A Whole New America

I was standing at my kitchen window early Wednesday morning and noticed how much bluer the sky looked. That was before I realized that it was Earth Day and heard reports on the morning news that the air quality in Los Angeles had gone from among the worst in the world to among the best. The reason was that we were not driving as much. So true. The last time I filled up my tank was February 26, 2020 and I still have half a tank remaining. COVID-19 has uncovered a lot about our lifestyles that if taken to heart could propel us toward a whole new America.

It has become apparent that fewer people on the road everyday improves our air quality and thereby also improves our health. Many of us have learned that we can do much if not all of our jobs from home. Perhaps a new normal after we get through this crisis will be a change in the expectation that everyone has to show up at the office everyday. I could easily see myself working from home three of the five days each week, saving gas, freeing up parking spaces, reducing traffic, and contributing to cleaner air and reduced carbon emissions.

Another issue COVID-19 has brought to light is the lunacy of our employer-based healthcare system. As people lose their jobs, we see that they are also losing their health insurance and therefore their access to healthcare. I heard the heartbreaking stories of people losing their jobs and with it losing their employer-based healthcare and now having to choose between lifesaving medications and food for their families. This system is obviously broken and not serving us well. We need to get to Medicare for all immediately. Perhaps employers can take those funds they currently pay in health benefits and contribute towards a combination of raises for employees to cover their new premiums and to the Medicare system directly.

And then there is the need for greater internet bandwidth throughout the country and in my own neighborhood in particular. It became a reality for me these past few weeks as the internet became slower, unstable, and even crashed throughout the day on Friday. It was a frustration that made Zoom meetings difficult and access to shared work networks impossible. It took up to 10 minutes to log into some websites I use only for the connection to be lost over and over again. We have the need and opportunity to improve here.

And finally, this pandemic has revealed the absolute incompetency and dangerous behaviors of president Trump. Thankfully, his polls are finally falling as his supporters and those who never paid attention see him out there not only lying about his administration’s slow response and his suggestion of ridiculous remedies like drinking or injecting disinfectant directly into the human body. November might finally rid us of Donald Trump.

COVID-19 is showing us where change is not only possible, but necessary and even desirable. We could and should have a whole new America if we are smart.

Loving Asian TV Dramas – Starting with Chinese

My strong affinity for Asian dramas all started about a year and a half ago when one of my students returned from studying abroad in China and commented about how he enjoyed a Chinese television drama on Netflix called, “Meteor Garden”. Having traveled extensively throughout China myself and with my daily advising of so many Chinese students, I thought it might be nice to get acquainted with China’s more modern culture and college setting through an entertaining story about Chinese college students–the population I deal with daily. So, I watched all 52 episodes, three times!

The first time through, I was put off by behaviors we would never tolerate as college administrators. But I loved the story and found myself more understanding of the family pressures my students experience. While watching, I found myself full of emotional ups and downs. I laughed and cried as characters and situations evolved. There were times when I was utterly appalled by the villains who worked to tear young lovers apart and then grew to understand and empathize with their motives. I was hooked. First, I was fascinated by the cultural values on display, the difference in family dynamics, the popular Chinese music, the scenery, and the few Chinese phases I came to recognize. I ended up downloading the musical soundtrack for “Meteor Garden” and watched the music videos on YouTube. I came to realize that Dylan Wang, the male lead is a popular rock artist in China. Other students told me that the show was a Chinese remake of a Korean drama, “Boys Over Flowers”.

I moved on to another popular Chinese television drama, again featuring Chinese college students. These were computer science students in “Love 020” involved in the gaming industry in China. It too, was a romance and featured the typical love triangle, the social-economic stratification, and the villains who eventually redeem themselves. It too became a favorite and I learned that the handsome male lead, Yang Yang, was also a popular singer and dancer in China. He dances much better than he sings. It was through watching some of his videos that I learned that black choreographers and musicians seem to act as musical mentors in China.

