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Column: "Normalcy bias" and what it could mean for you
By David Webb – The Rare Reporter
After months of ignoring it, sticker shock at the gas pump has finally registered in my consciousness.
That moment of enlightenment has led me to do a little research about economics. I now know that I’ve been acting exactly how the experts predict the average consumer will when faced with an unprecedented personal experience.
It all started when I filled up my gas tank at a local service station the other day, and the tab came to over $60 for just a few drops more than 15 gallons. It occurred to me as I drove off that using a credit card at self-service pumps could lead someone to be blindsided in a big way when the monthly bills arrive.
I drive a modest four-cylinder sedan so I don’t even want to consider what people who drive big gas guzzlers are paying to fill up, and the shock that could be in store for them at the end of the month. To put things in perspective, I started driving when I was 14 and at that time – I’m talking about nearly a half-century ago — gas cost about 33 cents per gallon. If I’m figuring correctly, I think that’s about a 1200 percent increase in my lifetime of driving. Admittedly, talking about price increases that have occurred over a fifty-year period might not seem so radical, but just a little over a decade ago gas cost less than $2 per gallon. It cost me less than $30 to fill up a similar car’s gas tank back then. If it were only gas that had increased in price, it might not seem like such a big deal. But everything that we require to go about our daily lives, such as groceries and clothes, has increased just as dramatically. Even the price of beer, which one needs in order to cope with the stress of all the other high prices, has skyrocketed.
We’ve all been warned for a long time by people who lived through the Great Depression of the 1930s that hard times could be coming, but most of us never took those predictions seriously. After my gas pump experience the other day my research revealed that my delayed awareness of the seriousness of the situation is not abnormal. In fact, it is a condition that is known as “normalcy bias.” Basically what that means is that if a person or group of people have never experienced a type of disaster or other traumatic experience, they tend to discount the possibility of it ever occurring. I assume that’s why — despite the repeated warnings that prices for gas and everything else that depends on energy for its production and distribution would be going through the ceiling – that so many of us have ignored the threat. It’s understandable that childless LGBT people, who often have had more discretionary income at their disposal, might be doubly blindsided by such circumstances. It’s clearer to me today than it was a week ago that all of us could be on the brink of making some pretty severe changes in our lifestyle to cope with the economic hardships that appear to be on the horizon. Considering the numbers of people who are unemployed, surviving on food stamps or even homeless, there’s a real crisis out there that most of us just don’t fully comprehend. What’s really scary is that all of the states and local governments are bankrupt and are quickly becoming unable to help support people who are in trouble. The federal government is in the same shape, and the dollar is losing its value quickly. An even scarier scenario is that many people live beyond their means and amass big debts that will crush them should they become unemployed or lose a paycheck for any other reason. Again, someone who has never lost a job or been unable to find one may not realize that it could indeed happen to them as well, according to the “normalcy bias” theory. One of the examples of “normalcy bias” afflicting a whole group of people reportedly occurred in Germany in the 1930s when Jewish people who had lived in the country for generations failed to realize the dangers they faced from Adolph Hitler and his Nazi Party. These intelligent, affluent, accomplished and sophisticated people simply were unable to comprehend what was about to happen to them. Because LGBT people who lived openly in Germany at the time suffered the same fate from the oppressors, a parallel might be drawn between then and now as regards conservative extremists’ plans for our future. During tough economic times, there is always a search for scapegoats on which to blame problems. Some things are out of our direct individual control as regards what could happen to the economy, but there is something that everyone probably needs to do in troubling times. I now remember financial experts on talk shows recently advising people to get out of debt, stay out of debt, start foregoing some luxuries, build a strong cash reserve to take care of basic needs and fill pantries with nonperishable foods.
