Skip to content
By using Twitter’s services you agree to our Cookies Use. We and our partners operate globally and use cookies, including for analytics, personalisation, and ads.
  • Home Home Home, current page.
  • About

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Language: English
    • Bahasa Indonesia
    • Bahasa Melayu
    • Català
    • Čeština
    • Dansk
    • Deutsch
    • English UK
    • Español
    • Filipino
    • Français
    • Hrvatski
    • Italiano
    • Magyar
    • Nederlands
    • Norsk
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Română
    • Slovenčina
    • Suomi
    • Svenska
    • Tiếng Việt
    • Türkçe
    • Ελληνικά
    • Български език
    • Русский
    • Српски
    • Українська мова
    • עִבְרִית
    • العربية
    • فارسی
    • मराठी
    • हिन्दी
    • বাংলা
    • ગુજરાતી
    • தமிழ்
    • ಕನ್ನಡ
    • ภาษาไทย
    • 한국어
    • 日本語
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
  • Have an account? Log in
    Have an account?
    · Forgot password?

    New to Twitter?
    Sign up
vgr's profile
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
Venkatesh Rao
@vgr

Tweets

Venkatesh Rao

@vgr

Conversational account. For work follow @ribbonfarm, @breaking_smart, @artofgig. Tweets are 90% vacuous views, apathetically held. Mediocritopian. IKEA builder.

Los Angeles, CA
venkateshrao.com
Joined August 2007

Tweets

  • © 2020 Twitter
  • About
  • Help Center
  • Terms
  • Privacy policy
  • Imprint
  • Cookies
  • Ads info
Dismiss
Previous
Next

Go to a person's profile

Saved searches

  • Remove
  • In this conversation
    Verified accountProtected Tweets @
Suggested users
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @
  • Verified accountProtected Tweets @

Promote this Tweet

Block

  • Tweet with a location

    You can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more

    Your lists

    Create a new list


    Under 100 characters, optional

    Privacy

    Copy link to Tweet

    Embed this Tweet

    Embed this Video

    Add this Tweet to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Add this video to your website by copying the code below. Learn more

    Hmm, there was a problem reaching the server.

    By embedding Twitter content in your website or app, you are agreeing to the Twitter Developer Agreement and Developer Policy.

    Preview

    Why you're seeing this ad

    Log in to Twitter

    · Forgot password?
    Don't have an account? Sign up »

    Sign up for Twitter

    Not on Twitter? Sign up, tune into the things you care about, and get updates as they happen.

    Sign up
    Have an account? Log in »

    Two-way (sending and receiving) short codes:

    Country Code For customers of
    United States 40404 (any)
    Canada 21212 (any)
    United Kingdom 86444 Vodafone, Orange, 3, O2
    Brazil 40404 Nextel, TIM
    Haiti 40404 Digicel, Voila
    Ireland 51210 Vodafone, O2
    India 53000 Bharti Airtel, Videocon, Reliance
    Indonesia 89887 AXIS, 3, Telkomsel, Indosat, XL Axiata
    Italy 4880804 Wind
    3424486444 Vodafone
    » See SMS short codes for other countries

    Confirmation

     

    Welcome home!

    This timeline is where you’ll spend most of your time, getting instant updates about what matters to you.

    Tweets not working for you?

    Hover over the profile pic and click the Following button to unfollow any account.

    Say a lot with a little

    When you see a Tweet you love, tap the heart — it lets the person who wrote it know you shared the love.

    Spread the word

    The fastest way to share someone else’s Tweet with your followers is with a Retweet. Tap the icon to send it instantly.

    Join the conversation

    Add your thoughts about any Tweet with a Reply. Find a topic you’re passionate about, and jump right in.

    Learn the latest

    Get instant insight into what people are talking about now.

    Get more of what you love

    Follow more accounts to get instant updates about topics you care about.

    Find what's happening

    See the latest conversations about any topic instantly.

