Henry Zellerhoff

Mr. Storer

Literature/Composition 4

6 November 2020

Corona Capsizes Small Businesses: Why we Must Protect Prevailing Companies

            What is a small business? You might have some idea of what constitutes as a small business, but you may be surprised to learn the answer. According to the American Society for Quality (ASQ), a small business is defined as a privately owned corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship, with less than 500 employees (What is a Small Business). The necessity of being a legal entity makes sense for the classification of a small business, but the requirement of having no more than 500 employees seems excessive. The reason behind this is small businesses are relative, meaning some small businesses can be considered small having up to 500 employees if the other businesses in that industry tend to have a lot of employees. One example is Apple, a tech giant with 147,000 employees as of 2020 (Tankovska). Surely a tech company with 500 employees seems small when being compared to Apple having almost 300 times that. Now that you understand what characterizes a small business, it is important to understand why they are important.

            What comes as a surprise to many is that out of all small businesses in the entire United States, 30.7 million, or 99.9% of them, are considered small businesses. Furthermore, small businesses employee 59.9 million people in the United States, or 47.3% of all potential workers (2019 Small Business Profile). Lastly, 20% of all small businesses have at least one employee (Lauckner, Sally).

Then came Covid-19. First arriving in the United States on January 2020, Covid-19 has slowly began eating away at the wellbeing of our country and the world. As the virus continued to spread, small businesses were forced to make changes. Such changes included becoming Covid-19 friendly (masks, hand sanitizer, six feet apart etc.) and closing the business for a period of time. Unfortunately for some businesses, after they “temporarily” closed their doors, the lack of customers and purchases put many out of business. With the advent of Covid-19, 164,000 small businesses closed temporarily resulting in 98,000 closing permanently (Sundaram, Anjali). While that does not seem like a lot of businesses compared to the 30.7 million total, average quarterly revenue has fallen by 52%, average payroll expenses have fallen by 54%, and the average number of employees has fallen by 53% across all small businesses in the United States (Arora, Rohit). Furthermore, the United States had an unemployment rate of almost 15% in March of this year and is still high now at roughly 8% (The Employment Situation-September 2020).

Although the previous statistics seem very dreary, the government has stepped in and provided some help towards the success of small businesses. This has been seen through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities Act (CARES Act), but more specifically through the sub-act called the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The PPP is a loan administered from the Small Business Administration (SBA) which provides small businesses (and a variety of other business types) with a loan of up to 2.5 times the average monthly payroll costs with a total maximum of $10 million (Diana Fitzpatrick, J.D). Although this act helped relieve small businesses during the first few weeks of shutdowns (which occurred shortly after school closures in March), businesses have still been struggling greatly. While it is helpful that the government has support the United States small businesses, more actions must be taken to ensure their success.

            It is imperative that people who have money to spare, small business owners and workers included, support their local small businesses. In doing so, we can protect the jobs of millions of United States citizens and keep unemployment rates low. In addition, supporting small businesses will lead to broad-based prosperity among many families in local communities.

            According to Alfonso Serrano, a small business strategist for Fundera with an economist perspective, small businesses create 1.5 million jobs annually, or 64% of all new jobs (Serrano, Alfonso). Serrano believes it is commonly accepted that small businesses create the most jobs in American, and that small businesses are the main fuel that drives the United States economy. With a shortage of small businesses due to Covid-19, Serrano predicts a higher unemployment rate and more suffering across America. Serrano’s perspective helped me understand the important role small businesses play, because with a loss in small businesses due to Covid-19, the 1.5 million jobs created would plummet, leading to lower unemployment rates.

Devra Gartenstein, an economist and reporter for Chron with a background in finance, argues that small businesses are not only important on a nationwide scale, but also paramount to the success of local economies. For instance, when someone spends money at a local small business, that money goes to pay a worker in the neighborhood, who in turn, is likely to spend that money at another local small business, repeating the cycle. This type of mutual support is important during hard times, like the present, and can prevent business closure and lower unemployment rates (Gartenstein, Devra). Gartenstein’s idea of mutual support furthered my acceptance of the importance of small businesses, and that without it, many people would face financial hardships. In addition, I learned about how money travels within a community, moving from one family to the next in almost a cohesive order.

