I want to blame someone or something for the continued disconnect between reality and perception among Americans, but I'm beginning to wonder whether society has become too complex, too broad, and too, well, busy to get us all back to sharing a basic set of facts.
It may be that any nation that boasts 340 million residents spread across 50 states that each claim different approaches and mandates, all while interacting with a world of nearly 8 BILLION fellow humans, is simply impossible.
Last night Kathleen and I drove over to Cherry Creek HS, which is the state's largest at 3,800 students, and marveled at the sprawling campus and byzantine parking and various gyms. The volleyball wasn't kind to Arapahoe, with was swept 3-0 and looked out of it. Anna did fine until she rolled her ankle or something in the final game. Fingers crossed that the injury is minor.
But it occurred to me that no one at CCHS could possibly know even a small percentage of fellow students or even faculty very well. The school is larger than some colleges.
There are studies that claim that the optimum size for a comprehensive high school is about 1,000. That provides a large enough student body to offer a wide range of activities and courses while also maintaining a community that can support and complement all involved.
Of course, smaller schools necessitate more principals (but maybe fewer assistants?), more coaches, more teachers (unless a system could be very carefully calculated to move personnel around). Each school needs a cafeteria and various specialized classrooms and performing areas.
So, the American drive for efficiency pushes many urban areas to opt for larger, centralized schools, along with larger bureaucracies to hold everything together.
The American experiment was born in a relatively small geographic area with a much smaller population. In 1800, the U.S. had about 5.3 million residents in 16 states. Communication was difficult then (as opposed to now, where it is all too easy) and a relative handful of white males wielded all the political power. A majority of our current Supreme Court might term that period as "the good old days."
In report after report in mainstream media, we find Americans feeling pretty good about their own economic outlook while bemoaning the wider economics of the country. We agonize over President Biden's age while appearing to accept the fact that his likely opponent is increasingly deranged (not to mention just three years younger).
When was the last time you read a well-reported story that clearly laid out just how unhinged Trump's constant deluge of rhetoric is?
Unemployment is at record lows, inflation is moderating, and we just saw 380,000 jobs added to the economy, double what was expected. But only 40 percent of Americans approve of the job Biden is doing leading the nation. An incredible amount of money is being pumped into states and counties that can only be described as "red," but most of the folks living in those areas either can't see it or won't see it.
A large study has concluded that Republican-led states are now shaving 3-5 years of life from their citizens due to policies on everything from tobacco to public health to Covid responses. But, of course, Joe Sixpack from Ohio is still alive and it is human nature to believe that the bad stuff happens to "them," not to him.
Like I say, it's a giant country and it may be pointless to try to pull together.
As Seinfeld reminds us: "People. They're the worst."
No comments:
Post a Comment