Rates, Restrictions & Representation
I’m a product of the mid-90’s; a measured concept of early education at that time was “reading, writing & arithmetic”. Admittedly, I’m a novice writer, an impatient reader that skims more than I should & mathematics are a language I don’t understand all too often-calculators are translators in my eyes.
But I think there are new ideological frameworks available as rubrics from here on out.
Economically, on, June 13th, 2022, “The S&P 500 slumped nearly 4%, entering a bear market territory, meaning the broad benchmark index has now dropped more than 20% from its most recent high. The S&P 500 had briefly entered a bear market last month but was able to pull back, a feat it was unable to accomplish this time around.”
Obviously, it is now more than safe to say “rates” will be on many minds as life with a dollar that doesn’t stretch like it used to starts to feel like the body not stretching the same it way did last year either, just sad all around.
Socially, we’re at a point now where the social credit system is more than simply a TV trope or a concept far away in “the East”; within the last year or so, I’ve watched, with others, the slow refinement of how consumers can interact with creators on various platforms.
From removing the option to like/dislike content, to flooding spaces with bots that can mimic a genuine account & up/downvote content enmasse (at the least) & outright removing creators from platforms or removing consumers from platforms, our ability to have meaningful interaction unencumbered with rules outside of the framework of the language itself will dissipate faster than the pennies pinched & dollars stretched.
On another hand busy trying to make ends meet since the last recession, both economically & socially, the concept of rate of infection is now at the forefront of policymakers, market makers & the commonwealth’s mind, no matter how much we try to focus on any other issue, pertinent or not. Like many others, I have built an irregular habit of staying up-to-date on various diseases of elevated concern as determined by the World Health Organization. How long will I & others find themselves looking at case rates & articles upon articles of issues close in proximity & far outside our scope of contact?
Lately, I’ve been restricting myself in ways more than likely concerning or amusing for an outsider looking in; from being painfully mindful of spending habits while looking at the impulse aisle goodies to skipping certain sources of protein in lieu of elevated zoonotic disease spreading across the continental U.S.
Self-imposed restrictions are always subject to scrutiny by the masses; how often do we find content online or in mainstream media demeaning or berating individuals for fasting, abstaining from sex, going gluten free, etc. even the abstinent voter is still in 2022 admonished at a rate greater than the corporations who time & time again find themselves indisposed indefinitely during tax season. Sure, we as the commonwealth griped a bit here & there to no avail but I dare you to buy a “I didn’t vote” sticker this weekend & see how that goes.
State-imposed restrictions are another matter.
To date, a number of governing bodies are exercising emergency powers either challenged as excessive by way of unlimited scope of control through ambiguous language or excessive due to social determinations that the powers are no longer needed. The average Joe can complain about the ruling Joe’s orders all day & night but there is no true amount of scrutiny involved in this process, as we have seen thus far considering emergency powers from 2001 still abide.
In a world of staggering uncertainty, I question how well you & I are represented & considered in the determinations & processes that spur on action. Very often, regardless of external circumstances, I question how well I represent myself given the fact that I learn more about my goals, dreams, fears, desires as I age or they simply shift with experience & preference.
Will we be better represented in this coming world or will we find our representation by authoritative & legislative bodies simply shift with experience & preference?
P.S. leave a comment! Tell me of your goals, expectations, concerns for 2022; I hope to create an area where it can all be hashed out.
Links to ponder that’ve come out since posting this:
© 2022 Zakariyas James. First shared here at theruminationcompilation.wordpress.com.
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