Sean Ludwig, a contributor to CO- who specializes in small business strategizing and has a background in marketing, believes Covid-19 has not been all bad. In fact, Ludwig explains that some industries have thrived during Covid-19. One example are garden supply stores. As people have spent more time at home, a common practice for many homeowners is “landscape beatification”. To make their landscapes look nicer, homeowners have turned to garden and landscape stores for their garden and landscape needs (Ludwig, Sean). Ludwig’s perspective challenged my belief that Covid-19 is purely negative, because some small businesses have benefited greatly during the pandemic.

It cannot be argued that small businesses are unimportant. Small businesses make up the most businesses in the United States and tens of millions of jobs, with millions of new ones created every year. Unfortunately, Covid-19 has greatly reduced the success of small businesses in 2020. Because of the paramount role they play in the United States economy, it is all of our responsibilities (except people who do not have enough money to spare because typically small businesses are more expensive than larger companies), even if you are a small business owner or employee, to support your local small businesses. Otherwise unemployment rates will increase, and many families will suffer financial instability in the coming months and years. Next time you are going to eat a meal at home, consider going to a local restaurant. I am sure you will be greeted by a delicious array of foods, and a masked smile.

 

 

 

Bibliography

“2019 Small Business Profile.” SBA, SBA, cdn.advocacy.sba.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/23142719/2019-Small-Business-Profiles-US.pdf.

Arora, Rohit. “Study Finds Small Business Revenues Dropped 52% And Payrolls Declined 54% Due To COVID Pandemic.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Aug. 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/rohitarora/2020/08/07/study-finds-small-business-revenues-dropped-52-and-payrolls-declined-54-due-to-covid-pandemic/?sh=3334093d56db.

Bartik, A., Bertrand, M., Cullen, Z., Glaeser, E., Luca, M., & Stanton, C. (2020, July 28). The impact of COVID-19 on small business outcomes and expectations. Retrieved from https://www.pnas.org/content/117/30/17656

Diana Fitzpatrick, J.D. “How Much Money Can Your Business Get From the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)?” Www.nolo.com, Nolo, 15 July 2020, www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/how-much-money-can-your-business-get-from-the-paycheck-protection-program.html.

Fairlie, R. (2020, July 06). The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: The First Three Months after Social-Distancing Restrictions. Retrieved from https://www.nber.org/papers/w27462

Gartenstein, Devra. “Reasons Why Small Businesses Are Important.” Small Business - Chron.com, Chron.com, 28 Jan. 2019, smallbusiness.chron.com/reasons-small-businesses-important-54131.html.

Hammond, Zaretta, and Yvette Jackson. Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students. Corwin, a SAGE Company, 2015.

Harari, Yuval Noah. Sapiens: a Brief History of Humankind. Vintage, 2019.

Impact of Coronavirus on Small Businesses - Where Is It Worst? Retrieved October 26, 2020, from https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/04/impact-of-coronavirus-on-small-businesses.html

Lauckner, Sally. “How Many Small Businesses Are in the U.S.?” Fundera, Fundera, 9 Sept. 2020, www.fundera.com/blog/small-business-employment-and-growth-statistics.

Ludwig, Sean. “Coronavirus: Businesses That Are Succeeding During the Pandemic.” Https://Www.uschamber.com/Co, 24 Mar. 2020, www.uschamber.com/co/start/strategy/coronavirus-successful-businesses.

Russell, Jesse, and Ronald Cohn. Is Google Making Us Stupid? Book On Demand Ltd, 2012.

Serrano, Alfonso. “How Many Jobs Do Small Businesses Really Create?” Fundera, Fundera, 24 July 2020, www.fundera.com/blog/small-businesses-job-creation.

“Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 from Patient with Coronavirus Disease, United States - Volume 26, Number 6-June 2020 - Emerging Infectious Diseases Journal - CDC.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/6/20-0516_article.

Sundaram, Anjali. “Yelp Data Shows 60% of Business Closures Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic Are Now Permanent.” CNBC, CNBC, 16 Sept. 2020, www.cnbc.com/2020/09/16/yelp-data-shows-60percent-of-business-closures-due-to-the-coronavirus-pandemic-are-now-permanent.html.

