At this point in this worldwide Coronavirus crisis, I think it goes without saying that we are living in the middle of a significant transformational event, maybe the most significant in my lifetime, including World War II and 9/11. Hyperbole is pretty cheap right now in the public square and I don’t want to overdo it here, but I don’t think I’m exaggerating. There will be much more to come on the disruptive implications of this event as we deal with it in the coming months, but here are a few of my thoughts on the repercussions to be expected so far:
- Without doubt, globalization in all of its ramifications will be under renewed scrutiny, particularly as it pertains to the global trade system, supply chains, critical sourcing needs, the role of the WTO, and their implications for U. S. national security.
- In America in particular, the national health system will be subject to top to bottom analysis, with emphasis on the failure of strategic imagination in the current crisis.
- Quite obviously, due to the complete lack of credibility of the corrupt Communist regime in China, the relationship between China and the United States, as well as the rest of the world, will be revisited and significantly overhauled.
- In the delivery of U. S. education, both K-12 and higher, it has become even more obvious by the response to this crisis that the antiquated early 20th century delivery system can and should be junked in favor of one that more properly reflects America’s needs, technological capabilities, and student expectations. In fact, education delivery may never be the same.
Again, more to say later, after we have defeated this enemy and have had more time to reflect.
Jim,
This is a strange time. We are suffering boredom as much as anything. Running low on toilet tissue is deemed worthy of panic and hoarding. True suffering, lacking the essentials of food and shelter, has not been known by Americans for a very long time. The Great Depression invoked more genuine suffering than our present circumstance.
Moreover we are a soft people, unaccustomed to true want. We expect the government to not only overcome this virus but to make this a rumble strip to our economy instead of the slide off the road that it has become. Yes, we’ll call AAA and get out of the ditch but we ought to expect some damage. We are not exempt from the human condition and the human experience, however much we may wish to be.
And one other is that there will be an acceleration to online everything as Americans’ habits will be changing.
I don’t think it will be online everything or always. One of the things this isolation has exposed is that online only is insufficient. That said, I think the ratio and rhythm of online to in real life will change drastically.
No, it won’t and shouldn’t be all online. Think a seminar on Plato, science labs, etc. But the days of a $200K BA in the humanities are over.
The main transformation for K-12 will be from the structured 180-day school year to one that recognizes the realities of how and at what pace kids learn. For higher ed, the challenge will be what to do with all the brick and mortar!
And I worry that the proponents of “net neutrality” will return with their argument that the internet should be converted to a public utility in the misguided interest of equality of access.
And one other is that there will be an acceleration to online everything as Americans’ habits will be changing.
Under the relentless efforts of the MSM, Americans have been turned into a nation of frightened little bunnies or young deer which freeze in the headlights. As expected, the Leftwingers are pushing for major government control, and the Administration, afraid of being wrong, is going along. Constitutional rights have not been so violated since the War Between the States. I cannot leave my property in Louisiana for my property in Florida: I will be stopped at the FL border and either turned around or forced into a two-week tent quarantine with unknowns and so catch the Wuhan virus from one of them.
We need to get the healthy under-60 back to work now, generate herd immunity ASAP, while geezers like me remain self-isolated for months.
You make several good points, Dr. Tom, and it will be instructive to see the reaction if the stay at home orders extend beyond April 30. So far, the public has been patient, but at that point, I fear an outbreak of civil disorder and constitutional challenges as more people face choices of health vs. economic survival issues.
New regulation in Laredo: absence of a face mask in most public places is subject to a fine of up to $1000 or up to 180 days in jail.
Good thing Laredo is not a Muslim jihadi haven!
As someone who made over 60 trips to China from the late 80’s to 2010 building a factory and marketing our product both inside China and for export hopefully we are seeing the chickens coming to roost in China. First hand I saw human rights abuse, abject poverty outside the big cities, illiteracy, corruption and the tremendous potential for catastrophic bank failures. This, in my opinion, is a turning point for Communism in China. Their effort to parlay this health catastrophe into influence in impoverished countries cannot go unchecked and if not the Chinese Communists will bring great risk to democracy and freedom everywhere.
You’re exactly right, Larry. This 20-year honeymoon with a corrupt regime is over. But only if we can stand up against the complicity of the U. S. Chamber/Fortune 500 crowd and their K Street lobbyists. Good to hear from you.
Holman Jenkins, Jr.’s column in today’s WSJ is worth reading: “The purpose of cost-benefit analysis is not to trade human lives for mere dollars. Its purpose is to weigh different kinds of harm against each other so we can achieve our goals at the least possible cost.”
Yes, good piece, and we’re going to have to seriously get into the policy trade-off soon.
I guess I missed that part of the lecture in college about how the constitution can be suspended during a coronavirus outbreak.
Danny, that is because Gramsci’s strategy has borne a bumper crop. And way too few of us stood in the way of the smothering cascade that began in 1968. Where is the “Greatest Generation”? It was whelped in the 1920s.
Now we are a nation filled with wee little lambs, herded by a handful of elitists. Cuomo comes to mind. As does Bill Gates.
Constitution? We don’t need no steenking Constitution, say the rulers.
Something tells me that if this shutdown continues much longer we’re going to get a refresher course in the Constitution, and it might not be very polite.
Instead of our good capitalism taking into account US humanitarian interests, we let our greed get the best of us. Greed not so much for profit, but for low-cost consumer goods. When Pres. Trump began to reign in China for surpassing our greed with their own – to steal our technology and buy up America -China struck back by taking advantage of an unplanned virus to launch a germ warfare attack.
The Bible speaks of plagues as God’s discipline. He is certainly getting the attention of the world which has denied His right as Creator of life and sexuality. He is showing us we are not smart enough to choose these for ourselves. Perhaps if we acknowledge His standards, He will grant us the wisdom to overcome His discipline.
You make good points here, Ann. Thanks and God speed.
Ann:
reign is for kings.
rein is for bridles for horses!