I’ve watched many Chinese television dramas on Netflix since then. My favorites are “Here to Heart”, “Single Ladies Senior”, A Love So Beautiful”, “I Hear You”, “Somewhere Only We Know”, “Put Your Head on My Shoulder”, “Unintended Love”, and “Diamond Lover”. Amazon Prime has them too, and I enjoyed “My Little Princess”, “Whirlwind Girl” and “Attack it, Lightning!”. I had to move to another streaming platform, “Rakuten Viki” to find more content and it was worth paying for a subscription to get rid of the commericals. I absolutely loved, “Go Go Squid” and I think I’ve watched all 42 episodes about five times. I’ve enjoyed the twelve episodes of a popular historical drama, “The Story of Yanxi Palace” that I learned about through its theme song. My students tell me that its a tragic story, so I’m waiting for a mood that will permit me to get through the entire saga. It’s so well done and the music is so beautiful. It was listening to JJ Lin sing the theme song (“The Sound of Snow Falling”) and its many music videos that led me to the drama on the Viki platform. I’ve since found the lyrics to the song and it is absolutely beautiful.

I thoroughly enjoy Chinese dramas although the Chinese government certainly has its fingerprints all over them and product placement is very evident. The level of nationalism is evident as personal ambition expressed by the main characters is always about bringing prominence to China and the Chinese on the world stage. Getting past that, the storytelling and music and learning about everything from gaming, international business, martial arts, cyber security, fencing, medicine, violin making, science, diamond design, or ice sports, movie making, and the culture and language itself is fun and eye-opening.

I started with China and then added Taiwanese and Korean dramas. But those reflections are for future posts.

Disproportionate Deaths

I became upset listening to a Republican lawmaker, who is also a physician from Louisiana, explain why over 70% of the deaths from COVID-19 in his state were African American. As expected, he sited the higher prevalence of pre-existing conditions such as obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and asthma among the African American community. But when the interviewer tried to delve into the underlying reasons behind these pervasive conditions, the Republican refused to go there. He refused to acknowledge the role of governmental policies around health, urban pollution, education, wealth accumulation, criminal justice and discrimination that have hampered and continue to impede the progress of African Americans since slavery. Even when reminded of his role in Congress beyond medicine, he chose to ignore the root causes for the pre-existing health conditions that have made African Americans so vulnerable.

The continued legacy of the mindset behind slavery and Jim Crow is discrimination against African Americans in nearly every system in the country. Our inability to accumulate wealth is the result of longstanding and ongoing educational disparities, job discrimination, healthcare treatment disparities, housing discrimination, banking discrimination, environmental injustice, and criminal justice disparities. The most recent statistics show that in 2018 about 21% of African Americans lived below the poverty line compared to less than 12% of the general population. Poverty is stressful, destroys relationships, reduces access to life-sustaining needs like healthier foods, better education, basic preventative healthcare, adequate legal defense, clean air and water. It’s like the toxic circumstances African Americans are born into is a burden carried throughout life. For example, I’ve had asthma since I was 2 years old as a product of my early environment. I have high blood pressure like most African Americans in my family. These conditions coupled with being over 60 make me especially vulnerable to COVID-19 mortality.

But I’m not poor. I’m educated and have a job that has me working from home. I continue to get a paycheck. I can and am limiting my exposure. I consider myself lucky. But too many African Americans are not lucky. Many African Americans have either lost their jobs or have jobs working in places where they risk daily exposure to the virus. Without the proper protection, they are having to choose between a paycheck and their health. Too many are locked away in prison or jail and are being exposed against their will. Some, like that Republican doctor would be apt to blame African Americans for their poverty and risk factors.

To people like that Republican doctor, I would say that for African Americans to achieve stability in this country takes more determination, greater intelligence, higher levels of energy, and greater resilience and emotional intelligence than the average American. Most people are average in intelligence, stamina, and determination. To require a group of people to be superhuman to overcome the added roadblocks and obstacles placed in their way every day so that they can achieve what others achieve by just being average is unreasonable. Most of us are not exceptional. But that is what America expects today of every African American. And if we are not, then we are to blame for our blight.

Ours is a country that discriminates both institutionally and individually against African Americans. I know this first hand because I have experienced it all first hand. Everything from teachers who have to be forced to provide rigorous learning opportunities, to banks who require additional layers of scrutiny for loans, to employers who attempt to limit hiring, promotion, and pay, to nurses who under-estimate the pain of black women in labor. I’ve fought through all of these discriminatory practices multiple times. I know this is the reality of most of my African American friends and family.

