An Optimistic Quote for 2021
"When it rains, look for rainbows; when it's dark, look for stars."
Oscar Wilde
Some changes to The Nett Report
Happy New Year! And here’s to a healthy and productive 2021 for all our readers. While we will continue to provide information about the coronavirus pandemic and its effects on all of us, in 2021 The Nett Report coverage will expand to include information about other issues that affect us nationally and internationally. Primary among those will be the climate pandemic, as it affects health, global security, and our economic well-being, along with other information and insights of broad interest.
Covid-19 Is Still Here
When will we go back to normal? What readers thought in August, what we know now
Regular readers will remember that in the June 26, 2020, issue, we reported on New York Times' interviews with 511 epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists to learn when they might expect to resume a range of typical activities. In the August 21, 2020, issue we reported on the results of a reader survey asking when would life return to normal:
- 23% - by the end of 2020 or the first half of 2021.
- 44% - by the second half of 2021.
- 33% - thought it would take longer, if ever.
The top three actions required to bring us back to normal were:
- 52% - Leadership or political changes.
- 47% - Vaccine.
- 28% - Personal actions.
Those top three actions are largely in play. So what do we think now? A January 4, 2021, story in the Washington Post reports what eight experts predict. Most say it will be the end of this year or sometime next year, just as our readers predicted last August.
The societal response to a pandemic, the 1918 flu compared with Covid-19
According to the January 4, 2020, edition of Fortune’s CEO Daily, the 1918 flu pandemic “laid the groundwork for the Roaring ‘20s ... and prohibition quickly gave way to a decade-long desire to party. Gin and short dresses defeated dour concern with the world’s problems … autos on the road tripled during the decade; radio sales grew more than 1000%; and rayon and refrigerators saw comparable action … Today’s economy seems similarly poised. Virtually every technology trend accelerated during the pandemic, and most business leaders seem to believe the curves will continue to bend upward.” The story says it might be different this time, However, given the following three differences:
- The pandemic exacerbated fault lines in our society along lines of race, gender and education.
- The climate crisis became more apparent, in both business and life.
- Geopolitics has grown precarious, whether it's a Russian cyberattack or tensions with China.
The article predicts that “business leaders are going to find themselves increasingly and inescapably tied up in all three issues as the decade unfolds.
