How polarized are we?
July 9, 2020
Good Thursday Morning.
Yesterday, one anonymous user asked:
Any suggestions for vacation spots within driving distance (4 hrs) from NJ that might be possible in a pandemic?
I’m going to highlight that question here because selfishly, I’d like some recommendations myself. If you have any, send them along and we’ll attach them to the bottom of tomorrow’s email. (Apologies to all of you non-Jersey folks out there in the Tinaverse. #WhatExit)
Today is my mother-in-law’s birthday. She’s the type of person who goes into an empty room and comes out with 3 friends. As lucky as I am to have married a woman I don’t deserve, I’m also fortunate to have gotten one hell of a mother-in-law as part of the deal. (She’s also a part of the Tinaverse, so she’ll see this.) Happy Birthday, AC.
We’ve got some great user suggested questions (“USQs”) today about political polarization, how proud you are to be an American, political engagement, attending religious services, haircuts and a fun question about what condiment belongs on a hot dog. Click on the Let’s Talk button to get started.
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Results from July 9, 2020
Question 1: With which of these statements do you most agree?
Schools should prioritize getting students back in the classroom, even if it means increased health risks for students, teachers and staff members.
Or… Schools should prioritize the health of students, teachers and staff members, even if it means decreased learning opportunities for students?
This is an impossibly difficult question because there is no good solution, and the effects of any decision reach far and wide.
Teachers are people too. They have their own families and concerns just like everyone else does. Schools should not be your baby sitter, at the expense of anyone working in one. It’s a difficult decision that needs to consider everyone.
I think the health of the students' parents should also be taken into consideration. If students contract it at school and then bring it home to an older parent or grandparent, that is also a concern.
It’s why we split the responses into two separate groups: a) students, parents, teachers, staff members and b) everyone else. We wanted to see if those who would be most impacted felt differently:
Students, parents, teachers, staff members
Everyone else
Many of you rightly point out that keeping students home and away from school isn’t necessarily the “safe” or “healthy” option, which again illustrates the challenge of this question for school administrators.
When you present it as choose between health or learning, you also miss the impact on families who are struggling to take care of their children-and the key developmental impact, especially on small children, that goes beyond curriculum. Health extends to developmental and emotional health of the children, mental health of parents struggling to work full time and be good parents, and the risks to health that no or reduced income has on a family.
There is a lot of research showing how detrimental it is and kids are becoming more anxious and independent. Don't get me started on the kids who don't have safe homes and the only way they stay safe, healthy, and monitored is at school. To insinuate wanting the kids back is "unhealthy" is a poor choice of words.
But others note that a lot of schools may not have the resources to protect students, teachers and staff should they decide to reopen.
I'm all about educational equity, so I do believe that schools need to "prioritize educating kids". HOWEVER, I live in a major Urban district and worked as a support professional (think therapists like speech and occupational therapists) and literally worked in a closet and a bathroom - there was actually a non working toilet- with no ventilation and distancing would be laughable. If we're gonna tell schools to figure it out, we better give them some money and resources to do it and do it for all kids everywhere, not just rich White kids in suburbs.
Some students at universities are growing increasingly frustrated with their schools, who continue to charge full tuition despite reduced experiences.
Re universities prioritizing opening vs health - as a student, that was a hard one for me. In the end, I had to choose health, but it was clicked resentfully. I do think health is the most important concern in almost any covid-related tradeoff, but paying normal university fees for a significantly reduced university experience is a very hard pill to swallow. We are all adapting to this together, but I think the universities need to be more creative with how they are putting health first - to try and deliver as much value as they can, and cut costs where they can't.
And finally…
I am a retired teacher and my children are grown. I can’t imagine having to be a classroom teacher or having to homeschool my children while working. I finally have a good reason to be thankful I’m old! I wish good luck to all those who are trying their best to figure it all out.
Question 2: The Trump Administration notified Congress that it is formally withdrawing the United States from the World Health Organization. Do you believe this is a good idea or bad idea?
But…
I think that the WHO was under China’s control during the beginning of the pandemic. I’m glad we left.
Question 3: Do you think, in general, this environment of public shaming is more positive or more negative for society?
In regards to Q4, I think in the current climate, it is a good thing (to a certain extent) shame people who are being racist or not following social distancing/wearing a mask. However, I don't believe that it is generally a good thing. It can easily lead to "witch hunts" and cause more harm than good. Public shaming is also reflective of the general culture of the people and is therefore dependent on their values so public shaming within other cultures can look very different and often be harmful or used as a scare tactic.
But some of you see these viral videos as instilling societal norms in public…
Taking videos of public outbursts with the intent of sharing and shaming them is an effective method of establishing societal norms. Without remedies like legal actions and overbearing Police, pushing norms will help ensure society abides by a collective understanding - for better or worse
I worked on a adult punk rocker documentary in college and everyone who was in it had to sign a release and permission to use their imagine. However the news doesn't always blur people out who we know wouldn't sign papers. With the posting online wo permission really depends on what's posted and if money is made from it. If you're a racist, a Karen, or someone flipping out about a mask requirement...the world should see you to know who you really are instead of who you pretend to be.
That documentary sounds amazing.
I think that the posting of the video of Amy Cooper calling the police to falsely accuse a black man who asked her to put a leash on her dog was a positive in that it may lead to fewer people calling the police in someone for no reason. Some of the videos of people acting out about why they refuse to wear masks highlights their stupidity.
But even those of you who want to hold some people accountable are concerned about the constant state of paranoia this public shaming creates.
The privacy questions are tough. I think certain people need to be held accountable for their behavior, but I also hate the idea of living in a world where my every move can be captured and shared.
Question 4: Should posting a picture or video of another person on the internet without that person's consent be illegal?
If you’re being a proper Richard Cranium in public to someone or a group of people in public, you have lost your right to privacy of your public outburst. ... If you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes... Quit being Richard Craniums to others. Hold the door open for someone behind you, let that person ahead of you at the grocery market that has one item when you have a cart full, tell strangers to stay safe, and just be overly sweet to everyone.
I’m honest enough to admit that “Richard Cranium” took me a second.
For some of you, enforceability is a concern.
I said no to the last question about posting pictures because it'd be impossible to police. I think it's a slippery slope, even if I don't want people posting my picture on the internet. It just doesn't seem realistic.
But many of you think that circumstances matter.
Videos without consent: location is important. Are we in my home or are we in a Walmart parking lot?
I’m all for using the platforms as a way of outing people who publicly demonstrate unquestionably poor behavior, be it racist, sexist, or even just unnecessarily aggressive. Does “Cancel Culture” actually teach these people a lesson? I’m not sure. Maybe they double down on being terrible people. Maybe they seek professional help. Personally, I’d definitely think long and hard about the way I comport myself if I lost my job and ruined my reputation because someone exposed the truth about me on social media. People need to learn that their actions have consequences.
Posting a picture/video of someone else on the internet is all about context. If the scenario is similar to: The SF couple telling their half-Filipino neighbor that "he didn't belong" in their neighborhood (after they caught him writing "Black Lives Matter" outside *his* house's front entrance) and threatening to call the police. Then that is fair game for naming & shaming. On the other hand, revenge porn is a completely story. That is unacceptable. Period. So it really depends on the situation.
But perhaps, as this user points out, the digital world will be better in the future.
Interesting question about consent for posting photos of someone else. I envision a future where we do have transparent insight into what our footprint and presence on the internet looks like, and through that visibility, can have the ability to curate it and control it. I don't think we fully appreciate what a complete wild west the digital world is right now and how much different (and hopefully better) it could be.
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