In this post Scott Alexander uses flags, movie plot holes, and tech-company names as “model organisms” for thinking about taste: small, familiar examples where broader arguments about rules, context, elegance, novelty, and cliché become easier to see. It’s a sharp, funny exploration of why some aesthetic rules feel obvious, when they may just be inherited habits, and why “easy wins” can sometimes feel suspiciously tasteless.
00:00 - Introduction
00:09 - Reddit Vexillology
07:49 - 2: Movie Plot Holes
10:12 - Tech Company Names