Until my moment of awareness at the gas pump the other day, I might have considered such a plan as a little alarmist because like most people I know I’ve never gone without anything. But that could change. Now, it just seems like good common sense. David Webb is a veteran journalist who has covered LGBT issues for the mainstream and alternative press for three decades. E-mail him at davidwaynewebb@yahoo.com.]]> -
A senior argues in favor of the GOP Medicare plan
personal blog for that. So when I saw an op ed by a senior who obviously favors the Republican plan to change Medicare, I thought I should highlight it. My personal opinion is that the GOP plan would not change Medicare, it would destroy it. And I noticed that early on the commentator suggests seniors should not over-react since the changes only effect people currently under 55. Well, that’s me, and I may be wrong but I sense in that argument the attitude that we’ve got ours, the kids under 55 are the one who’ll get screwed, so who cares? It seems very easy for people whose benefits won’t be touched to talk about fiscal responsibility. If I could be assured that insurance companies would be required to accept a government voucher in the amount in which it’s issued to me, I would be less skeptical. From DaculaPatch: I am a senior citizen and proud of it. Like most seniors I get confused once in awhile and pass it off as senior moment. Lately I have noticed many of my fellow seniors having what appear to be senior moments about the proposed changes to Medicare and Social Security. Congressman Rob Woodall’s Dacula town hall meeting was the most recent example. Given that the proposed changes for both entitlement programs will not affect anyone 55 or older, why is there such resistance among our age group? First, fear is a great motivator. Many of our greatest accomplishments were the results of trying to avoid an outcome that we feared. Many of our less admirable moments were the result of fear. Fear brings out our best and our worst. Democrats, aided by MoveOn.org, AARP and the mainstream media, are using fear in an attempt avoid the hard budgetary decisions necessary to restore order to the American fiscal house. [emphasis mine] Continue reading]]>
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8000 Americas turning 65 each day – 58 million by 2029
The senior population is growing at a greater rate than ever before. Beginning this year, 2011, 8,000 people are turning 65 each day. In just another 18 years we’ll have 58 million Americans over 65.
From Marketwire:
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL–(Marketwire – May 31, 2011) – Starting in 2011, 8,000 people are turning 65 every single day and this phenomenon will continue for the next 18 years! That means 58 million Americans will be eligible for a senior health plan and will be entering the Medicare system. This is the first time our country will be witnessing such an occurrence of this magnitude but it’s certainly not the first time citizens will be turning 65 and entering into the Medicare system and deciding between Medicare Supplements or a Medicare Advantage plan. What is different is how these seniors will shop and seek information for this transition — it is going online. The insurance salesman who made an appointment with you weeks in advance to stop by your home and pitch a product from the only insurance carrier he represented regardless of the health insurance premiums you would be paying is gone. Seniors are a large and growing segment of internet users and are going online and comparing health plans, speaking to Agents over the phone, and even purchasing the health plans from the comfort of their own homes.
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Daily acetaminophen and brisk walks a benefit in lowering prostate cancer risk
Researchers have discovered that taking Tylenol every day, combined with a brisk walk, can significantly lower a man’s risk of developing prostate cancer.
From Time.com:
Pop a Tylenol and take a brisk walk for protection against prostate cancer? That’s what the findings of two new studies published this week suggest.
In the first study, published Monday in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, scientists found that men who took a daily dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) for five years had a 38% lower risk of developing prostate cancer, compared with other men. Additionally, daily acetaminophen was associated with a 51% reduced risk of developing an aggressive form of the disease. Men who took acetaminophen for less than five years saw no protective benefit.
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Seniors do best where doctors in higher supply
A new study has found that older adults who live in areas where they have access to a lot of primary care physicians are less likely to be hospitalized for illnesses that can be managed outside a hospital.
From the New York Times:
Older adults who live in areas with high concentrations of primary care doctors are less likely than those in areas with fewer such doctors to be hospitalized for illnesses that can be managed outside a hospital, like asthma and diabetes, a new study has found.
