Posted on by Californiacontrarian

Homogeneous, Heterogeneous

I usually like to avoid big words in my titles because I suspect that these types of words will lead to many not reading this at all. While I often will vaguely demean one political party, right up front, I want to say that I am not hinting that a certain demographic will not get the meaning of such words . . . err, actually, perhaps, I am!

Now that the implausible deniability factor has been addressed, I want to start with a great quote that I read this morning.

“Homogenous intervention in the face of heterogenous risk is just cruelty passed off as equality.”

Read that again slowly and think about it with regard to the coronavirus situation, and more precisely the one size fits all response that is occurring most everywhere. To me with regard to the present situation we’re in, this quote is brilliant!

Why are we treating everybody the same (homogenous intervention) when the risks for different age groups is vastly different (heterogenous risk)?  For instance, why are all age groups being treated the same when the risk is vastly different  depending on age? To make a point, let’s take the extreme  . . . why in this lockdown, are school children being treated the same as the older folk (homogenous intervention) when the risks for children and those in their seventies and eighties are DRAMATICALLY different (heterogenous risk)? 

Why are individuals of different incomes all being locked out of their jobs (homogenous intervention) when the effects are DRAMATICALLY different – those who earn more are much, much, much more likely to be able to work from home, whereas those who work in the service industry cannot (heterogenous risk). And in the guise of treating everybody equally (equality), aren’t those of lower socioeconomic status being treated cruelly (cruelty)?

A second part of the same homogenous/heterogenous quote goes like this:

“Just because no one’s risk is non-zero doesn’t mean everyone’s risk is the same.” Again brilliant! To keep children sequestered at home (MINIMAL risk) is nonsense as even though their risk is non-zero, it is NOT THE SAME as the general population!

Hmmm, I wonder if I could take credit for both of these brilliant quotes, as I doubt that the one who uttered both of them, Newman Nahas, reads my blog!

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