Change of heart

The day before yesterday, I saw some kids out playing on the swing set out by the lake. The town had closed its parks a few days back, and the Faculty Club had closed in turn. I had read about how coronavirus is easily spread on playground equipment's hard surfaces, so I realized I had to go shut it down. I quickly consulted with the Board chair, then went and took the equipment apart to the extent possible, stored it, posted a notice and then went back to inform the whole Board it was done.

Yesterday I saw a guy out playing frisbee with some rather young kids, so I went out and talked to him and checked his temperature, to see how the impacted population (folx with littluns) would respond. He got it immediately, no need for apologies, then introduced himself (Scott, he had bought Ricky's house down South Lakeshore, the one with the awesome swing going out over the very steep yard).

He immediately started talking about how he hopes that the coronavirus and the lifestyle changes it ushers in will give rise to a new austerity, a broad appreciation for a simpler way of life. In general, I get it. I too think people have gotten a little hard to satisfy.

One really interesting thing, however, is the contrast with one of the themes within Robert Schiller's Narrative Economics, to which I recently listened in the car. I may have written about it. I won't go deep into it -- he predictably argues that the narrative frameworks in people's heads influence their behavior much more deeply than traditional economics allows for. But one specific idea he latches onto is that the election of Trump has validated conspicuous consumption in a way that it previously hadn't been. Which I just found bizarre. Maybe because it's not the social world I live in. But he lives in New Haven, I live in Chapel Hill. I don't think our social milieux differ that notably. Or, I should say. I don't think they differed that much. I do think we are going to start assimilating to the middle pretty quickly.

Anyhoo, back to the coal mine.