Tankovska, Published by H., and Oct 30. “Apple: Number of Employees 2018.” Statista, 30 Oct. 2020, www.statista.com/statistics/273439/number-of-employees-of-apple-since-2005/.

“The Employment Situation - September 2020.” U.S. Department of Labor, www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/empsit.pdf.

“What Is a Small Business?” ASQ, asq.org/quality-resources/small-business.

Zak, Paul J. The Moral Molecule How Trust Works. Plume, 2013.

Negative consequences of social media in an increasingly social media dependent world

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon and since its inception has seen tremendous growth. It has become a daily part of life for many people. With the current covid 19 restrictions, the use of social media has spiked as more people are spending time away from each other as well as being indoors. Facebook saw a 27% spike in site traffic and TikTok saw a 15.4% spike in usage since the start of the pandemic. The growing use of social media amplifies its negative effects.

Social media has connected us in a way that hasn't been seen before. Users share their lives all over social media, typically posting their highlights. On platforms like Facebook and Instagram in particular, there is a tendency for people to show only a filtered version of their lives. Because of this, people compare their lives to a false standard. This, coupled with the increased time being spent on social media instead of having deep empathetic interactions can lead to depression.

The increase in the suicide rate is partially attributed to social media. In children, suicide rates have doubled from 2008 to 2015. Prosuicide behavior is rampant on social media. Chat rooms found on the internet discuss ways to commit suicide, encourage it, and even sometimes forming suicide pacts. Depression is normalized on social media with things like memes and jokes being made about it. Cyberbullying is made easier by social media. The University of Alberta conducted a study that highlighted the effects of social media on bullying. 23% of teens reported being targeted for bullying and 15% said they had bullied someone on social media. The disconnect for bullies between them and the person they are bullying through social media makes it easier as there aren't any direct consequences.

Another point of concern with social media is the use of deceit. Paul J. Zak observed during his study finding that people will lie like crazy to impress someone. A big use of deceit on social media is for adults to pick up underage kids. Social media allows predators to alienate themselves from their behavior. This allows them to find more prey more easily and make attempts more frequent as the same burdens of lying and confrontation in person are not present.

Social media has been able to connect us like never before. The negatives of social media, however, are often overlooked. Social media is a powerful tool, but there are dangers with its increasing use, especially with the current pandemic limiting social contact. Balance is needed to keep a healthy emotional state, so moderating social media usage is important. A 2018 study published in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology said limiting use of social media to 30 minutes a day can lead to a healthier individual. If you are struggling with any of the issues or issues similar, it is good to reach out to trusted individuals and find help.

Bibliography 

Zak, Paul J. The Moral Molecule: the Source of Love and Prosperity. Dutton, 2013. 

The Moral Molecule is about Mr. Zak's research into how oxytocin evolved for one purpose, pair bonding and attachment in social mammals but how it also has the effect of creating a sense of trust among strangers.

Koeze, Ella, and Nathaniel Popper. “The Virus Changed the Way We Internet.” The New York 

Times, The New York Times, 7 Apr. 2020, 

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/04/07/technology/coronavirus-internet-use.html. 

New York Times article analyzing how being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic has affected internet usage and the way the internet is being used.

Caroline Miller is the editorial director of the Child Mind Institute. “Does Social Media Cause 

Depression?” Child Mind Institute, 11 June 2020, 

childmind.org/article/is-social-media-use-causing-depression/. 

Article by Caroline Miller exploring the different theories on why and how social media causes depression. 

Chuck, Elizabeth. “Is Social Media Contributing to Rising Teen Suicide Rate?” NBCNews.com, 

NBCUniversal News Group, 22 Oct. 2017, 

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/social-media-contributing-rising-teen-suicide-rate-n81

2426. 

NBC news article about the effects of social media on teen suicide rates surrounding the suicide of Sadie Riggs.

Luxton, David D, et al. “Social Media and Suicide: a Public Health Perspective.” American 

Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, May 2012, 

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3477910/.

Research paper looking at the relationship between social media and suicide by David Luxton. Explores influence and public health risk of social media.

Simplilearn. “What Is the Major Impact of Social Media.” Simplilearn.com, Simplilearn, 22 

Sept. 2020, www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-article. 

