Tiger Parents or Tiger Leaders

April 7, 2020

“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.”

“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.”

― Miyamoto Musashi

Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images

Removing A Few Good Men: Dismissal Orders

One cared about the welfare of thousands of men and women under his command, by drawing attention to a dangerous situation amidst a global pandemic, and pleading for help for his stricken crew. The other fired him for it, then called him “too naive or too stupid” to command a ship, lambasting him in a profanity-laced speech to the ship’s astonished crew.

With Thursday’s firing of Captain Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, and Monday’s tirade in Guam, Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas Modly showed himself to be a model member of the Trump administration, as described in the words of one crew member: “whiny, upset, irritated [and] condescending.” The secretary took repeated shots at Crozier’s integrity, then injected partisan political tones into his rant by attacking former Vice President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly criticized Crozier’s firing.

Modly decried Crozier’s “betrayal” in speaking out about the risk of coronavirus spreading on his ship, and said the captain’s tale of being a “martyr” had let everyone down across the chain of command. Modly offered little about how the crew would be taken care of as they attempted to limit the spread of coronavirus aboard the USS Roosevelt. He left without touring the ship, or answering questions. As of Sunday, 155 crew members had tested positive for Covid-19, including Captain Crozier.

US navy official apologises for calling captain behind coronavirus memo ‘naive or stupid’ (Guardian)
How a Ship’s Coronavirus Outbreak Became a Moral Crisis for the Military (NYT)
Several excellent movies about the military and the chain of command
- The Caine Mutiny (Trailer) (Humphrey Bogart at his finest)
- Crimson Tide (Trailer) (Denzel Washington at his finest)
- A Few Good Men (Trailer) (Jack Nicholson at his finest)
Daily Pnut’s Tim has a lot of thoughts on all of this and will try to find the time to put pen to paper in the coming days.

Sean Gallup via Getty Images

When An Unstoppable Virus And An Immovable Autocrat Collide

Russian President Vladimir Putin spent years cultivating the myth that he is the country’s one and only protector. But oil prices have tanked, and a transition plan to keep him in power until 2036 is delayed. That’s why if Covid-19 hits Russia hard, as many experts expect it soon will, it could prove a huge challenge to Putin during a fragile time, one that he may not withstand.
Should a significant coronavirus outbreak occur, particularly in densely populated Moscow, a huge death toll is almost certain. Medical resources outside major cities are scarce, and the country’s older population is at high risk. Few tests for the virus have been conducted, so authorities don’t really know how widespread the outbreak might be.
Initially the government took some aggressive steps, including closing the border with China, but it wasn’t enough. Additional measures like social distancing and staying at home wasn’t enforced.
Experts believe Russia is “probably in the early stages of the same epidemic” happening in America. “They are facing significant increases of cases within the next month” one expert said, “and a significant increase in the number of deaths.” And why did Putin and his allies fail to impose tough measures early on? Because he prioritized politics over public health. (Vox)

Martial Law For The Martials

Military forces often live and work in close quarters, making them more vulnerable to infection. Military forces across Europe have scaled back operations and imposed stricter rules on personnel in an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus among staff, particularly since specialist army, navy and air force units are being drafted in to help many governments tackle the virus.
In France, Italy and Spain military operations have been curtailed or suspended. 600 military personnel in France have contracted the virus; four soldiers serving in West Africa against Islamist militants are also infected.
Spain, second behind the US in overall number of infections, has more than 130,000 cases; 230 military personnel have tested positive, while 3,000 military staff are in self-isolation.
Britain and Turkey declined to give the number of military personnel who had been tested or had contracted the disease.
Italy’s defense minister only gave information on officers, saying a chief of staff and a dozen others had tested positive, and one lieutenant-colonel died.
A spokesman for the German defense ministry said around 250 soldiers were infected, with fewer than 10 hospitalized.
On Sunday, Turkey said it was limiting troop movements in Syria, as cases of Covid-19 had spiked. (Reuters)

