Losing faith in institutions

February 23, 2021. I am losing -- and, in some cases, I have already lost -- faith in many traditionally trusted and respected institutions, including the papacy, the hospital industry, political parties, higher education, public schools, public television, newspaper publishing and more.

This loss is due, in part, to the people running these institutions and due to their behavior, not their charisma, charm, or lack thereof. I have, for the most part, lost faith and trust in the process these institutions use to select their leaders. Seriously, what respect can you have for a process that nominates Joe Biden, Donald Trump or Barack Obama? And after the selection and success of John Paul II, the process and decision to select both Benedict and Francis leaves my head shaking, and not nodding in agreement or affirmation.

As a person skeptical and even cynical by personality, training and education -- meaning that I prefer data, evidence, consistency and logical, reasoned analysis over rhetoric, platitudes, unpredictability or virtue signaling -- this skepticism has evolved first into frustration, then into anxiety, and now approaching outright anger.

As an older, white, mail American, the growing cancel/woke culture labels me as a white supremacist, racist, and hate speaker. My rights to practice my religion in church or to speak my mind have been replaced by Orwellian mask and lockdown mandates and rules on acceptable speech. Vile, hateful speech from the left is accepted and often praised, while thoughtful criticism or free thinking from the right is labeled as hate speech, or deemed as offensive to any one of numerous victim identity groups.

Politics and personal preferences trump science. Feelings (of some people) trump facts. Per Mark Steyn, rather than wanting to win the debate, the Left wants to end the debate. Political correctness, identity politics, gender fluidity, climate alarmism and white privilege are 'settled science.'

What these 'new normal' rules have produced is an almost total distrust in many of our formerly respected institutions. A few example institutions and their hard-to-fathom behavior follow.

Hospitals

Hospitals have become woke businesses rather than medical treatment providers. It may have started when they started conflating healthcare with medical treatment. Healthcare is what people do for themselves to prevent illness and hospitalization. This includes attention to nutrition, weight, exercise and lifestyle. Hospitals are needed primarily to address people who have either ignored their own healthcare or who by genetics, the environment or accident, require medical attention.

Here are three recent examples of 'healthcare providers' losing my respect.

· First is the woke factor of overpaid hospital chiefs, including the laim that there is institutional racism in the provision of health care, evidenced by the fact that people of color are four times more likely to be hospitalized and three times as likely to die than others. If anything, it would indicate the failure of medical treatment for Blacks, not racism. And the hospitalization figure is counterintuitive: Having greater access to hospitals is racist?

· Months ago, in response to the CDC noting that only 6% of 'Covid' victims had no co-morbidities, in a radio interview, an Oshkosh doctor claimed no surprise, claiming that co-morbidities are the result of the Covid virus, when the leading Covid co-morbidities – diabetes, Alzheimer’s, Downs Syndrome, high blood pressure, age, obesity – are all present well before a case of Covid presents itself.

· Yesterday (February 22), a Previa chief claimed on the radio that it will take “a generation” to cleanse people of the ‘trauma’ of Covid deaths, without recognizing that overall mortality rates are barely changed. He slights the millions of Americans who die each year from equally painful, tragic and painful diseases and viruses, not to forget the over 70 million worldwide AIDS deaths from a similar virus. The real trauma that may never recede are the emotional and economic effects of political pandemic policies, including suicides, murders, domestic abuse, mental health deterioration, loneliness and permanent social distancing. Meanwhile, the Previa chief is immune form these non-medical threats, with a high salary, excellent benefits, job security, and no accountability.

Loyola University Maryland (my employer for the last 25 years of my 50 years in higher ed)

In twenty-five years of Jesuit colleges, my initial admiration evolved into serious doubt, primarily about the loss of the true, initial mission of Jesuit colleges as well as the great internal inconsistencies of the institutions. Throw in a little hypocrisy or, if you prefer, a total lack of self-awareness.

· The Jesuits, an order consisting almost exclusively of old, white men lack credibility for demanding diversity in other organizations, including the Jesuit schools. There has never been any meaningful diversity of race or ethnicity among the Jesuits, and now there will be no diversity of thought among their students.

· Racial income inequality is pronounced at Loyola, with highest incomes to old, white employees and lowest to young, black employees. Something about the plank in your own eye while pointing out the splinter in another's eye seems appropriate here.

· It would appear that high levels of need-based aid goes to low-income and less-prepared minority students who go on to graduate with more debt, if they graduate at all. And if they do graduate, how useful will their liberal arts major be in the market? Might it be better to spend the $300,000 of a Loyola four-year degree on something else? The opportunity cost is staggering. And all of this debt will also likely create even greater racial wealth and income inequality for a poor person of color attending Loyola.

Political parties

Professional politicians who grow wealthy as a result of 'public service' is an embarrassment.

· Professional politicians and their parties are disingenuously really seeking power and re-election, while claiming to be working for the public good.

· Too many politicians demonstrate an incredible increase in their wealth while in public office or after, while claiming to be a ‘public servant.’

· Pols pander and lie, especially to marginalized groups, seeking their votes only because they can't expect to get financial contributions from them. Instead, they promise these groups more free stuff, more 'justice,' and 'equity'.

Mainstream media

Let's face it. There has been no real journalism since about the time Walter Cronkite retired, and it was not that strong before that time either. The internet and social media further eroded the power of newspapers and television in editing the news and, as a result, there has been an unscrupulous race to the bottom to capture readers or viewers at the cost of journalistic ethics.

· The media are practicing politics, not journalism, claiming to be objective while baldly acting and writing otherwise, and all the time denying their clear biases and prejudices.

· They show extreme deference to wokeness over critical analysis.

· They employ a highly biased, selective use of ‘experts’ to confirm pre-existing bias of reporter.

· The money available in the media has created a celebrity and wealth culture of news anchors and star reporters based on Q0factor rather than credibility, while all the decrying income and wealth inequality.

· Blame the journalism schools and media hiring practices that produce widespread innumeracy and the absence of a grasp of basic economics.

Catholic Church leadership

I believe that I remain a 'good' Catholic: Practicing, praying, doing good, being charitable to others and faithful to my wife and family. I have great respect for pastors and deacons. But from the bishops on up to the pope, doubt about their actions has flooded into my mind.

· While officially denying this, church leadership often is practicing politics more than theology.

· Lacking any significant technical, financial or economic training, church leadership nonetheless goes on making economic and scientific claims that lack credibility and foundation.

· Rather than telling us how wrong we are, church leaders need to recognize the good that we are doing as well as the good foundation that leads to these practices. While preaching the politically correct topic de jour, like social justice, service and progressive politics, there is little attention abortion or to family, marriage and fidelity as cornerstones of society, religion and the economy.

· Church leaders and edicts offer contradictory and confusing positions on capitalism, communism, homosexual behavior, gay marriage and Catholicity of self-proclaimed Catholic politicians. At the same time, they give the Left a pass, endorsing Catholic politicians who promote abortion, often with the incoherent ‘seamless garment’ defense.

· Passing the buck -- literally -- over sexual and financial scandals at all levels of the church.

· Responding to treating pedophilia and sexual assault as a sin rather than as a crime.

I guess that I could go on, but that would be piling on, not just a painful experience. But you get my point.