Article about the pros and cons of the impact of social media. Contains information about the impact on social media on multiple categories such as politics, society, commerce, work, training, challenges, and relationships. 

Wells, Kevin. “How Much Social Media Is a Healthy Amount?” The Kentucky Kernel, 27 Sept. 

2019, www.kykernel.com/opinion/how-much-social-media-is-a-healthy-amount/article_d

64f20d8-d48f-11e9-9d17-cbef58285792.html. 

Article by Kevin Wells discussing the moderation of social media use as well as the monitoring of usage. It also includes the health benefits of the moderation of social media usage.

The Social Reintegration of Formerly Incarcerated People and Recidivism

It is a common misconception that social reentry of prisoners follows a simple process, and that the cycle of criminality is automatically broken just because they finish their time of imprisonment. These impressions remain untrue, however, for a multitude of reasons revolving around the lack of housing, employment, education and community acceptance. In addition to the lack of resources that would help them live a sustainable life, ex-prisoners also face the social stigma of being an ex-convict, which further limits the amount of opportunities available to them and ultimately pushes them back towards the path of crime. Our current systems of prisoner reentry have good intentions but fail to successfully reintegrate people into society; it creates a cycle of continued recidivism to the detriment of both the individual and society at large.
Social integration is the process in which prisoners are transitioned from life in prison to the community after release. These reentry programs for prisoners are designed to assist them in preparing for release through acquiring the skill sets needed to succeed, addressing personal challenges and factors associated with their criminal behavior, and helping to establish the necessary connections and relationships within the community. Some programs that exist are targeted towards helping mentally ill prisoners, employment/job market reentry, providing lodging and finance support, aiding family relations, and rehabilitating substance abusers (Griffiths, et al., 2007).

Regardless of their focus, most of the programs seem to share some attributes. The programs start during institutional placement but take place mostly in the community; they are intensive in nature and last typically at least six months; services focus on individuals determined as high risk of recidivating through the use of risk-assessment classifications; and there are cognitive-behavioral treatment techniques, such as matching therapists and treatment programs to the specific learning characteristics of the prisoners. Considering how ex-prisoners are most likely to recidivate during their first year after release, the research on recidivism suggests that this is when it might be best for them to engage in reentry services (James, 2015).

However, while these rehabilitative programs are noble in intention, they are insufficient in practice. Because these programs are not expansive enough to provide support for every currently and formerly incarcerated individual with adequate support for a prolonged period of time, individuals often do not have what they need to successfully reintegrate with society, especially given the high barriers they face. When prisoners finish their sentence and are released, they face an environment that actively deters them from becoming productive members of society. Formerly incarcerated individuals are viewed by society as sub-human who should be perpetually punished for their crime. They are faced with a range of social, economic, and personal challenges that tend to become obstacles to a crime-free lifestyle. Without sufficient support from the community or family members, difficulties arise around living a normal life, and ex-convicts are much more likely to relapse back into old patterns that can act as a familiar coping mechanism or as a survival mechanism.

Economically, formerly incarcerated individuals face barriers to stable housing and employment.  Being formerly incarcerated innately carries a negative connotation that makes it far more difficult for them to find safe housing compared to members of the general population, as places require background checks. Although homelessness itself is not the sole cause of recidivism, unstable housing may complicate many other targets of intervention for ex-prisoners. Fundamentally, housing instability begets general instability—it is hard to maintain consistent employment when you don’t have a roof and bed at night, the uncertainty of homelessness is a strain on one’s mental health, and one cannot make strong, healthy relationships with the community if one does not have a community with whom to connect. This often creates a “revolving door” of incarceration and homelessness, where formerly incarcerated individuals reentering society soon find themselves homeless, commit a crime in order to survive while homeless, and find themselves back in prison for their crime (Couloute, 2018).

Our current system of incarceration is equipped to incarcerate as a solution to a crime, instead of addressing the root cause of a crime. Trauma from emotional or physical abuse, a history of substance abuse, or underlying mental health disorders may push individuals to commit crimes, but can be addressed in part through therapy and rehabilitation for individuals to lead a healthful and untroubled life. In addition, many individuals are in prison in part due to the School-to-Prison Pipeline, where students from under-resourced and overpoliced schools are more likely to end up in the prison system. This disruption in formal education by early criminalization leads to difficulties in earning sufficient disposable income, which can ultimately lead to a cycle of crime that can oftentimes be difficult to break out of. 

