Ask Yourself Why Choices Are Made

In a time of upheaval it may be healthy to not sweat details or unexpected shortages, whether of objects or services or information. But it can also be a monetary opportunity in some way to suggest such opportunities to improve expected methods.

While many people still try to stay shut in as much as they can, those who have tried to plan when and where to visit open businesses have certainly noticed, for example, uncertainties about new hours and services on building signs, websites and yelp. Even during normal times it’s not hard to find variances between a business’s schedule on its door or website vs. another site. If this type of data were standardized in its format among yelp and new sites, changes in hours could be standardized in their reporting.

Many of us are committed to supporting independent businesses when feasible, especially since during the closure they are apt to struggle more than large chains, and choosing such businesses can be easier if yelp or another standardized site provided more info about this. One of the filters on that site is for women-owned establishments, and a recent visit to the app revealed a similar feature for black-owned businesses. Why not assist those of all demographics who have been impacted by their governors despite their states having more suicides, many from financial stress or substance abuse, than from coronavirus deaths the last few months?

As one who enjoys lingering in a restaurant to write, I was asked to leave because the county said customers shouldn’t stay longer than an hour. This was not made clear to me when I arrived. I was also surprised that more food establishments weren’t up front on their websites or even building signs that they were open for dine-in, perhaps assuming most customers are afraid of returning to normal.

If you think I’m being cavalier and this is only about luxuries for the intrepid, consider this:

I live in the city of Los Angeles and hear news on the radio often enough that I would expect to learn things like last month’s news about masks being mandatory always when outdoors, as well as the statewide requirement of that last week. One headline I then found was “California makes face masks mandatory when outside the home” even though the story allowed for exceptions when alone, which rumor contradicted. Also, when hiking in the county, I saw no signs about this when entering the park and taking a side trial after scanning all the entry signs, but once back on the main trail I saw more than enough such signs. Whether disdain you may have for those who try to push the envelope, wouldn’t you agree that accurate information about such basic measures could be easily disseminated and more effectively utilized in that case? For the record, as defiant as I may sound, I’d be more willing to cooperate if communication were clearer, so would you rather blame me the basket of deplorables, or massive news communications and arrogant jurisdictions who can’t handle the basics?

Notice how useful ideas can apparently come from obscure places: decades ago MAD magazine featured an Al Jaffee cartoon about fixing minor annoyances which included toothpaste tubes having flip tops to avoid dealing with caps that fall on the floor and roll away — just a few years before they came into common use in the 1980s.

Both attention and technical or other expertise can contribute to glaring unmet needs. Not to mention the certitude with which contradictory assertions are expressed, if only through faulty memory.