Economic Connections

Last time I checked into a hotel or motel, it was quite simple. I parked temporarily in front, walked in and told the desk clerk my name and handed over my credit card. In short order I got my credit card back along with my room key and was politely given directions to the room along with other information, such as breakfast or pool hours. I parked my car or drove it to the most convenient doorway. It was easy and pleasant.

The last time I boarded an airplane was a different story. If someone dropped me off, parking was limited and patrolled – and don’t leave the car unattended. I had to show an ID to get my boarding pass and check luggage, which was presumably inspected after the airline took control. I then took my carry-on bag to the security area where everyone lined up, showed an ID again, showed a boarding pass, took off shoes, emptied pockets, separated electronic devices, walked through a scanner, and sometimes had to be rescanned or even searched. I then picked up my belongings, refilled my pockets, put on my belt and shoes and walked to the gate.

It used to be much simpler. Relatives could even meet you at the gate when you arrived, but not any more. Now there is security everywhere, and for good reason. We don’t want terrorists or crazy people to be able to use the airports or airplanes for murder.

This came to mind when I read about  MGM "suing" the victims and survivors of the shooting massacre in Las Vegas where a lone gunman used the MGM-owned Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino as his base of operations to slaughter 58 concertgoers and wound many others. 

Suing these innocent people sounds heartless, but the word is not being used in the familiar sense. There will be no trial, no testimony, no demand for payment. MGM filed for a declaratory judgment, where a judge decides whether they can be held liable for damages. “Here, MGM is asking a federal court to pre-emptively determine whether a particular federal law prohibits a lawsuit by the victims against MGM, instead forcing them to sue only the vendor that provided security.” As people line up to sue someone, MGM wants a judge to move them out of the line of fire.

Of course there are lawyers already jumping into the fray looking for victims to represent and for deep pockets to exploit. In addition, because people either don’t understand the intent of the lawsuit and jump to the conclusion of heartless behavior or believe that the victims deserve as much compensation as possible regardless of real fault, boycotts are being encouraged.

Now I have no interest at all in MGM, but I can predict the ramifications of such a battle. Lawyers will argue that the hotel, and by extension MGM, did not do everything possible to avoid the situation – that’s the usual argument, “everything possible.” Everyone else in the hospitality industry will be put on notice. Their insurance will increase, and they will begin to take steps to do everything possible – which, by the way, is impossible when you can’t predict what threat(s) to anticipate.

As a result, all travelers will be affected in at least a couple of ways. First, things will cost more. Economic understanding tells us that when costs like insurance and precautions go up across an entire industry, there is no competitive incentive to absorb the costs. They are easily passed on to all customers.

Second, could checking into a motel become more like taking the plane, with some combination of heavily monitored parking, baggage inspections, metal detectors, photo IDs, take off your shoes and empty your pockets – with the same for all visitors and meeting attendees? 

The second outcome is not guaranteed, but it is possible. This lawsuit by the owner of a Vegas hotel may seem unfair and distant, but our world is connected in many unexpected ways.

Perspective Reminder

One aspect of perspective is the ability to appreciate what we have and not constantly yearn for more or better.  This may apply to both material possessions and relationships.  It's important to appreciate what the present situation holds, because you never know when it will all be gone.

Consider the victims of the Las Vegas mass shooting.  They woke up on a Sunday morning expecting to enjoy a concert.  The worst outcome that could possibly be anticipated was a bad hangover on Monday morning.  Instead, by Monday morning some 58 were no longer alive.  No one expected it.  This was an extremely rare, hopefully one-time, event.  But no one expects the oncoming car to swerve into their lane at the last minute, and this happens many times a year.

I was reminded of the need for perspective not only by the Las Vegas tragedy, but also by a recent conversation I had with a small group including Sam, a retired botany professor, born in 1918 and Edna Mae, a neighbor, born in 1930.  She was complaining about the walnut tree in her yard dropping nuts on the ground.  As soon as she finished picking them up for the garbage, more seemed to drop.

Sam recalled that when he was young they used to look for walnuts; they were among the only nuts they had.  “There wasn’t much variety at the store, and the store was four miles away – on horseback.”  They both recalled their mothers doing the laundry in a tub, sometimes heated over a fire to boil the clothes.  The wash was then fed through a hand-cranked wringer and hung outside on the line to dry – even in the winter, when the frozen articles were later brought back inside to finish drying.  He also mentioned that in the hills of West Virginia, when the Great Depression hit, his family didn’t even notice.

Then everyone remarked about the amount of change in daily living in a single lifetime.  People lived in conditions that most can’t imagine today.  Most, because of our inexperience, could not easily adapt to such a life, if they could at all.

As far as most Americans are concerned, life 80 years ago is unimaginable, if they ever think about it.  It’s not nice to be reminded of our lack of perspective by a mass shooting or a family tragedy.  It’s preferable to relax and reflect when possible.

On a side note, it’s very difficult to keep perspective when the news media are primarily interested in pushing people into a panic about the latest news.  The terms Breaking News and Heard It Here First carry that sense of urgency that translates into emotional stress. 

One example of many reports on the day after the shooting, each with an expert giving advice on how to cope with the induced stress, advised viewers that “even those just watching the devastation from home can feel the effects. It's called secondary trauma.”  They went on to say, "You don't have to be at that event to be traumatized by it.  You can see pictures repeatedly or watch a video of those images and experience that trauma just as if you were there."  Another expert advised those feeling stressed to watch less of the coverage.

And so it goes.  The media contributes to the trauma; then, as a public service, tells viewers how to cope.