The Sirens' Call, Chris Hayes

 

The Sirens' Call:  How attention became the world's most endangered resource by Chris Hayes

Started: October 12, 2025
Completed: October 18, 2025
Recommendation: Recommended

Media:  Audio
Recommended By: Barrack Obama

Review:

I do not follow Chris Hayes closely (perhaps that is sideways music to his ears), but I was quite surprised to see a reference to Epictetus show up in this book.  There is no reason a news anchor should not be well educated (and many reasons why they should be), but this borders on someone who actually has an interest in philosophy and his interest in other topics (like Death of a Salesman) could be a side-effect of having acted or could be a side-effect of a deep education.  I dunno what it is, but I like it and I think he would make an interesting person with whom to speak outside of the context of what he does for a living.

I wonder about the particular type of utopia he has in mind.  SPOILER ALERT.  I'm not sure that the return to a directed way of looking at the world (such as a physical copy of the New York Times or a vinal album) is where we are headed.  Surely there will be pockets of people who will use this kind of method to view the world and, perhaps, it will not be dwindling pockets.  In the end, however, I wonder if they will be sufficiently large to function as a brake on the rest of society.

A Colony in a Nation, Chris Hayes

A Colony In a Nation by Chris Hayes is a book that was referenced during a news show that included the author.  My wife and I were watching the show while travelling and both of us were impressed by Chris Hayes, so I put this book on my list of things to read.  This book focuses on the criminal justice system.

Started: 3/23/2020
Completed: 4/22/2020
Recommendation: Highly Recommended, but primarily for white people
Recommended By:  Nobody

Review:

This book is about perspective for a white audience.   Black people know all about this, but it is a surprise to a white audience to hear about how black people live.  Driving while black, gets a new meaning.  Chis Hayes takes a guillotine to white privilege.  If you are black, I don't know, but maybe this book is validating--sort of stating the obvious.  If you are white and you do not understand the experience that Chris Hayes throws out, then you are in deep need of this book.

There is no doubt in my mind that the world would be a better place if everyone were treated equally.  I, like Chris Hayes, think it would even be better for a white male.  I do not think that opportunity is a zero sum game.  I do not think that love is a zero sum game.  I do not believe that fairness is a zero sum game.

I was particularly struck by how Mr. Hayes pointed out that when seeking "justice" we look to treat the privileged like the oppressed rather than treating the oppressed like the privileged.  Our criminal justice system meets our horror at all levels...couldn't we look at how to improve the life of the criminal and find a way to help the criminal become a functioning member of society?