American individualism has become an evolutionary disadvantage.

In case you haven't noticed, America is the me, me, me country.  Just take a look at Trump's tweets.  Sadly they reflect the views of a nation.  And now our selfishness is going to kill millions.

Research shows that American culture places the emphasizes on the me over the we.  Asian cultures do the opposite.  That's why they were able to quarantine a nation for the better good.  No such luck here.  Have you seen the pictures of those uber-selfish spring breakers?  The latest news stories confirm that they are indeed spreading the virus.  But if they aren't getting it themselves why should they care?

Interestingly enough, not all Americans feel this way.  It's only the elite class that teaches their children to focus on personal achievement and individuality.  Working class Americans teach their children solidarity and loyalty.  That's because they rely more on others.  The next time they move - they will do so with help from family and friends.  Affluent Americans will hire a mover. No wonder they don't fully grasp the idea of interdependence.  (Williams, 2018)

But COVID-19 is a global pandemic without a cure, and controlling it will require global cooperation and healthcare for all.

Hopefully the elites will figure it out before it's too late.  As of this morning the death toll is 19,625.  And COVID-19 doesn't care how rich or important you are when it kills you.

Williams, J. (2018, July 9)  The Elites Feed Anti-Immigrant Bias  wsj.com Retrieved March 18, 2020, from  https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-elites-feed-anti-immigrant-bias-1531176949

If you live in the moment, you don't understand what all the COVID-19 fuss is about.

According to news reports, people under 30 in Berlin, Paris and Barcelona are flocking to bars and restaurants when they should be staying home to avoid spreading COVID-19. (Pancevski, Meichtry, & Fontdegloria, 2020)  

New Yorkers have been as well, so all these cities have been forced to close bars and restaurants to save people from themselves.

Reports also say that 62% of Republicans think that COVID-19 is a hoax.  It could be because they are getting their news from those fonts of misinformation -- Fox News and President Trump.  I guess they didn't read my blog about how watching Fox News can kill you.  Here's the link... http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2020/01/watching-fox-news-could-kill-you.html

But the truth is it's not ignorance that drives these people.  It's lack of imagination.

Myers-Briggs personality profiling indicates that 70% of the population lives in the present tense.  That means they only react to what they see going on around them in the moment, and can't project what will happen down the road.  And what these people are seeing right now is nothing.  No one they know is sick, so it must not be true.  Only old people die so it must be safe for them.  Just a bunch of hype.

Unfortunately nothing could be further from the truth.  Italy is on track to have more deaths than China.  Think about that.  A country with a population of 60.5 million will have more fatalities than one with 1.4 billion people. 

And thanks to Donald Trump our country of 300 million is 6-8 weeks away from testing.  Current projections are that the hospitals will be overwhelmed by next Monday, March 23.  At that point, the results of our failures will start to become visible.  And then, those 70% that live in the moment will freak out because they will suddenly see what all the fuss is about. 

Wash your hands and stand by.  It's going to be a bumpy ride. 

Pancevski, B., Meichtry, S., & Fontdegloria, X. (2020, March 17) A Generational War Is Brewing Over Coronavirus.  wsj.com.  Retrieved March 17, 2020, from

https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-generational-war-is-brewing-over-coronavirus-11584437401

Jagannathan, M. (2020, March 10)  Republicans are far more likely than Democrats to think the coronavirus threat is ‘exaggerated,’ new survey finds.  marketwatch.com.  Retrieved March 17, 2020, from  https://www.marketwatch.com/story/republicans-are-far-more-likely-than-democrats-to-think-the-coronavirus-threat-is-exaggerated-new-survey-finds-2020-03-10

Biden will be our next President because Americans want things to go back to "normal."

People don't like change.  They worry that the change will be for the worse and that they will lose something in the process.  So "loss aversion" kicks in.  (see this blog -- http://pjlehrer.blogspot.com/2020/02/whats-driving-your-investment-strategy.html)

That's why if you do want to change, you need to do it in small sustainable steps.  A little bit at a time.  The same way that you would taper off an addictive medicine.

While the minority who put Trump in office wanted change, the other 70% of America did not.  And one wonders now if even Trump's supporters have grown weary.

When faced with too much change people resist.  And when they can, they go back to the way things were before.

So it wasn't surprising that Biden has emerged as the Democratic candidate for President.  And that when asked why they were supporting him, people said that "they wanted things to go back to normal."

And that is why he will win in November. 

Nuzzi, O. (2020, February 28)  'Biden Is Going To Kick Ass Here Because This Is a Normal Place."  nymag.com.  Retrieved March 11, 2020, from  https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2020/02/bidens-south-carolina-base-finally-has-reasons-to-believe.html

Will your Obamacare save you from the Trumpvirus?

Words matter. 

If a job posting says a job requires a "rock star" more men than women will apply.  Say a job requires a "passion for learning" and you will attract more women than men.  And, if you use jargon  such as "synergy" or "push the envelope" fewer non-whites will respond.  (Miller, 2016)

So it's interesting that the Affordable Care Act, ACA for short, has become widely known as Obamacare.  The name might have started out as a negative, but for the millions of people who now have affordable healthcare Obamacare is definitely a positive.

Unfortunately the drumbeat of fake news has meant that the number of uninsured has gone up by seven million since Trump became president. (Kliff,2019)

Trump has also eliminated a NSC position to coordinate responses to pandemics and slashed budgets at the CDC and Department of Health and  Human Services.  He has proposed a 53% cut to the World Health Organization this year - you know, the ones who are actually fighting this virus.  (Reich, 2020)

Therefore it seems only fair that he own the situation he created, so I agree with Gail Collins of The New York Times, lets call it what it is - the Trumpvirus.  (Collins, 2020)

And here's hoping it doesn't kill us all.

Miller, C. (2016, February 26)  Is Blind Hiring the Best Hiring?  nytimes. com.  Retrieved March 3, 2020, from  http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/28/magazine/is-blind-hiring-the-best-hiring.html?_r=0

Kliff, S.  (2019, January 23)  Under Trump, the number of uninsured Americans has gone up by 7 million. vox.com.  Retrieved March 3, 2020, from https://www.vox.com/2019/1/23/18194228/trump-uninsured-rate-obamacare-medicaid

Reich, R. (2020, March 1)  Coronavirus is bad enough - Trump's cuts have made the danger far worse.  theguardian.com.  Retrieved March 3, 2020, from

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/01/trump-coronavirus-cuts-robert-reich

Collins, G. (2020, February 26)  Let's Call It Trumpvirus.  nytimes.com.  Retrieved March 3, 2020, from  https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/26/opinion/coronavirus-trump.html