Status Updates From I'll Burn That Bridge When ...

I just finished chapter 1. I don't fully agree with Norman's criticisms. I think there is value in criticizing identity politics when it comes to the democratic party using it as a veil to further move away from working class and union positions. I don't think you need to dismiss the identities and experiences of non elite people to do that. It's possible to have both; genuinely embracing identity and socialism

My current impression is that these are Norman's raw unprocessed thoughts and word problems coming onto the page. Keeps oscillating between insightful thought-provoking comments and being an old man yelling at a cloud.
Specifically his reaction to the reception of his Michael Jackson joke confused me. How did he not understand that?

So far my impression is that Norman is just having his raw thoughts and unprocessed word vomit come onto the page. There's a lot of oscillating between insight thought provoking observations and an old man yelling at clouds.
Specifically, his complaint about the reception of his Michael Jackson joke confused me. How did that fly over his head?

In a footnote he references a study that says 40% of Harvard students are athletes, legacies, or the children of faculty/donors. The study estimates only 25% of this 40% would have gotten in on merit. Which means almost a third of Harvard doesn't "deserve" to go to Harvard.

This is in a section talking about affirmative action, but I found it interesting in its own right.