3 Topics Over Dinner - Dinner Discussion Group

3 Topics Over Dinner -- NYC -- 3TopicsOverDinner

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Organizer: Bill Chapman

Sunday, May 3rd, at 6:00 pm
Famous Sichuan, 10 Pell St, Chinatown, Manhattan, Menu
Tickets to the Event: here. (Fee refunded in cash when you show up on time).

3 Topics Over Dinner is a dinner discussion group that meets on weekends. Links to articles or videos on the internet about 3 Topics, usually unrelated to one another, are posted on the event listing. Attendees read the articles (and other sources if they so wish) or watch the videos to be discussed over dinner. The idea is to be similar to a book club, only with far less reading. The idea is that this required reading / video viewing will be less than 3 hours.

We go to a different nationality restaurant every month, and always restaurants that will do separate checks for a large group, so everyone can pay with their own credit card and we don't have to figure out how to split the check. The restaurants are chosen to be quiet and nice, but not extremely exorbitant. A link to the menu of the restaurant, with prices listed, will always be provided on the announcement.

The restaurants chosen will always be in Manhattan, 77th St or further south.

RSVP's will be limited to have about 8 people at dinner, small enough that everyone can hear one another and we can conduct a single conversation.

The group has been going roughly once a month since 2008. It was formed on meetup.com and has shifted to Eventbrite.

A $5.00 deposit is required to RSVP. This deposit is refunded in cash ten minutes after the event starts. No-shows and latecomers forfeit their deposit.

We desperately need to get away from our screens and talk with each other in person.

"When people actually meet and get to know each other ... what Lincoln called those ‘better angels’ come out. People start recognizing themselves in each other and they start trusting each other, and that’s not just the basis for democracy, but that’s the basis for our long-term salvation." -- Barack Obama
Past Events

Sunday, May 3rd Topics: Economics Special

Why Is That So Many Comfortable Americans Don't Save Any Money?



Many politicians and pundits make statements like "A large fraction of the US population can't afford to cover a $400 emergency." or compare the wealth of the bottom 50% of the population with that of the top 10% or the top 1%.  These statements are misleading.  A large fraction of Americans choose not to save money, even though they are living comfortably.

Home Ownership is an Over-Rated Investment Strategy
It is deeply ingrained in the American psyche that home ownership is the best way to invest.  But it's not true -- home ownership brings with it a substantial risk of catastrophic outcomes.

The 2008 Bailout of the Banks Is Grossly
Misunderstood by Most of the American Public


The vast majority of the American public does not understand why or how the government rescued the American financial system in 2008.  Significantly, 70% of Americans think the bailout was a gift to the banks that was never paid back and will never be paid back, when in fact it was investments and loans that were, in most cases, quickly paid back with interest for the government.

This led to a widespread perception that our society was much more corrupt than it was.  This has led to cynicism and distrust of institutions, and possibly, the rise of Trumpism.