Additional World News

As Himalayas Warm, Nepal’s Climate Migrants Struggle to Survive (NYT, $)
OPCW report set to blame Syria chemical attacks on Bashar al-Assad (Guardian)
New renewable energy capacity hit record levels in 2019 (Guardian)
Ex-Vatican treasurer Pell freed from jail, acquitted of sex offences (Reuters)

COVID-19

Pockets Run Dry, Homes Run Dry, Don’t Let Hope Run Dry

Some 40 percent of Americans rely on water utilities that have not suspended the policy of shutoffs for non-payment, despite public health warnings that good hygiene, specifically frequent hand washing, is crucial to preventing spread of coronavirus. This means that millions of Americans risk losing running water if they fall behind in paying their water bills in coming months. The virus has recently spread exponentially, with 336,912 confirmed US cases as of Sunday, including over 10,000 deaths.
100,000 to 200,000 Americans are forecasted to die from Covid-19 complications, even if mitigation measures like good hygiene and social distancing are fully implemented. The pandemic’s economic impact is already devastating families, with close to 10 million people filing for unemployment benefits during the second half of March, and unprecedented demands for emergency aid occurring at food banks.
An estimated 50 percent of American adults have no emergency savings, or not enough to cover three months of living expenses. Regardless, less than 60 percent of the population is protected from water shutoffs, and only 11 percent of these utilities have explicitly pledged to reconnect households currently without running water due to unpaid bills. (Guardian)
Coronavirus wreaks havoc in African American neighbourhoods (BBC)
In the poorest county, in America’s poorest state, a virus hits home: ‘Hunger is rampant’ (Guardian)
Additional song: Hold On Hope By Guided By Voices

The Supremes Won’t Stop In The Name Of Covid

The Supreme Court issued some decisions Monday, and turned down several high-profile appeals. In one case the court sided with federal employees who raised age-discrimination claims, finding that Congress intended to give its civil servants greater protection than those in the private sector.
The court voted 8-1 that, by enacting a different antidiscrimination provision for federal employees than it did for those in the private-sector and state and local government, Congress was directing greater protection for its own workforce. Justice Clarence Thomas, a former chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, dissented.
In a second 8-1 decision, the court eased Fourth Amendment limits on police, holding that an officer is free to assume that a car’s driver is its registered owner, and to pull the vehicle over if the owner’s license has been revoked. Justice Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
The court canceled arguments that were scheduled for March and April and closed its building to the public, due to the coronavirus pandemic. The justices continue to decide cases argued before the shutdown, and to act on emergency petitions. (WSJ)
The Supreme Court’s disturbing order to effectively disenfranchise thousands of Wisconsin voters: American democracy is in deep trouble. (Vox)
Wisconsin Plans To Vote In Person Tuesday After Last Minute Chaos (NPR)

Additional USA News

Tiger Parents Or Tiger Leaders: Parents: Get Away From The Choppa!

If the thought of being a leader fills you with dread, and you find it hard to even see yourself as a manager, it probably has something to do with how your parents raised you.
For example, even though well-intentioned, if your parents were overprotective, it could have undermined your confidence, and waylaid your chances of becoming a future leader.
This parenting approach is known colloquially as “helicopter parenting,” referencing the idea of hovering nearby whether needed or not. No one wants to see their child hurt or disappointed; it’s natural a parent might want to ensure their child doesn’t face uncomfortable challenges.
Unfortunately such overparenting could have some inadvertent and unintended effects, such as “making you less confident and less capable of facing difficulties, therefore [leading you to] exhibit poorer leadership skills,” according to one clinical psychologist.
The latest research on how this extreme coddling can stifle leadership skills comes from China. Researchers studying teenagers found that the more overprotective their parents, the less the teens were perceived as having leadership potential by others, and the less likely they were to actually be in leadership roles. Statistically, this link was explained by the fact that the teens with helicopter parents tended to have lower self-esteem, which in turn was associated with being less confident about being a leader. (BBC)

Last Quote

“You must understand that there is more than one path to the top of the mountain” ― Miyamoto Musashi

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