So, this virus is coming for the vulnerable. The sad thing is that African Americans have been made vulnerable by our society. When people blame the victim like this Republican congressman did, I don’t see this current reality as any different from when the government sanctioned the distribution of blankets with Smallpox among Native American populations. The result is the same, the eradication of an undervalued minority group.

A Whole New World

My husband injured his hip and needed medical help this week. With fear of COVID-19, he didn’t want to go to the doctor’s office and thankfully his doctor isn’t seeing patients in the office anyway. He learned from the receptionist that the appointment would be by teleconference to which my husband expressed anxiety. Being chronically “old school” in just about everything, he’s never used Skype or Zoom or any kind of social media platform. The receptionist asked if there was anyone in his home who could assist him with the set up when the time came? I spoke up and told him to respond by saying, “yes”. The appointment went off without a hitch. We have the internet, wifi, a blood pressure machine, a scale, and a thermometer. He reported his own vitals and symptoms to the doctor and after responding to a lot of questions, he secured both a diagnosis and a prescription. This whole incident got me thinking about what could lie ahead once we are on the other side of this pandemic.

We now understand that having access to a smart phone and laptop, high speed internet, and wifi are essential infrastructure items in the world today. This infrastructure allows students to continue with school, it allows many people to continue working, it allows online banking, it allows families and friends to connect anywhere in the world, and it allows patients to reach doctors remotely. Moving forward, we can use this infrastructure to save time and more importantly we can reduce our driving and gas emissions. I already do my banking online and most of my shopping with the exception of most groceries is also done online. But that, too, can easily change. With this rapid change in our physical distancing, it’s clear that our most pressing infrastructure needs have also changed.

In this world where disaster looms around every corner, Congress should invest in technological infrastructure that reaches across every corner of the country to increase both access and our overall bandwidth moving forward. We need these virtual roads and bridges as much as the physical roads and bridges that we collectively pay for with local and federal tax dollars. Every low income student and senior should be provided with a laptop and smartphone as an essential items. Access to the internet should be publicly paid for just as libraries and schools are. There are savings and efficiencies to be realized without reducing effectiveness if we maintain some of the services online that this pandemic has necessitated. Medicare would do well to provide low income seniors with thermometers, scales and blood pressure machines to help make this possible.

I envision a new normal once we get past this pandemic where conference rooms (not offices), restaurants, theaters, churches, parks, sports arenas, gyms, and concerts are social gathering places. Learning, office work, most doctor’s visits, banking and shopping can all be done at home and perhaps for fewer hours in the day, freeing up time for socializing and truly enjoying life. This pandemic has opened my eyes to this new possibility. And I like it. It would take some getting used to, but the savings on child care, on gas emissions, and on stressful commutes to work might be worth it.

During this pandemic I have been grateful that we have a home gym, computers, smartphones, an internet connection, password protected wifi, a pantry full of food, water, and toilet paper. What we don’t have is a personal generator to keep it all going in case of a blackout or other natural disaster. That’s on my new shopping list for this new unpredictable world we’re living in. Of course, my capable husband will research and purchase the most appropriate one for us on Amazon and it will be delivered right to our front door within two days.

From Struggle to Strength?

I was searching for a quote that captures my thoughts and emotions about the crisis unfolding before us with this pandemic. Every morning I wake up to hear that the numbers of those infected by COVID-19 and those who have died has risen. That announcement is followed by the pleas of governors and healthcare workers for needed resources. We even sent our physician daughter in law six of our N-95 face masks to use at the hospital. I feel two emotions simultaneously: sadness and anger. The latter is born out of frustration and disappointment at the stupidity, lack of leadership, and lack of planning coming from the Trump administration. And then I face another day of working from home.

I chose a quote by an American writer who was completely unknown to me: Robert Tew. He said, “The struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need tomorrow.” That quote really hit the mark for me. And I hope it is true.

There is no doubt that we are in a struggle and our weaknesses and vulnerabilities are being exposed every minute, both personally and collectively. We can clearly see where we have failed and where the cracks are in our healthcare system and financial policies. These have exposed us to a public health disaster and financial ruin.

