The Non-Linearity of Need
March 9, 2020·12 comments·Politics
Everyone knows that shutting down public gatherings and enforcing distance is the right move. For major institutions, the choice is easy: canceling events costs nothing in public perception, while continuing costs everything. But that calculus doesn't account for what happens to the people who depend on those events, those gatherings, and those jobs to survive.
• The cost of consensus isn't distributed evenly. Thirty million Americans work in service, hospitality, and retail sectors that collapse the moment institutions pivot to safety. These aren't separate economic problems for separate groups of people.
• Vulnerability compounds itself. A single parent who works retail in a public-facing job, relies on schools for childcare, and has inadequate health insurance wasn't struggling with any one of these things alone. Soon they face all of them simultaneously.
• The timeline is collapsing. This isn't a slow economic decline. Reduced hours and eliminated positions are arriving in weeks, not months, and the people absorbing the impact have almost no financial cushion to absorb them with.
• Institutions made their move based on reputation risk, not economic impact. The decision to protect themselves from blame was the easy call. What happens next to the millions who can't make that same calculation isn't part of the institutional calculus.
• The question isn't whether the coronavirus is dangerous. The question is who pays the price for the consensus that it is. And whether that price gets paid now, when it might still be preventable, or later, when it becomes inevitable.
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Comments
Amen, Rusty and Ben…the time is now!
Thanks, Rafa!
Yes, we help when we’re able to. One day the shoe will be on the other foot. We’re all in this together. It can’t just be saying we’re supporting each other. Actions matter.
Rusty-
Great points and re-direction of our minds out of our trading screens to helping others. Thank you!
I would like to put an idea to you, Ben, and the pack. Should we look to FL for clues about the broader impact of COV19 as a test bed or simulation for the US? Why? The FL population tends to be elderly, those most affected by COV19. Should we watch FL for cues about spread, morbidity, and social distancing? Should we be watching for stresses to the healthcare system, a lack of ICU or hospital beds, etc. in FL? Should we be observing retail and restaurant activity and parking lots in FL? If a pack member lives in FL, would/could you please share what you observe regarding change at the margin in these and other areas? Thanks in advance!
We are both elderly and immuno-compromised by chemo therapy. But we continue to retain our housekeeping crew and contribute to care organizations. Yes, the Coronavirus economic fallout is severe, but if each of us contribute where we can, it will be somewhat mitigated.
We need to start a hashtag for sharing acts of solidarity with those who bear a disproportionately large burden during this fight. Any ideas?
Maybe take a cue from Ben’s latest Zeitgeist: #OurFinestHour
Two organizations I trust in NYC are:
Food Bank for New York City: https://www.foodbanknyc.org/
West Side Campaign Against Hunger: https://www.wscah.org/
A very important message, thanks Rusty.
Saw a great idea on FB earlier. Buy gift certificates from restaurants and other service providers that you frequent. They get to use your cash now and you can float it to them and use it in the future.
Added! Thanks, Tanya!
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