Positive Selection

The economic phenomenon where adding even a tiny barrier to entry, like charging a single dollar or requiring a credit card, immediately filters out ninety percent of brainless time-wasters and naturally selects for competent, capable users.

Because paying requires basic financial literacy, banking access, and actual intent, the people who make it past the gate are inherently more motivated to read documentation, troubleshoot their own basic errors, and treat staff with respect. It is the direct cure for adverse selection, turning an unmanageable daycare of support tickets into an orderly service of people with skin in the game.

Person A: Our support queue was an absolute nightmare until we killed the free plan and made signups cost two bucks.
Person B: That is positive selection at work.

Positive Selection by A Random Dude... October 28, 2026

Positive Election Disease 

A disease that affects a person's ability to reason. People with this condition suffer from irrational delusions that a candidate in an upcoming election will "change everything", "keep their promises" and/or "get things done". Other symptoms include, but are not limited to: believing politics is interesting, putting an election bumper sticker on your otherwise valuable automobile, passing out leaflets and yard signs, and actually reading propaganda mail. Outbreaks generally occur in a 4 year pattern coinciding with presidential elections, although extreme cases will lead the victim to feel this way toward all elections down to county level, especially in die-hard partisans. It will affect Democrats and Republicans differently depending on the candidates and election conditions. Positive Election Disease (PED) gained unprecedented media coverage during Barack Obama's 2008 Presidential campaign, marking the worst recorded epidemic of PED in America.

Facts about PED:

PED feeds on bipartisanship.

Lobbyists are naturally resistant to PED.

PED may affect up to 95 percent of partisans during election time, but affects less than a third of all Independents.

Douchebags are 10 times more likely to get PED.

Network news makes it worse.

PED can cause rioting, especially in developing African countries.

PED does affect politicians, but such cases are quickly cured by lobbyists.

During off-years PED survives in San Fransisco.

douchebag: "Barack Obama will bring change to America! He's going to fix the economy and fix healthcare the right way and he's going to get Democrats and Republicans to work together."

registered independent: "Man, you got Positive Election Disease really bad."

Positive Election Disease by IndependentForever November 1, 2009