*This is the one-year pandemic scorecard for New Jersey: 21,219 lives lost; 30% of local businesses closed, 56% increase in food insecurity; two million unemployment claims filed.
*The pyramid of diversity and power, whether in corporate America or on the college campus, is consistent: greater diversity at the lowest rung (employees/students) than at the managerial/administrative level (the latter typically a source of irritation to minority college students). That middle level in turn is more diverse than the executive offices, including the college president unknown to the majority of his or her customers, aka students.
*In a longstanding, predominantly white school district, the kindergarten class might be twice as diverse as the high school. A demographic-based shift in power is inevitable.
*This is a suggested replacement for current methods of capital punishment: listening to a 24-hour non-stop tape of “likes” and “you knows.”
*Not connected to that fantasy is the serious and troubling research which shows that the correlation of brain injuries to subsequent criminal activity is quite high.
*A poll in 2019 disclosed that only half of people in Latin America believed their neighbor would return a found wallet; on the other hand, only 40% believed a cop would do so.
*We have everything we need to know at the click of a finger. We have not become happier. And the average person has not become more affluent.
*One-third of Latinos voted for Trump, a higher ratio than in 2016.
*We have more communication devices than ever, and fewer friends.
*Hate crimes, while up recently, are significantly below those of twenty years ago. The flames seem to burn hotter, however.
*Our schools have more technology than ever dreamed possible. We have not become smarter. Our healthcare providers have more portals to capture more of our information. However, we have not become healthier, nor has healthcare become more affordable.
*From the trough of the Great Recession, the first quarter of 2009, to the end of 2020, household wealth for the bottom 60% of the population grew between 27% and 37%. The next 20% were up 97% and the top 19%, 72%. The top 1% soared 135%.
*On the student loan front, some federal relief has been granted and one much older former student was able to escape debt through bankruptcy, heretofore considered impossible. Nationally, 6% of borrowers owe over $100,000; 18% owe over $40,000. The worst debt is when the borrower fails to graduate, thus often leaving them with the prospect of insufficient income relative to debt.
Yes, I frequently compare cheese and chalk, as the saying goes. But isn’t that life: trying to make decisions about non-comparable choices.