Men Define Rape

It seems counterintuitive that, despite centuries of progression of the feminist movement and women’s rights, men have continued to decide what is and what isn’t rape. In fact, some male lawmakers hold centuries-old beliefs about the definition of rape, such as that women can avoid becoming pregnant during rape if they simply lack consent. The men who have taken initiative to give their own wacky perspectives on rape and women anatomy is not limited to some Republican lawmakers, however: Hammurabi, the Bible (written by men), and Sir Matthew Hale.

It’s time for people to face the facts: some men just don’t know anything about women, rape, or their anatomy. The old man-made definitions of rape are motivated purely by lust, a degrading view of women as people, and the desire to control them. The Republican lawmakers who still hold such views on women should not be in the positions of power in which they currently are. Perhaps women’s voices should be given more credibility.

Extreme Parenting

It seems counterintuitive that, despite successful results, strict, result-oriented parenting could have negative effects on children. For mothers who belong to the Chinese culture, this style of parenting is not new. The ideal of raising only the smartest children has its roots in Confucian teachings. Chinese mothers typically focus on grooming their child to be as successful as possible, while disregarding that it could lead to concerning levels of stress and anxiety. Children who have to go through the process of taking the gaokao, a rigourous exam, are sometimes driven to suicide. Most importantly, however, children raised by extreme parents lose a great deal of the individuality, imagination, and leadership skills that they need later in life.

This isn’t to say that a style of strict parenting should be thrown out the window entirely. There’s a benefit to raising children to be bright and responsible from a young age. But it’s important to foster creativity and imagination in them as well, along with setting realistic expectations of them. In other words: let kids be kids.

Cute Animals

It seems counterintuitive that what the average opinion expects the average opinion to be would have such a large effect on the stock market. In practice, it’s actually not the best idea to invest in a company one thinks is the best, but rather which company everyone else thinks is the best. Ideally, picking the company everyone else picks leads to the rising of that company’s stock prices.

It’s comparable to something as silly as a cute animal contest. One study, conducted by Planet Money, consisted of videos of three cute animals: a cat, loris, and baby polar bear. Participants were asked which one was the cutest and which one everyone else might vote to be the cutest. And the results were, well, counterintuitive: more people expected the cat to win than the number of people who thought the cat was the cutest.

So, it appears the stock market can be crazy sometimes. It can get things right once in a while, but it can also be like a cute animal contest. We’ve delved into an era in economics in which public opinion’s expectations of public opinion drives the stock market, and most people will invest in a company that might not actually be the best.