Ultimately, recidivism harms both the families of inmates as well as society in general, as taxpayers continue to support a broken system that sets ex-prisoners up for failure the moment they are released. The rate of recidivism in the United States is 70% within 5 years; essentially, 70% of freed inmates will be arrested again within 5 years. This is a stark contrast to that of Norway, which houses the lowest recidivism rates in the world at just 20% within 5 years. One of the main differences is that Norway puts a heavy emphasis on rehabilitation. Inmates are given opportunities to learn new skills and train so that they are better prepared for life after release and are actually set up for success. Prisoners are also provided better living accommodations such as washrooms within their cells, excellent workout facilities and on-site medical access, which all improve their quality of life. Although American prisons claim to rehabilitate rather than punish, the data on our rate of recidivism shows there is still much work to be done (U.S. Prison Population vs. The World).

America’s current system of prisoner reentry is remarkably lacking compared to that of other countries, in that it often fails to successfully reintegrate ex-prisoners back into society. Without proper community support and assistance in housing, mental health, employment, and other areas, formerly incarcerated individuals are more likely to fall back into a cycle of crime. People are not incapable of changing, if given the right support. Just earlier this week, Tarra Simmons of  Kitsap County became the first formerly incarcerated felon to be elected as a state legislator in the entire country. She is a prime example of how formerly incarcerated people have the potential to turn their lives around and become some of the best people in our society if they are given the support and the opportunity to do so.

Bibliography

“The Challenges of Prisoner Re-Entry Into Society.” Simmons University, 12 July 2016, online.simmons.edu/blog/Prisoner-Reentry/.

Chua, Jinnie, et al. “Why Ex-Prisoners Struggle to Successfully Reintegrate into Society.” In Public Safety, 15 May 2018, inpublicsafety.com/2018/05/why-ex-prisoners-struggle-to-successfully-reintegrate-into-society/.

Couloute, Lucius. “Nowhere to Go: Homelessness among Formerly Incarcerated People.” Prison Policy Initiative, www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/housing.html.

“Homelessness and Prisoner Re-Entry: Examining Barriers to Housing: Volunteers of America.” Volunteers of America: National, www.voa.org/homelessness-and-prisoner-reentry#Homelessness.

Koop, Chacour. “'From the Big House to the State House:' Former Prisoner Elected to Seat in Washington.” Thenewstribune, Tacoma News Tribune, www.thenewstribune.com/news/politics-government/election/article246964337.html.

“School-to-Prison Pipeline.” American Civil Liberties Union, www.aclu.org/issues/juvenile-justice/school-prison-pipeline.

“The Social Reintegration of Offenders and Crime Prevention.” Public Safety Canada / Sécurité Publique Canada, 31 Jan. 2018, www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/scl-rntgrtn/index-en.aspx#s6.

“U.S. Prison Population vs. The World: Statistics and Insights.” Background Checks.org, backgroundchecks.org/us-prison-population-vs-the-world.html#Recidivism_rates_in_the_United_States.

Weathering Out COVID-19: the Wealthy vs. the Poor

Kevin Nguyen

Mr. Storer

World Literature, Period 1

3 November 2020

Weathering Out COVID-19: the Wealthy vs. the Poor

The COVID-19 pandemic has created a plethora of economic and financial issues felt across the world. Every part of society has been affected one way or another, from the wealthiest of people to the most destitute. However, now that people are isolated yet more connected than ever, misconceptions about both sides of the scale have arisen, with little done to find the truths since people can decide what they want to see or hear. Rumors have spread without solid facts and evidence to back them up, such as how there is a belief that all wealthy people are sailing along just fine during this pandemic, or how all poor people are carriers and catalysts for the coronavirus. For a better society, both the wealthy and the poor must see the truths behind each side’s struggles and establish a consensus where both parties can work towards bettering the community and the nation as a whole in order to make a better recovery. Keep in mind, this paper is written as of November of 2020 with information from the previous six months — the economic situation within the U.S. may have improved since then. 