Seniors with greater access to primary care doctors also have lower death rates, the study authors reported. But the availability of these physicians did not correspond to lower medical costs, which were just as high in areas rich in primary care doctors, the study found.
Researchers at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice analyzed the medical records and hospital claims of 5.1 million beneficiaries in traditional Medicare programs in 2007. In the areas with the highest concentrations of primary care doctors working full time in outpatient clinical settings, people 65 and older had death rates 5 percent lower than in areas with fewer primary care doctors. They were almost 10 percent less likely to be hospitalized in these areas for conditions that can be treated outside a hospital.
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Mark's Cafe Moi: (video) Hello from the New Jersey countryside
I wanted to make a short videoblog to say hello from the rural Jersey countryside where we have a house. Our plan is to move there permanently in the not too distant future.]]>
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First check from Google AdSense
It’s about time. I’ve had Google AdSense on my personal blog, MadeMark, for several months. We got home from the Memorial Day weekend and much to my surprise was a check! For some reason when I upload the photo it keeps coming up sideways, sorry. I tried rotating it, downsizing it, all that, nothing worked.]]> -
Rick's Travelicious: Destin and Seaside in Florida's fabulous panhandle
Sure, you can listen to the media hype about the oil drenched beaches of beautiful Destin, Florida and surrounding communities and stay far away, or you can do as I did in the last month, and travel at least a couple times to indulge in some needed rest and relaxation . . . and do your part to help rebuild tourism. This place is hospitable, invigorating and sundrenched! While you may notice the slight black caps on some of the white sands and the occasional government workers swinging by to take sand samples, you’ll nonetheless enjoy a lot of rest and relaxation anywhere along the shoreline, whether Destin or Seaside, my two favorite coastal communities. You’ll also notice that traveling there these days is inexpensive, a reward for “brave travelers” like me and my friends. Find a Vision Airlines near you and fly them to their home base of Ft. Walton/Destin for as low as $19 each way (as I did)! Rent a fully-equipped and furnished beachfront condo for a partial week for less than $500 (a rate that hasn’t been honored there in decades)! And enjoy the landscape (both natural and human…it is a military town after all filled with handsome, tanned Airforce men and women)! Arrive on a Saturday or Sunday, as I did, and follow the lights immediately to Harry T’s Lighthouse (www.harryts.com). Ask for Kim, she’s a local and one of the best servers I’ve met in all my travels. Then order the Nachos for the table (as big as a bushel) and unlimited champagne or pineapple cranberry mimosas for under $10. There’s even a server devoted to refills who wears a belt adorned with champagne bottles. You’ll be overlooking Holiday Isle, a peninsula filled with revelers wearing barely anything, hanging from the beach-wrecked boats. You’ll see just how fun your week can be!
I’d suggest you stay on the other end of Holiday Isle or Sandestin, which is half way to Seaside. The beaches there are more grown up, more mature, more quiet. On three occasions, my friends and I even swam with porpoises less than 10 feet away from us. They are friendly sorts, and, between me and three friends, we saved over $1000 had we traveled to the recreated Dolphin World on the other Florida Coast. There are many travel sites that will save you money too such as sandestin.hotelreservations.com where you can search for the amenities, location, room sizes, views and prices you like! And the Goodwill shopping in Destin is amazing (with 50% off funky, recycled clothing on Mondays). You’ll want to rent a car to get around. Pickup is conveniently right at the airport (no shuttles) and as our Hertz rep flavorfully told us, “we aren’t big enough to have check-in and checkout folks for gates out there, so throw your keys back on the counter when you return.” From sunrise to moonlight, you’ll find beachcombing amazing! It was on a morning barefoot run, following inspiration from the full moon the night before, that I met a former Calvin Klein model who set my day off right. I got little sleep while in Destin, and I didn’t need much because when you’re in the Panhandle of Florida, all