Better Than Ever Before
Better Than Ever Before
Things are getting better! But you wouldn’t know it when you open the newspaper or turn on the tv. People are biased to view the world negatively and pessimistically and this is reinforced by news media overwhelmingly focused on the bad. From Socrates to our parents, people have feared that kids are not all right – that the world is not all right. And truly, we need to know about these bad things that happen, but we also need to recognize the progress we’re making. The world has consistently improved over the last century by almost every measure: people are less poor, better educated, less bigoted, less violent. Are things always good? Not necessarily. Should we keep fighting for progress? Absolutely. But are we heading in the right direction overall? Yes! So, crack open a cold drink and join us as the Meerkats get controversial and celebrate our wins.
Our theme song is by Tawny Frogmouth.
Further Reading
Factfulness by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling, and Anna Rosling Rönnlund on Goodreads
The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker on Goodreads
Fall, or Dodge in Hell by Neal Stephenson on Goodreads
The Global Divide on Homosexuality Persists: But increasing acceptance in many countries over past two decades on by Jacob Poushter and Nicholas Kent (Pew Research Center)
Biden Could Still Be Proved Right in Afghanistan by Thomas Friedman (New York Times)
“I Won’t Be A Doctor, and One Day You’ll Be Sick” - Girls’ Access to Education in Afghanistan by Human Rights Watch
The Gender Pay Gap Across the US in 2021 by Andrew Mosteller (Business.org)