I’ll make my reflection short. There will be other crises moving forward because that is the world we live in. My hope is that this present struggle will make us shore up our healthcare system to be more about people than profit. I hope corporate leaders and government leaders will recognize that the present financial system that suppresses wages to the point that workers had no savings for these rainy days will rethink policies and practices to reduce these absurd levels of income inequality. And I hope that American voters will see the error of having a president like Donald Trump in the White House as his leadership has only worsened this disaster and choose to dump him this year.

This November, we will have the opportunity to make the country stronger by electing Joe Biden and senators who actually want to strengthen our healthcare system and reduce income inequality. We’ll be in a better position for the next crisis if we get this right in November.

Stay at Home Orders

At work this past Monday we were all in the building together maintaining social distancing which included our daily meeting via Zoom from our respective offices. By Thursday we were taking shifts in the building. By Friday the entire building was shut down and we were ordered to work from home. Thankfully, I was allowed to gather items I need to work from home and now once a week I will be allowed into the building for a couple of hours alone to handle critical tasks. Beyond the need for flexibility, this pandemic is teaching us important lessons. First among them is that leadership is important. Accurate information is paramount. Hope is not a plan. Technology is essential. Rainy day funds are necessary. And how we behave affects others. It is also highlighting our major failings.

I have a daughter-in-law who is an MD working at a major hospital. By virtue of her work, my son has been working from home for a while because her hospital made it clear that she will likely become infected and so will her household. They are young and healthy and so they take it in stride. But what does this say about our lack of preparedness? Hospitals, urgent care facilities, and doctor’s offices don’t have adequate supplies to care for themselves while caring for their patients. There aren’t enough masks, hospital beds, or ventilators. Our government saw this coming and did nothing. Hope is not a plan. Denial and closing borders is not preparation. It’s disheartening to hear doctors and nurses pleading with the public for the supplies they need to treat those of us who become ill without exposing themselves and their own families. We have to step up now and produce what is needed. The continued failure of leadership at the highest level is striking and dangerous.

Our other failing in this “information age” is not doing a good enough job convincing people that their behavior affects others. I get that Americans are rugged individuals who pursue their own best interest first. We aren’t a collective society that looks first at what is in the best interest of the whole. When faced with a situation such as this, our pursuit of individual fun, protection, and profit harms the most vulnerable among us. For a nation full of religious people, we ignore many of religious moral commands. We are in fact our brothers’ keeper and the way this virus spreads drives this point home. The college students enjoying spring break on Florida beaches, the hoarding and fighting in the grocery stores, the scammers looking to make a buck online using the virus are all evident of the failure of individualism. We need to strengthen our teaching around the greater good.

And finally, this pandemic has shown just how financially vulnerable most of us are. The poorest can’t take advantage of the technology that is making some life functions doable–like working, shopping, socializing, and learning from home. In addition, most Americans don’t have a rainy day fund to get through an economic emergency like this when income is cut off. I’ve listened to every financial advisor for years talk about setting aside at least 6-8 months worth of expenses. I realize that while we were in the position to do this, many people are living pay check to pay check because wages and income have not risen except at the very top. So, as jobs and paychecks disappear, in order to prevent a full-on economic collapse our government will need to give people money. I understand this. But all of us who are able should do extra too by donating to food banks, by giving or lending funds to friends and family members who are out of work. I think about my nail and hair salons that were ordered to close. We can’t visit our favorite restaurants because they, too, are closed. Theaters are closed. All those workers are now without income. Were they able to save 6-8 months worth of expenses to weather this emergency? It is doubtful. So, they won’t be able to pay their rent, utilities, buy food or other necessities without help. I’m going to give where I can. Perhaps this will be a wake-up call to Americans to save more and spend less in the future. Even more importantly, perhaps employers will start paying their workers better so that they can continue to spend and save, too.

There are a few bright spots in all this. Some employers like Mark Cuban are still paying workers who work during NBA games. Some singers like John Legend are posting living room concerts on YouTube to cheer people up. Some governors are taking leadership in ways our president has failed to step up. Most cell phone providers have eliminated extra charges for exceeding data limits. And technology is proving to be a life saver for work production and for teaching and learning in most places. And the brightest spot are by far our health care providers who are putting themselves on the line for the greater good.