    Never miss a Moment

    Catch up instantly on the best stories happening as they unfold.

    1. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Venkatesh Rao Retweeted andrew furman  🏥 🛡

      This is exactly backwards. Urbanization was driven by desire to escape oppressive togetherness of small town/village life. The primary draw of cities in history has been escaping your tribe. The idea that you might *find* your tribe is relatively new (1960s?) bonus possibilityhttps://twitter.com/furman/status/1292284733578047488 …

      Venkatesh Rao added,

      andrew furman  🏥 🛡 @furman
      will the trend towards urbanization reverse post COVID? 🏡remote work and distancing for years makes me think suburban populations will rise 🏬on the other hand, maybe we can’t reverse a 200 year trend, and the desire for togetherness pic.twitter.com/C8J28GHoOj
      11 replies 22 retweets 160 likes
      Show this thread
    2. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      For people citing “economics” as a/the reason, economics is never the answer to “why”, only “how.” It enables social escape, independence, individualism, means to live on own terms etc.

      3 replies 3 retweets 32 likes
      Show this thread
    3. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      Social escape was main carrot. Early on industrialists had to coerce farmers away from land during droughts, and actively work to break family ties (like younger sons with weaker land claims). Once cities became established as individual escape zone, coercion became unnecessary.

      1 reply 0 retweets 27 likes
      Show this thread
    4. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      It is especially weird to posit individual-agent reasons like economic opportunity when primary challenge was to individuate away in the first place from tight social settings where economic decisions were made by families and cash played a smaller role than mutuality.

      1 reply 0 retweets 21 likes
      Show this thread
    5. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      If you read the early history of urbanization (pre-industrial) the economy was so subservient to culture (eg sumptuary laws, limits on innovation) that to go urban was literally an act of freedom-seeking. Many early cities bought their freedom from feudal lords.

      3 replies 2 retweets 32 likes
      Show this thread
    6. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation

      I have a weird theory that oppressive rural conditions like serfdom and working peasants to death emerged *after* cities became established for escape via pre-industrial crafts. Industrialization accelerated an existing trend, it didn’t create it.

      3 replies 2 retweets 24 likes
      Show this thread
    7. nick bea‏ @beatnikpicnic Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation
      Replying to @vgr

      Yes this is weird, any sources that suggest this to you that you can recommend checking out?

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
    8. Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation
      Replying to @beatnikpicnic

      If I had strong evidence it would just be a theory, not a weird theory. Speculations cobbled together from various readings. A key clue though is that non-agrarian smaller cities began rising in the 12-14th centuries well before industrialization, around trades.

      1 reply 0 retweets 3 likes
    9. nick bea‏ @beatnikpicnic Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation
      Replying to @vgr

      Thanks, I don't know much about this stuff, Is idea that serfdom originated / came into its worst shortly after 12th century (right after origination of smaller nonag cities)? Also curious, what would be Lords' motive to make things worse on serfs knowing they could go to cities?

      1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      Venkatesh Rao‏ @vgr Aug 8
      • Report Tweet
      • Report NetzDG Violation
      Replying to @beatnikpicnic

      The Black Death created a big labor shortage in Europe and coercive practices got much worse then as a result. But until industrialization there was a sharp limit to how much labor cities could absorb and how much the countryside could spare.

      9:20 PM - 8 Aug 2020
      • 1 Like
      • nick bea
      1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
        1. nick bea‏ @beatnikpicnic Aug 8
          • Report Tweet
          • Report NetzDG Violation
          Replying to @vgr

          Ah, ok so serfs could not 'just go to cities', it didn't become a "seller's market" for labor until industrialization. Lords would continue to coerce those stuck on their lands, like whipping one remaining horse of a troika

          0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
          Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. Undo
          Undo

      Loading seems to be taking a while.

      Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.

        Promoted Tweet

        false

        • © 2020 Twitter
        • About
        • Help Center
        • Terms
        • Privacy policy
        • Imprint
        • Cookies
        • Ads info