is bliss and you lose track of time, as it should be. There is a night life in the Destin area and like many places these days, the Str8 and LGBT communities mix together freely. Many folks will lead you to Nighttown on Palmetto Street (www.nightown.com) for dancing, however my female friends and I recommend you go to one of the various establishments at Sandestin’s Baytowne, a gated community with golfing, shopping and clubs. Check out www.sandestin.com/Baytowne. There are wonderful worship opportunities in this town as well, for the morning after. Easter morning, which fell during my first trip to the Panhandle, offered me a choice of two sunrise services, both on the beach: one Lutheran, one Methodist which have become tradition. On my second trip, I took the treasured advise of the Calvin model and my friends from Missouri, Matt and Kate (meet Kate Lauman at www.connectmidmissouri.com/about/bio.aspx?id=693) who became engaged in this area, to take my trio of friends to Seaside, Florida where Jim Carey shot his “Truman Show” (learn more at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Truman_Show). I knew a print model, a liquor rep and and a morning news anchor couldn’t go wrong and they didn’t. While the beaches were a bit more family-friendly (and I mean it in the traditional way, not our way), they were every bit as gorgeous. Seaside, Santa Rosa, Grayton Beach and WaterColor, FL (you read it right, the community’s name is WaterColor; visit it first at www.joe.com/watercolor-community then visit it real time) are must-dos. The shopping around these communities were in a more stylin’, self-contained areas. The choice of unique dining experiences was amazing. Kate directed us to the Red Bar which you’ll recognize by its Indian-inspired door, funky interior and slate board menu . . . that’s right, there are only a few options for lunch and again for dinner. Each choice we made, based on the recommendation of Kim, another friendly server, was delicious (grouper fish and chips, a burger, fresh tuna salad, crawfish), topped off by Florida Key Lime Pie…where one slice easily fed four of us. Ask Dorothy, Rose or Sophia, my travel mates from Shreveport, LA (they know their crawfish) and they will confirm that this pie was the piece’ de resistance! Check out a sample menu at www.theredbar.com. This area is also home to the sweet Seaside Rep (www.seasidereptheatre.wordpress.com) where two recent theatre grads of Centenary College (in Shreveport) are performing this summer. Check out their current production of Commedia Pinocchio which runs through August 10th. Be sure to say hi to Destin and Scott! Yes, my friends and I travel as the “Golden Girls,” and just happened upon Florida this trip, appropriately and gladly so. Thanks gals for a golden good time! And thank you Kim, the other Kim, Matt & Kate, oh and Mr. CK, as well as the many happy folks working in tourism in this area of the Pandhandle for a wonderfully memorable May! I’m grateful, too, that this last four day adventure wasn’t broadcast 24-hours-a-day to billions of people across the globe ala The Truman Show, but then again much of it is, now, thanks to a blog. Travel deliciously!
Rick]]> -
Essential sites and resources: SeniorNet
I’ll be adding these as I find them. SeniorNet is a great site for people who aren’t necessarily tech savvy but want or need to be. Check it out.
From SeniorNet.org:
SeniorNet’s mission is to provide older adults education for and access to computer technologies to enhance their lives and enable them to share their knowledge and wisdom. Find out how you can become a part of SeniorNet and start enjoying the benefits of membership today!
If you are looking for some help to learn new or enhance existing computer skills, you have found the right place. Welcome. Come on in and make yourself at home. SeniorNet is the nation’s most respected nonprofit organization that specializes in computer and Internet education for older adults. Since 1986, SeniorNet has empowered over one million Boomers and Seniors providing encouragement, lifelong learning opportunities and new worlds to explore via the Internet.]]> -
RIP Gil Scott-Heron – an innovative voice goes silent at 62
This was sad news for me, and one of those things I read that immediately takes me back to a point in time. 1978. Bloomington, Indiana. I was living there, a very messy life, rooming with a woman in a $95 dollar-a-month apartment. We were about 20 yards from the railroad tracks, and trains would barrel by every fifteen minutes or so, shaking the apartment. Even at that rent we had trouble paying, and every month was a struggle.