This virus has exposed areas where we need to improve. But it has also exposed the generosity of some and the insensitivity of others. We’re all in this together and we rely on each other. So, I hope that is the biggest lesson we take from this pandemic.

COVID-19 and Tough Choices

This was a week of rapid changes nationally, personally, and professionally. A trip to several stores to purchase disinfectant wipes or sprays was completely fruitless. I hadn’t thought about additional paper towels or toilet paper until my daughter told me she couldn’t find any. My husband called me at work to say that there was a line inside COSTCO to purchase them and that by the time he got back there, they were sold out. And now public gatherings are being cancelled left and right. Many schools, including my own, have gone to online instruction. In addition, my University cancelled all conference travel, including a conference I was scheduled to attend this week. I wasn’t planning to attend anyway to limit my exposure. A cousin called to ask me about the family reunion I’ve been planning for this summer. My response was to extend the registration deadline because I don’t have a crystal ball.

And that’s kind of the problem. We simply don’t know where the end is. The only thing we do know is that the virus spreads easily among people and that it can be deadly for the elderly and people with underlying health conditions. My husband and I fit both categories and so we are extra careful. Social distancing is essential to slow the progression of the virus. I appreciate that another daughter who usually stays with us when she is working in California decided that she might not do that for a while given that her exposure to others is greater than ours. She isn’t afraid of getting sick, but she fears passing the virus to us. I’m happy to have raised a wise and considerate woman.

But really, this is precisely why schools are suspending operations or going online. It’s why college and professional sports have suspended or postponed events. It’s why theaters have gone dark and conferences have been cancelled. We all want to protect the vulnerable people in our lives. I heard someone jokingly call this disease the “Boomer Doomer”. I made a rather cynical remark to my husband that this is one way to cut the cost of Social Security and Medicare. He grimaced. But it is undeniable that there is a fiscal impact associated with this virus outbreak.

I think about the all the losses to businesses that provide services to sports fans, conference goers, work sites, and tourists. Just this week, I personally cancelled my hotel and travel. None of the restaurants I would have patronized for three meals a day over the course of five days will get my business. My daughter cancelled her flight to New York as all the theaters there went dark and her clients in numerous shows ceased to work. Last night, I picked up Chinese food from the local restaurant we frequent and my husband admonished me for it. We ceased eating out, but he doesn’t even want take-out. Will local businesses survive if we all adopt this behavior? I think of all the businesses that went under during the 2008 financial crisis and I get worried. Many businesses we patronized in our small community never returned.

I don’t have an answer. I just know that priority number one is to physically survive. Second to that is financial survival. I haven’t had the stomach to look at my stock market investments. I will continue to invest because I’m in it for the long run and its possible to view this as stocks being on sale. But it’s not easy. We may well be headed for a recession if the government financial package isn’t smart and adequate enough to assist people whose livelihood is adversely affected by the loss of work.

My immediate plan is to find toilet paper, disinfectant, and canned goods. I’ll only purchase enough for my husband and me. I won’t be a hoarder, recognizing that my fellow human beings are in the same situation and will also need these items should we become house-bound. But what we found in the four stores we visited Saturday was astounding.

First, we arrived at COSTCO 30-minutes before it opened and found the line to enter the store was wrapped around the building and extended far into the parking lot. We left. The grocery stores had many bare shelves with a glaring absence of essentials like milk, bread, and canned goods. We were shocked. I found and bought two cans of disinfectant at Home Depot and purchased two of the three disinfectant wipes that had just been restocked in Target by paying for one of them in a separate line from my husband. We were unsuccessful in purchasing toilet paper anywhere and opted for napkins and facial tissue instead. Thankfully, we already have about 20 rolls in stock.

However, without a crystal ball, I’m not entirely confident that this is enough. I’m just hopeful that we can curtail the spread of this virus and eventually get back to life as we’ve come to appreciate it.

