GUEST POST from Don – Ignoring The Bigger Question

IGNORING THE BIGGER QUESTION

Newspapers and magazines often “sell” simple ideas.  Those ideas tend to be at the edge of some political point of view.  Three examples follow.

EXAMPLE 1 – An article in The Atlantic …
“Why Poor American Kids Are So Likely to Become Poor Adults
Most scholarship on the subject focuses on conditions during childhood. But government support during adulthood plays the biggest role.”
By Zach Parolin

January 8, 2025
“Children born into poverty are far more likely to remain poor in adulthood in the United States than in other wealthy countries. Why?”

The article focuses on other wealthy nations and proposes that childhood poverty has less impact on adults there than in the United States.  So simple.  The solution shown from those countries vs the US is based on a single thing:  Money and other support for adults.  But a few larger issues are ignored in the article.  

First, poor Americans, on average, are much better off than the average poor European or Australian.  This is huge.  Most American poor children still eat three solid meals a day, do not have to walk long distances, and have TV and phones.  Same can be said for most adult American poor.  My point here is that “poverty” is a different animal in Europe and elsewhere in the world.  Apples and oranges.

Second, the nations the US is being compared to are heavily mono-cultural and mono-ethnic.  The US has more of almost every ethnic or cultural group than can be found anywhere in the world except in their “home” regions.  We have more Latinos here than anywhere else in the world except Latin America.  We have more blacks than any country outside of Africa.  In fact, we have more non-poor ethnic or cultural people than can be found in their “home” countries in many cases.  This entire concepts of multi-racialism and multi-ethnicity are ignored.  If a family hails from Ghana and is poor in the US they are totally unlike a poor English family in England.  Apples and oranges again.

EXAMPLE 2 – From Popular Science …
“Electric Cars Are Better for the Environment, No Matter the Power Source
Experts say that across the board, EVs are a win compared to similar gas-powered vehicles.
Popular Science”
Charlotte Hu

“These days, it seems like every carmaker … is getting into electric vehicles …. But many people are still concerned about whether electric vehicles are truly better for the environment overall, considering certain questions surrounding their production process.”

Simple.  Pushing an agenda.  However it (as do so many articles about electric cars) ignores the bigger question.  Namely, does it matter?  It only matters if it accomplishes the goal of reaching ZERO.  That is, will it save the earth?

Let me illustrate:  Say you are on a long cruise.  At the half-way point the captain informs the passengers the ship is sinking and will not make it to port.  There are 70,000 nail-size holes in the hull.  If the crew works 16 hours a day just sealing holes the ship will still sink.  Everyone is encouraged to help.  What is the bigger question here?  Isn’t it “How many holes have to be sealed to make it safely to port?” “Can we make it if we seal 10,000?”  “20,000?”  The problem with Global Warming is that no one tells us “How Many Holes have to be sealed.”  If you were on that ship the answer to that question would MATTER!

So, the issue with electric cars is not, “Is it better?”  It is “Is it enough?”  A nickel is better than a penny, but you still can’t buy a new car with it.

EXAMPLE 3 – Parent Magazine published:
“How to Talk to Your Children About the California Wildfires and Other Natural Disasters
When natural disasters strike, they are scary for anyone. You can help your kids cope with these suggestions.”
By Tamekia Reece
Updated on January 8, 2025

Again, they ignored the bigger question.  That is, “How to Prepare Children to Work Through Problems on their Own.”  Yes, I said it!  Stop treating children like they have no ability and no resilience.  When we were parents we found that if there was a true personal emergency and we took over our children found comfort (when one daughter broke her wrist I immediately took action).  We also found that troubling events which were not personal could be dealt with more calmly.

So, a wildfire somewhere else gave us the chance to talk about what THEY would do, how to plan and how to act.  In other words, we didn’t create fear but confidence.

We also taught them to plan ahead.  Planning prevents some emergencies.  Getting gas before going on a long trip means you don’t run out of gas (a preventable emergency).  

So, what confidence, resilience, or even teaching kids to think through problems does Parent Magazine present?  I saw nothing.  If I were YOUR kid, Parents Magazine, I’d be scared all the time.

When the bigger question is ignored we can be mislead by “facts.”  When the bigger question is ignored we make poor (or useless) decisions.  When the bigger question is ignored we fail our children.  Find the big questions FIRST and answer them, then play with the lesser issues.  Fast Company published an article on January 9 with which I happen to agree:  “Why critical thinking matters now more than ever”  They say “Don’t let … groupthink steer your choices … learn to evaluate ideas with clarity and purpose.”  AMEN!!!

Copyright 2025 Donald Whelpley

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