Maslow's Hierarchies of Matters - October 2025

Before we get started, I want to highlight something Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, because as a guy who wants to be known as tough, it's odd.  He's speaking of the suspected drug smugglers we've been killing (murdering?) in the ocean:

“These narco-terrorists have killed more Americans than Al-Qaeda,” the defense secretary tweeted on Tuesday, “and they will be treated the same.”

Obviously, he's invoking Al-Qaeda because they are a modern classic American enemy. Who likes those guys? Easy sympathy points! But if these narco-terrorists have killed more Americans (putting aside whether that's the best measure of badness) shouldn't our reaction against them be greater? He's got a pundit's mind but he is in a practical job. A qualified Secretary of Defense would have spoken more precisely, not for tough-guy theatrics.

OK, now to the main event!  What were the MAIN things that mattered in October?  What was, and wasn't, worth our valuable attention?

Major: Very important, will be impactful.

Nothing.  Hope you enjoyed the fall weather!

Appreciable: Good context to keep in mind, but don't sweat the details.

Government shutdown, similar to tarriffs and the One Big Beautiful Bill, has a long reach and will probably affect you or someone you know in some way.  It may be Major in your life, but I think it's at least Appreciable until all SNAP benefits are restored (right now they are at half, and still not in the hands of those who need them, and I guess until they actually to those people even saying "they are at half" is giving Trump more credit than he deserves.).  Until then, the food they'd buy they have to use their regular money on, but then they can't use that money on heat or rent, etc.  It's bad to live in a country where lots of people are so on the edge, and worse when that edge suddenly moves through no action (much less wrongdoing) of their own.  And the deal to end the shutdown may include health insurance subsidies, and everyone benefits from cheaper access to good health insurance, so another reason this is high and may be higher).

Was and remains appreciable: The ongoing genocide in Sudan and China.  There's reporting accusing the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan of committing a new massacre at the end of October.

Incidental: Good to know, but of limited use beyond its own topic.

Trump's court lossess.  It's good to see the law working as we want.  There are now appeals to the Supreme Court, so it ain't over yet, but the process is, so far, working against Trump.

Demolishing the East Wing of the White House is a big deal, even if you've never visited the White House.  If you're a political operative there's a lot you can do with the pictures.  But otherwise, the very definition of "good to know, but limited use."  

Israel and Hamas have a ceasefire, but it's pretty shaky.  Still, it's not like things have improved for the Palestinians.  They deserve better leaders than they have.

Was Incidental in June, will remain Incidental: The Ukraine V Russia and Israel V Hezbollah and Houthis wars continue to burn on, and there is lots to learn about if those conflicts interest you.  Obviously if you live in those places this is Major, and if you have personal connections it may be Major or Appreciable.

Negligible: Ignore this as much as possible.

Was and remains Negligible: Continued anti-immigrant actions.  We're still nowhere near the level of mass deportations, and still within the realm of "individual stories which can be tracked," which means these are tragedies, not statistics.  It can get worse - save your outrage for if it does.  If you know or are an unauthorized immigrant, or are in one of the cities with a lot of ICE activity such that even American citizens and authorized immigrants are getting detained, obviously this becomes a Major story for you which should command a lot of your attention.

Great Gatsby parties at Mar-a-Lago. Trump likes lavish parties and he's a tone deaf politician.  It's insulting, but there isn't much to do besides add it to the list and move on.

And a sneak peak for November: Whoever wins the Mayor's race in New York, that's going to be negligible except obviously for those who live and work in that city.  This is true of the other local elections, but this is the one people are most talking about.  Whether this has big effects will only be clear months or years hence.

---

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to toss me some support please Venmo me.  If you disagree with something or if I missed a story you'd like my take on, let me know!