Three Old White Men

I delayed mailing in my absentee ballot and ended up voting for Joe Biden in the primary. He wasn’t my first choice but he was the only viable choice left to me as a moderate democrat. I’m disappointed in myself and the American people because we don’t seem capable anymore of electing the smartest, most articulate, and temperate person as our leader. In my opinion, towards the end of this particular primary cycle the most capable candidates were Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Pete Buttigieg. But they pulled out, leaving behind two old white men as the only viable Democratic choices. Yes, Tulsi Gabbard is still in it, but her chances of winning the nomination are slim to none.

How is it that the same American electorate that put Obama in the White House for eight years gave us these dismal choices? Obama represented us around the world with dignity and was well respected. He was intellectually brilliant, thoughtful and articulate, put forth policies that uplifted millions, saved our economy from a depression, kept us safe from another 911 terrorist attack, was scandal free, was empathetic and caring, and was a role model for our children. His wife was beautiful and brilliant and put forth a platform that actually made sense. And then we elected an old white man with none of these admirable characteristics and a wife whose platform is incoherent if not downright hypocritical.

This November, we’ll be choosing among three old white men, each much older and each less capable than Obama. The incumbent is a lying criminal narcissist whose ignorance is on display every day. He has singlehandedly discredited the office of the presidency in the eyes of the world and has become a laughingstock among world leaders. No reasonable parent would point to Trump as a role model. But most importantly, he is a threat to our security, the planet, and our health and general welfare. And our choices now left to replace him are better, but certainly not the best we were offered.

There is Bernie Sanders who is calling for a revolution that will likely result in a government stalemate, getting absolutely nothing accomplished. He isn’t able to compromise and his years in the Senate have shown this. His ideas of socialism go farther than the countries he says he wants to emulate. And he can’t show exactly how he will pay for all these freebies he is offering. While I do believe that healthcare should be a right and I’m for a Medicare for all type of system, I’m not on board with everything he’s promoting. I believe there is dignity in working and investing to earn a living and too much free stuff is a disincentive and causes major shortages of everything. I believe his policies would ultimately bankrupt the country. Besides that, his personality is that of a grumpy old man and his supporters have taken on his nasty personality on social media. At least he is honest, but I don’t believe he is electable in November.

The third old white man is on the ballot is Joe Biden. He is a kind and temperate, empathetic and moderate democrat. His policies are good and less dangerous than both Trump and Sanders. However, he opens his mouth and who knows what will come out. He is likeable, experienced, and just smart enough. He is certainly smarter than Trump and more likeable as a human being than both of his competitors. He might embarrass us on occasion with a gaff here and there, but he won’t be a laughingstock around the world. His belief in science, the reliance on experts rather than his own “hunches” and knowledge of history and the world would make him an acceptable president. I hope that he chooses either Klobuchar, Harris, or Warren as his running mate. These are smart, capable, and temperate women who would be able to step in as president on day one if necessary.

And who knows, if Biden chooses Klobuchar, Harris, or Warren as his running mate, the next president of the United States in 2024 or sooner might just be a brilliant and capable woman that we can all be proud to call “Madam President”.

Pandemic Worries

My great-grandmother Mary Wilson Carson died in the 1918 Influenza pandemic at age 32 leaving behind her husband and nine young children, including her namesake and my grandmother, 5 year old Mary, also known as “Doll” by family members. Every day we hear the number of Coronavirus infections and deaths, but I am keenly aware that behind each statistic is a family that is in mourning and forever changed. I am worried.

I’ve come to terms with the fact that I am among the most vulnerable populations to succumb to the Coronavirus, being over age 60 and having asthma. It doesn’t help that I constantly work with people who travel around the world. The thought of distancing myself from other humans is depressing, but I can see that as the virus spreads, this will become my norm for the foreseeable future. No more hugs and handshakes. Washing down my desk and doorknobs between appointments and washing my hands frequently. I learned the other day that hand sanitizers break down the PH in the skin and make it more permeable. So, plain old soap and water for 20 seconds is best and hand sanitizers are a backup plan. Breaking the habit of touching my face will take effort.

In my line of work, we have been monitoring the spread of the virus continually. I have students stuck in some of the most affected cities in China. In our office, trips to Asia have been cancelled. Even a K-pop concert scheduled in Los Angeles was cancelled. The economic impact this virus will have on the world is already enormous and we are not immune.

