The Secret Life of Pronouns by James Pennebaker

Not particularly a linguist myself, I was surprised how much enjoyment I got out of this book. In some ways, my perspective on the world changed. Pronouns make up a large part of our sentences, yet we rarely pay attention to what they are saying. In his vast research, Pennebaker does. From findings about deep seeded depression, to figuring out if people are lying, Pennebaker delves into the hidden meaning of the pronouns we use. One instance, which I was actually able to test out myself, is how pronoun usage can gauge a person's self esteem. Ill explain the theory within the framework of the Obama campaign. Apparently, many advocates on the right noticed that Obama was using a lot of I words, or first person pronouns. Wanting to put Obama in a bad light, they argued that by using so many I words, Obama was showing how he was only focused on himself and arrogent. Pennebaker decided to test this theory out. Interestingly, he found that Obama was in fact using less I words than any president in recent memory. Instead, Obama was using a lot of we pronouns. Ironically, Pennebaker came to the same conclusion as those on the right did, but for the opposite reason. Using a lot of I words denotes low self esteem because it shows a need to put yourself and your accomplishments out there, rather than letting them talk for themselves. Conversely, we pronouns shows that one does not feel this and is confident with themselves. So in fact, this overconfidence exists in Obama (whether that is good or bad is up to you) but is shown through the we pronouns he is using, not the I ones. You can look through your old emails to both professors and friends and see if you saw what I did. When talking to a superior, I frequently used, subconsciously, a ton of I words, as I must have wanted to upgrade myself. The opposite happened when I spoke to those under me. Now conscious of this fact, it made it very difficult to write emails, as I was focusing on every word (thank G-d it's become easier now). While reading this, you may have noticed I have been using a lot of I words myself. That is actually due to something else, which I will get to later. There were other things that Pennebaker looked at that correlate with mental health and self esteem. More willingness to use larger words and sentences also work with this model. According to this, it should make sense for us all to use more we pronouns,  but there is a concern about honesty. In the Kerry campaign, Kerry started using a lot of I pronouns. His advisors thought that he should be using more we words, so Kerry shifted completely, using we words almost exclusively. What this shows, however, is a level of dishonesty. And perhaps, this is one of the reasons Kerry lost the election. When people say "we are going to do this" but really they mean "you are" or "I am" it conveys a sense of deceit. In fact, this was one fo the ways Pennebaker was able to test lying. So, at the begining of this post, you see me using a lot of I words. That is not because I am depressed, but because I read this book (perhaps you did too) and I am explaining what I thought, not what we thought. Here using those pronouns should show I am telling the truth (unless I know this, in which case I could be lying. Mind Blown). Another lie detector was a large use of emotion words. Rather than explaining what happened which was either good or bad, just saying it was positive without the information backing it up can also hint to lying. After taking the testimony from witness stands, the average person could tell whether the person was lying half the time. Pennebackers research (computer software) could tell 76% of the time. While this is not perfect, it is certainly better than what a person can tell. Perhaps most interestingly, the research was able to tell if a guy and a girl talking liked each other. This is a little more complicated, so I will leave it to you to read it in the book.

            All in All, I thoroughly enjoyed this book about pronouns. I find that my speaking, listening and writing has gotten deeper because of it. 

Game Theory A Short Introduction by Ken Binmore

              If you have never seen the "Very Short Introduction" series, the books are really fantastic. In a somewhat dense, but elegant manner, experts in different fields give introductions to many topics spanning across hundreds of topics. They are a really good way to go from knowing nothing on a topic to understanding the basics in 100-200 pages. This one was on game theory, but I may well read one on the Dead Sea Scrolls soon.

              Essentially, Game theory is the study of decision making. It tries to find out when people will decide to cooperate with one another, and when they won't. Most famously, this is seen in the Prisoner's dilemma, while there are many more that further the arguments and give different theories. In this example specifically, both of the prisoners will decide to rat out the other one because of their Nash equilibrium. A Nash equilibrium is when you have one option that no matter what the other person choses, you get the better result. In the prisoner's dilemma, it makes sense for each prisoner to separately mess the other one over. However, this is not their best option had they worked together and trusted each other. Essentially, a major challenge that game theory poses is how can we get people (and ourselves) to collaborate with one another (even if we don't have a collaboratorium) when the situation doesn't make us do so.

                I saw this happen first hand while I was a counselor for a day camp in a hotel for Passover. The counselors as a group were talking about whether it would make sense for the twelve or so of us to split the tips that we receive (that is how we were getting paid) or should we only get what the parents of the kids in our group give us. Mostly because I was reading this book at the time, game theory was all i could see. There are two types of utility that we could get as a group. Obviously, we each wanted more money, and many felt that they would do a great job, but there was also a value of wanting it to be fair. Like in the dilemma, there was an option that would have given the most utility. If everyone works hard and we split it then it is both fair and maximal money. However, as the dilemma teaches us every single other counselor decided to try and get the most tips, and of course some people ended up not getting a comprable share. While this wasn't exactly the same situation, it got me thinking about how we can fix this problem.