Though there is much more of an unwavering stigma around the wealthy, mainly about how they’re able to weather through COVID-19 just fine, it is not all true, but there are good reasons as to why this became apparent in the first place. The main contributor to this, though, are celebrities and influencers who share their loft and luxurious lifestyle during the pandemic, stating that they’re with the people during these hard times. This, of course, then created envy within the lower echelons of society. However, not all of America’s wealthy had the leisure of stability. Plenty of the self-employed and small business owners had suffered great losses from this pandemic. Whether it be from losing their employees or even going into bankruptcy (Wu). These people aren’t the wealthy giants of the nation, but it goes to show that not every single rich person can escape from COVID-19’s grasp. They are real people, with real struggles, and real emotions. They have worked to get where they are, yet have lost almost everything to this pandemic. 

Then there are the wealthy who are doing well despite all the chaos, who actually end up benefitting from the pandemic. For those who haven’t lost too much for the past six months, things are looking great for them. Higher-paying jobs are rebounding now that most of them can be done from home at a computer and on a much larger scale, big companies such as Nike or Best Buy are at their highest in stocks even (Long). It’s even projected that within the next couple of decades, the wealthy of the U.S. would see an increase of 30% in the population and purchasing power (Wu). The upper echelons of society are well on their way to a full recovery and rebound. But how about the poor?

The main stigma around the poor that is harbored by the upper and middle classes are mainly about the spread of COVID-19. They tend to avoid the less well-off parts of society with the assumption that all poor people have a higher chance of carrying and spreading the virus. Though this is statistically true, minorities and those in poorer parts of town suffer from these issues without much ability to change their situation (Thomas). This is due to many factors, from population density, their standard of living, job opportunities, and more. Unfortunately, there are also those who foolishly party and go around maskless, dubbed the anti-maskers, but they can be found in any part of society (Nuzzo). Under pressure from social and financial stresses, COVID-19 amplifies these stresses and issues even further. From densely packed homes with mouths to feed to being unable to buy all products needed to stay safe during the pandemic, the poor are backed into a dilemma that is out of their control. They are stuck between two options, to either risk exposing their family and loved ones to COVID-19, or to miss a vital paycheck (Thomas). It also does not help that a lot of businesses and companies have laid off a large percentage of their workers. This means that the poor, already left in worse conditions, have lost their source of income. Even though there are unemployment benefits, they usually aren’t enough to cover all living expenses, meaning the poor are now living in fear of eviction, not even sure if they would be able to make it to the next month. Although this past summer has seen an average of a 10% increase in job opportunities, there is still a large percentage of the population going unemployed. This is because, after quarantine, there was about a 30% dip in employment for lower-wage jobs (Long). This is not enough for the recovery of the poor.  So, what should be done?

There needs to be a consensus. The rich have money and power, the poor don’t. Though it isn’t as easy as just transferring money from one place to another, otherwise we wouldn’t have a social hierarchy or this issue to even begin with. The patterns in data about COVID-19 and its spread should be accurately communicated to make sure the public would understand why these patterns occur. This would then help those understand and predict where resources and services should be focused on. The wealthy such as Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos have already provided services and donations to charity to aid those in need during these times. However, that is not enough. The wealthy and the poor need to come to realize each other’s differences, where the wealthy support the poor, while the poor continue to support society as its backbone. With this ideology in mind, we can put America back on track towards recovery, not just as a nation, but as its people.

 Annotated Bibliography

Long, Heather. “The Recession Is Over for the Rich.” The Washington Post, 13 Aug. 2020, 

www.washingtonpost.com/road-to-recovery/2020/08/13/recession-is-over-rich-working-c

lass-is-far-recovered/. 

In this article by the Washington Post, Heather Long explains how the rich have

 made a recovery from the coronavirus, whilst the poor and working-class are far from being recovered. Long states that although it is to be expected that recessions always impact lower-wage workers the hardest, this pandemic is creating an especially large gap between the rich and the poor. This is because jobs are fully back for high-wage earners since most of it can be done from home at a computer, online, while a lot of lower-wage jobs require a worker to be physically present. On a larger scale, there’s a large gap forming between big and small businesses as well, where large companies are enjoying their highest stock prices ever, while small businesses are fighting for survival. This overall slow job rebound for the lower echelons of society results in many people and minorities struggling to make it to the next month, or next day even. Many families are fearful of eviction, unsure if they would be able to make next month’s rent. This sense of helplessness, as well as mental and financial fatigue, only contributes to slowing the recovery even slower, maybe even resulting in a decline in some parts of society. There is a huge disconnect between the upper and lower levels of the social ladder. If the higher-ups paid attention and listened to what the people really need, then the vision of America covering from this pandemic seems even more feasible.