It starts with cancellations of travel plans and spreads to not going out to dinner as my husband announced this past week. It will affect schools, movie theaters, malls, churches, concerts, conferences and numerous public events will be rescheduled if not cancelled altogether. People work at these places and depend on patrons for their livelihood. It is no wonder the stock market is tanking. We could likely be headed for a recession as people are no longer able to afford to buy things and to pay their bills.

In times like these we need to be smart and to rely on the knowledge of the experts. I was disheartened this week when Trump put Pence in charge of the messaging around the Coronavirus and said that the heath experts in the administration must run things through Pence before making public announcements. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? This is scary stuff. Never mind the messaging that the Coronavirus is a hoax drummed up by the Democrats to tank the economy ahead of the election. People will die with this kind of attitude. The first death from the virus in the U.S. was just reported Saturday. Because of the lying narcissist in the White House, I won’t pay attention to our government because they are not a trusted source. And already the shameless profiteers are posting Coronavirus cures on social media. Buyers beware.

I’ll listen instead to the World Health Organization as they are reaching out directly to people instead of governments for this very reason. The politicians we have in place today are more concerned about preserving their power than protecting the lives of their people. The newest pandemic is on its way. The time to educate ourselves and to make smart preparations and to mobilize our resources to save lives, not the stock market, is now. All this will have to take place at the local level given the government we currently have in place.

Beware of Social Media

Social media is here and we’re not quite sure just how to deal with it. The question of what is appropriate to share is being addressed by parents, spouses, friends and employers. Just this week my own workplace released it’s intended social media policy in a draft of the revised employee handbook. The response sparked disagreement among employees as to what amount of influence an employer should be able to exercise over the social media posts of its employees. Not surprisingly, I’ve had conversations with family members and friends about the prudent personal use of social media.

My husband is not on social media at all. He has never signed up for a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or any other social media account and he doesn’t look at mine. He is simply disinterested and doesn’t see any advantages to any of it. He has imposed restrictions on my use of it as a spouse who could be impacted by what I post. I don’t talk about him and I don’t talk about travel until we have returned. And I don’t post any items of value. He is rightly afraid of making us a target. He is an extremely private person who is baffled by why others openly share so much of their private lives with strangers.

I have a different viewpoint. I believe we can learn from others and offer support, congratulations and well wishes to people who have been in our lives. For the most part, I consider myself a Facebook voyeur, silently keeping up with the marriages, jobs, movements and births of former students, friends and colleagues. What I myself post is less about my family’s life and more about life issues. I care about social justice, health, politics, the environment, public safety, diversity, economic mobility, and creating a better world. I see social media as a mobilization tool. So, I use social media to engage around these issues. I appreciate reading the opinions of my Facebook friends on social topics that interest them. Others have a different take on the role of social media.

I had a conversation with a younger colleague this week who admitted that she got most of her news from social media. As a person who is fully aware that there are targeted misinformation campaigns on social media, I cautioned her against using Facebook as a reliable news source. It is not a reliable news source with capital N.O.T. The scary part was that she felt certain that she could distinguish between what was legitimate information and what wasn’t. The reality is that even a professor widely shared a false report to her embarrassment because she was fooled into thinking a news article was factual and it wasn’t.

With technology becoming ever more sophisticated it is increasingly difficult to distinguish between fact and fiction. When bad actors can make it appear that an individual is somewhere he is not or that a candidate is saying something she is not saying, the age of misinformation has reached a new high and social media is where this misinformation is finding its home. So, let the reader or consumer beware. I’ve decided that I will not read news nor share articles on social media, period.

Beyond the evils of misinformation, social media has been linked to the rise in depression among young women in particular. It appears that others are living lives that are enviable. Bullies wreck havoc on the psychological well being of others. The number of likes becomes too important. This is a trap that parents are going to have to figure out. I’m grateful that this wasn’t a huge issue when my kids were growing up. I just cautioned that what they put out there is forever a reflection of them and can enhance or damage their reputation. My grown kids use it, but somewhat sparingly. One uses it for business but stays away from controversial topics.

Social media isn’t going away anytime soon. We will all need to figure out what role, if any, it will have in our lives moving forward. I’ve decided that it is good for some things and not for others, especially reliable news.