There in the soundtrack to our lives, among whatever else we were listening to, was Gil Scott-Heron. His album ‘Secrets‘ had come out that year, and we listened to it over and over and over. There was one song on it, ‘Show Bizness,’ that I still recite to myself (for Scott-Heron was an early innovator of the marriage of spoken word and music that came to be called rap and hip-hop; many of his songs were more recited than sung).
Do you really want to be in show bizness
It’s the highly constant come and go bizness
Got you hangin’ out in places you got no bizness
People sell their souls just to be in show bizness
Show bizness, it’s alright with me Gil Scott-Heron was brilliant, a trailblazer, a pioneer, and a very distinct part of the soundtrack to my life. Hats off and hearts out.]]> -
Affordable Care Act already saving millions for Seniors in donut hole
Pardon the tangent, but my late father always described his prostate (when he was explaining his frequent trips to the bathroom) as a donut, so every time I read about Medicare’s donut hole I think of my dad’s prostate.
The Affordable Care Act, while still being implemented in stages, has already saved $166 million for seniors in the donut hole (something I still don’t fully understand, but anyone in the donut hole knows it!).
From HealthCare.gov:
The Affordable Care Act is cutting the cost of prescription drugs for millions of people with Medicare. Starting this year, people with Medicare receive a 50% percent discount on covered brand name drugs bought when they are in the donut hole.
To receive the discount, no special action is required. Seniors simply purchase drugs at the pharmacy and receive the discount automatically.
So far, 271,000 people have used the discounts to save an average of $613 for a total of $166 million. These savings will continue to grow. Most people who reach the donut hole do so later in the year, so we know more and more seniors will be helped as the year progresses. But seniors with high costs are already receiving critical relief from prescription drug costs.
Most of these discounts are helping seniors with serious medical conditions – nearly 20% of the benefits provided to date – more than $32 million – are for cancer drugs and another nearly 10% – about $16 million – are for drugs provide to multiple sclerosis patients.
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LGBT families likely to travel in summer despite rising costs
Our families travel just like any other, and the Family Equality Council predicts LGBT families will continue their vacations despite the rising costs of fuel and accommodations. LGBT families with children find it important to vacation where they can have a sense of inclusion.
For my own part, my family is my partner Frank and we’re headed on a Caribbean cruise June 4. Look for photos and blog posts!
From the Windy City Media Group:
Boston, MA – (May 26, 2011) — The Family Equality Council, America’s foremost advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) families, today predicted LGBT families will continue to travel in robust numbers during the summer season despite the rising cost of airfare and gas prices as well as current economic conditions. The traditional summer travel season kicks off this Memorial Day weekend. Brent Wright, Director of Programming for Family Equality Council, said LGBT families see their summer travel experiences as more than just discretionary vacations. “Our families tell us that they place a high value on the opportunity to take their children to destinations they consider life-affirming and culturally enriching as well as fun,” said Wright. “This is the one time of year where some LGBT families feel free to celebrate their diversity and make connections with other parts of their community.” Wright said there are more than 1 million LGBT parents raising 2 million children in the U.S. today. Millions more same-sex couples and individuals without children will choose to travel with parents, grandparents, siblings and extended families. Continue reading
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LIVING LEGACIES: Words of appreciation across the generations
One of my regular readers, Shannon, watched the trailer for the movie ‘Gen Silent‘ and was struck by a comment of one of the people in the film that younger people don’t know who these LGBT elders are. She suggested making a series of videos with appreciations from young people, and I said have at it! This is her video. I’m hoping there will be more, and I intend to do one of my own. Considering that it was the gay men in my life, not my father, who taught me to be a man, the least I can do is say thank you, you are remembered in the present, past and future. These will be posted here at lgbtsr.com. If you’d like to contribute contact me at lgbtsr@gmail.com. – Mark McNease]]>