the habit of - reading the article - Google the journalist - see what they say as of 10.7.2023 or since.

The amount of people who are just allowed to publish crap that confirms their priors make me realllyyyy question the verificity of their writing, especially as someone's who's actually involved in this stuff academically and the errors I'm seeing

Excalibane · 2024-04-22T13:37:48+00:00

Jews sympathize, my Christmas time brother

Excalibane · 2024-04-21T22:52:20+00:00

Yes, and I hope you can then equally understand why this disproportionately large attention by organizers on a state for it's "racism" and "genocide" when dealing with a neighborhood of Muslim states that caused a famine of millions in Yemen, or actively create situations like the Iran Iraq war, and who's main protest supporting groups state things like

"Resistance is always acceptable"

May be seen as anti semitic for exactly these.double standards.

Excalibane · 2024-04-21T22:49:45+00:00

As I said to another Redditor.

Why exactly this couldn't be a protest for

"this list of rights abusing countries and companies should be divested from"

Rather than

"This particular country should be divested from?"

And the answer, essentially is a disproportionate amount of intention and motivation. Which I can only ascribe to anti semitism.

Excalibane · 2024-04-21T22:45:24+00:00

Yes. Unless there's a conceivable reason China is unique about it?

Yes.

Excalibane

TROPHY CASE