Nuzzo, Jennifer. “Epidemiology: Understanding the Spread of COVID-19.” Johns Hopkins 

Coronavirus Resource Center, Johns Hopkins University, 2020, coronavirus.jhu.edu/covid-19-basics/understanding-covid-19/module-4-epidemiology-understanding-the-spread-of-covid-19#/. 

Dr. Nuzzo’s digital course provides an explanation as to why it’s important to understand the spread of disease and how the study of epidemiology assists in slowing down and reducing the rate of spread. The course also includes topics such as how the issue is increasing in complexity as the world is more connected than ever and why there are different COVID-19 trends in different countries or even within different parts of a country. Dr. Nuzzo then discusses the importance of examining the pandemic as a whole rather than looking at just the patients, as the epidemiologists are looking for patterns to determine where to best allocate resources and surveillance, whereas discovering the cure and tending to the affected are left to other medical fields. 

Thomas, Karen, and Dayna Myers. “Racism and COVID-19.” Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health

  Magazine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 6 July 2020, 

magazine.jhsph.edu/2020/racism-and-covid-19. 

In this interview with Lisa A. Cooper, director of the Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute, Cooper discusses how racism affects COVID-19 cases in African American and minority communities, along with providing solutions for the injustices. Cooper states that even before the current pandemic, minority groups were already greatly impacted by health inequities. These issues include higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and lung disease, meaning that those that already have complications would be at a higher risk of getting seriously, or even fatally, ill. These preexisting health inequities stem from financial stresses as well as the social stresses of being from a marginalized group. However, since these groups are being highlighted, the higher-risk populations will begin to get stigmatized by others. This leads to even further bias and negative stereotyping of these minority groups during the pandemic. However, Cooper states that this will also lead to the population questioning if the current laws and organizational practices do provide all with equal opportunities to be and stay healthy. To fix some of these immediate issues, Cooper suggests that patterns and data should be communicated to make sure the public would understand why these patterns occur, as well as to highlight how it’s more about society and the way resources are allocated rather than individual behaviors. 

“US: Address Impact of Covid-19 on Poor.” Human Rights Watch, 19 Mar. 2020,

 www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/19/us-address-impact-covid-19-poor#. 

The Human Rights Watch’s (HRW) article provides an explanation as to why the more impoverished areas of a community, town, or city are more susceptible to COVID-19. The article states that although it is true that COVID-19 infects people indiscriminately, the poor will be the most affected by the pandemic. This is due to the deep-rooted segregation of society by income and race, where low-income communities have a higher chance to be exposed to the virus and have higher mortality rates, as well as suffer economically. During this pandemic, these vulnerabilities become more pronounced. The people of these communities have to choose between a missed paycheck or risking their health along with their family’s health. Though, to feed their families, the workers are backed into a corner where they have no other option but to keep on working. This is when the HRW proposes that the government should target the economic stimulus packages toward the low-income communities that have been hit by COVID-19, to ensure that they would sustain an adequate standard of living. 

Wu, Kelsey, et al. “How Is COVID-19 Affecting America's Rich?” Brookings, 28 July

2020, www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2020/07/28/how-is-covid-19-affecting-americas-rich/#:~:text=Based%20on%20our%20COVID%2Dadjusted,greatest%20COVID%2Dcaused%20decline%20worldwide. 

The Brookings article provides an analysis of how the current pandemic has affected those within the upper class, as well as providing economic projections and data. The article starts off by emphasizing how wealthy the top ten richest U.S. states are, stating that the purchasing power of those states equal to roughly 30 percent of the United States’ purchasing power. With their predictions, Brookings believes that “America’s rich will have a daily spending power of $19.9 billion by the end of 2020,” That is a $3.5 billion decrease from the previous year. Despite this, the rich population is projected to have the highest growth within the next decade, with predictions saying that they will greatly increase in both population size and spending power. This means that although the wealthy have definitely taken a hit from COVID-19, with the virus affecting businesses and financial institutions, the wealthy would still be able to weather through it and possibly come out better. 