             I saw a similar example in a british game show called Golden Balls that I think can give us some insight. While the show is somewhat different because there is no Nash equilibrium, this still happens. The first possible solution is to change the rules of the game as is done here. In this situation he changes the way the game is played so it makes sense for the other guy to help. While this does lead to a positive result, I wouldn't necessarily say it makes the people virtuous. This also fails to solve the larger issue, instead it focuses on one example at a time. Therefore, in my estimation the way to solve it is this. Here, no tricks are needed. They have worked hard together and trust one another, so they will help one another. In essence, this is the power of community. When we are fighting for common goals and realize the value in one another we can solve the prisoner's dilemma. Game theory talks about how this happens with kin, ina  avery similar manner. People's love for their kin will override these tendacies. The question is how do we get this feeling to go over to the entire community, country and world?   It happens in armies and workplaces, why can't it happen at large?

            For the past two summers (and this coming summer), I have been a counselor in Machal in Camp Stone. Part of the Machal program is a community building exercise, trying to take a group of 15 year olds and create a bonded community. I have seen it happen twice, and I hope that we can make it happen again. What makes me nervous though, is that it takes an extremely intense summer like Machal to inculcate this value. What I can hope is that the campers will come out of the summer and spread it to their communities.

                        Generic ending about the Beit Hamikdash being built if we can do this.

              I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in economics or the way people collaborate. It really gave me insight into game theory, and I feel that i have gained knowledge of a new subject from such a short book.

A Time to Betray by Reza Kahlili

             Reza Kahlili, a pseudonym to protect his identity, was a revolutionary guard in Iran that became a CIA agent. In a Time to Betray, Reza relates the story of how he became the man to betray his native country and what happened while he was an agent for the CIA. Forgetting for a minute what I learned from the book itself, it really was a thrilling read. The feelings Reza has from his memories of the events that shaped his life are consistently evident. The pain and loneliness that goes along with his journey is palpable. This leads the reader to not only know the poor situation the regular Iranian is currently in, but it also makes one empathize and feel for them.

            After going through some of his childhood and the ways the government was viewed throughout it, Reza decides to attend college in UCLA. It is there that he truly interacts with America. Never thinking as a Muslim extremist, Reza continues to realize the problems with the way Iran is being run. Still, when he goes back he is stationed as a computer technician in the Revolutionary Guards of Iran. At this point the Guards have taken over the country and in many ways have made it an army state. There is a haunting scene where he goes to the Prison with his friend so the friend can see his children who have been imprisoned for no reason. He describes in detail some of the torture that was inflicted on the innocent prisoners. Ill spare you it here, but it highlighted the atrocities that were going on. Eventually, on a trip to America to visit his aunt, Reza contacts the CIA and an in time becomes an agent informing them on whats going on in the revolutionary guards.

            What becomes fascinating is how he has to relate to his family. He is working at a job he does not believe in (still finding it meaningful, as he is really working for the CIA), and has to be a "good" soldier. His parents berate him for his job seeing the revolutionary guard, and therefore Reza,  as being the cause of the problem in the country. He is able to live in a world where his parents hate him for what his job is, his wife doesn't understand, and he needs to act in a fake manner while he is at the office. One can only imagine what Reza had to go through, lying to everyone at the same time, especially when he believes as they do. I found that inspiring, to see what a person can do when they believe what they are doing is the best for those surrounding them. If Reza can do that, surely we can all do a little more to help our communities.

            I also found it inspiring how Reza was able to rise up from the family and community he grew up in. While his parents certainly did not have this mindset, much of the world Reza grew up in had a disdain for those things that are not iranian or Muslim. Reza was able to rise up from this bigotry and understand that it was not the truth. Even more impressively, Reza was able to stay firm to his beliefs even when he was berated with extremist ideology at work and even had to conform to it for a large portion of the day. Still he was able to rise up and do what needed to be done. While his immediate family shares the same sentiment that Reza does, wanting nothing of the army and extremist state they are living in, tehy do nothing about it. It is impossible to fault them for this, however, it makes Reza's feats so much greater because of his ability to take thought and put it into real actions. It is completely different to believe in something than it is to live with the consequences of that belief in a real way. His ability to take his belief system and to risk his life for it is a strength I hope we can all strive for (although I hope none of us ever need to be put into such a situation).

        Overall, A Time to Betray was a great read. It was thrilling and informative about the situation in Iran. I can only hope that the situation gets better for all our sakes, especially for those Iranians that are being oppressed by such a rule.