Jack Perry

Nov 6th 2020

Mr. Storer 

Literature/Composition 4

Are Ebooks better than Printed Books

The Pandemic has been difficult especially when finding written resources. When we

are looking for information on the world around us, for research or pleasure reading, 

we go to online sources because of the convenience. The question is, are ebooks a

good replacement for printed books?

Before the pandemic, students had equal access to ebooks and printed books, so

they could choose which they preferred to read. The National Literacy Trust (NLT) did

a survey on this in 2014 to “explore the impact of ebooks on the reading motivation

and reading skills of children and young people” (Picton, Irene) in approximately 100 primary and secondary schools in the UK .

The graph above shows what percentage of students surveyed read on technology vs

print.  Ereaders are shown to be used by most of the students but they also found

that these students had trouble retaining the information if they only read online. 

The graph above from the same survey shows a good mix of screen and print helps boost the students' understanding of what they are reading but individually printed reading still had better results. This gives us a perspective that reading on technology is not good for younger students learning to read. 

Accessing printed resources is harder now that we are in a pandemic. Most people have to resort to looking up information online to understand what is going on in the world or reading ebooks. Teachers and students trying to return to school are forced to find ebooks to replace printed books or order them from online stores, especially since libraries and bookstores aren’t as accessible. 

We should be careful of only reading ebooks especially with younger children. For kids 3 and younger, they need to create “interpersonal relationships and any screen time will compromise that development.”(Guay, Kristin) The lack of physical movement of turning the page, representing the movement of the story is an example of development. For kids age of 4 and 5, it is recommended by the World Health Organization that they have only an hour of screen time per day. This is because “what children need most for mental and physical development is physical activity and sleep, and screen time interferes with this” (Guay, Kristin). At ages 5-10 ebooks can help some readers by using the technology of being able to change the font or brightness of the literature. But there are quite a lot of distractions that accompany ebooks, like other apps and games. “Many studies have shown that middle and high school students actually prefer print books over e-readers”(Guay, Kristin). Now in education, people are consistently using resources online because it's convenient, but the fact that older kids like reading printed materials is important. 

But what of adults who use literature to research, are ebooks good for them? Historians believe that ebooks should be used for less important information. The American Historian Association surveyed their board members asking if they were open to using ebooks for review. They found the board was against it because they could not take efficient notes on ebooks. Taking notes allows them to go back to the information later and have a better understanding . This goes back to the previous point about retaining information is affected when reading ebooks.

The data on ebooks and printed books show us that both can be helpful to us. Reading a printed book is better for developing good reading habits and comprehension but ebooks are more accessible and user friendly for those who need to adjust font and brightness. If we learned anything from the pandemic it is we need to find balance. This also seems to be true on the subject of ebooks vs. printed books.   

Bibliography:

Dionne, Karen. “How E-Books Are Changing the Economics of Writing.” AOL.com, AOL, 15 July 2016, www.aol.com/2010/12/25/e-books-change-economics-of-writing/.

Guay, Kristin. “EReaders vs. Printed Books: What's Better for Kids?” Baystate Parent, Baystate Parent, 21 Sept. 2020, www.baystateparent.com/news/20200921/ereaders-vs-printed-books-whats-better-for-kids.

“History E-Books May Be Good for Reading, but Not (Yet) for Reviewing: Perspectives on History: AHA.” History E-Books May Be Good for Reading, but Not (Yet) for Reviewing | Perspectives on History | AHA, www.historians.org/publications-and-directories/perspectives-on-history/may-2012/history-e-books-may-be-good-for-reading-but-not-(yet)-for-reviewing.     

McMaken, Linda. “Exploring the Differences between E-Books vs. Print Books.” Investopedia, Investopedia, 28 Aug. 2020, www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0812/e-books-vs.-print-books.aspx.

Picton, Irene. “The Impact Of Ebooks.” Teachwire, National Literacy Trust , https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED560635.pdf. 

“The Impact Of Ebooks.” Teachwire, www.teachwire.net/news/the-impact-of-ebooks