The challenge(ˈCHalənj): Don’t speak in future tense(tens)

By Derek Sivers

When I lived in Los Angeles, I noticed(ˈnōtis) they have a strange speaking pattern.

Everyone speaks in future tense. (Or, more specifically(spəˈsifik), present(priˈzent,ˈprezənt)-tense inaction(inˈakSHən), future-tense action.)

“This guy from EMI is interested and going to be presenting it to the VP.”

“We’re in talks to do a pilot(ˈpīlət) for the fall.”

“I’m getting ready to work on some new material(məˈti(ə)rēəl) with a hit writer.”

Of course these are the things some people have to tell themselves to be hopeful when facing another day of challenges.

But of course nothing materializes(məˈti(ə)rēəˌlīz). You never hear it mentioned again, and you politely(pəˈlīt) don’t ask. (Surprising circumstances(-stəns,ˈsərkəmˌstans) always foiled(foil) the certain(ˈsərtn) event.)

I felt like wearing a t-shirt that says, “TELL ME WHEN IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING.”

So now when I hear a future-tense sentence(ˈsentns), my ears shut down. I’ll say “cool!” and hope it helps, but I don’t believe a word.

Try noticing this in yourself and others for a week. Are you speaking more in future tense or present tense? Are they?

Remember that announcing(əˈnouns) your plans makes them less likely to happen.

https://sivers.org/futuretense

WHAT CAN I DO WHEN MY SKIN(skin) GETS IRRITATED(ˈiriˌtāt)?

Excerpted(ˈɛksəːpt) from “How to Build a Skin Care Routine(ro͞oˈtēn)”, by Kari Molvar

Many times skin irritation(ˌiriˈtāSHən), from acne(ˈaknē) to eczema(igˈzēmə,ˈegzəmə,ˈeksə-), can be traced(trās) back to overzealous(ˌōvərˈzeləs) habits. “Unfortunately(ˌənˈfôrCHənətlē), a lot of what I do is get people back to having healthy skin from overuse of products — stripping(strip) cleansers(ˈklenzər), items(ˈītəm) that over-exfoliate(eksˈfōlēˌāt) or contain sensitizing(ˈsensiˌtīz) ingredients(iNG-,inˈgrēdēənt) — which they were using as a foundation for healthy skin but it took them farther away from it,” Holey says. To bring your skin back to its baseline, she suggests(sə(g)ˈjest) the following holistic(hōˈlistik) remedies(ˈremədē):

Run cold water over your pulse(pəls) points, such as your wrists(rist), to lower your internal body temperature(-ˌCHo͝or,ˈtemp(ə)rəCHər), which calms(kä(l)m) your skin, too.

Apply(əˈplī) an oatmeal(ˈōtˌmēl) mask to rid yourself of inflammation(ˌinfləˈmāSHən). Mix(miks) dried oats(ōt) with a few spoonfuls(spo͞on) of water. Spread(spred) this paste on your skin, and let it sit until it’s semi(ˈsemī)-dry, then rinse(rins) off.

Use chilled(CHild), steeped(stēp) green tea as a rinse that you splash(splaSH) on your face. EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate), a polyphenol(-ˌnōl,ˌpäliˈfēˌnôl) in green tea, has an “immediate(iˈmēdē-it) soothing(ˈso͞oT͟HiNG) effect,” Holey says.

Try acupuncture(ˈakyəˌpəNGkCHər) to improve circulation(ˌsərkyəˈlāSHən), digestion(diˈjesCHən,dī-) and immunity(iˈmyo͞onitē) internally, all of which supports healthy skin externally(ikˈstərnl). Holey recommends weekly treatments initially(iˈniSHəlē), then monthly maintenance(ˈmānt(ə)nəns,ˈmāntn-əns) sessions.

Live well: you can read stress on your face — literally(ˈlitrə-,ˈlitərəlē), since high levels of cortisol (a stress hormone(ˈhôrˌmōn)) can weaken your skin, bring on acne and even accelerate(akˈseləˌrāt) wrinkling(ˈriNGkəl). Holey’s advice? Exercise regularly, get your rest, meditate(ˈmedəˌtāt) or find ways to feel positive(ˈpäztiv,ˈpäzətiv). The results will show.

https://www.nytimes.com/guides/tmagazine/skincare-routine

What Happened to the American Boomtown?

The places with the most opportunity(ˌäpərˈt(y)o͞onitē) used to attract(əˈtrakt) the most new residents(ˈrez(ə)dənt,ˈrezəˌdent), in a cycle of fast-growing cities and rising(ˈrīziNG) prosperity(präˈsperitē). But no more.

By Emily(īməlē) Badger(ˈbajər)

Chicago(-ˈkägō,SHiˈkôgō) in 1850 was a muddy(ˈmədē) frontier(ˌfrənˈti(ə)r) town of barely(ˈbe(ə)rlē) 30,000 people. Within two decades(ˈdekād), it was 10 times that size. Within another two decades, that number had tripled(ˈtripəl). By 1910, Chicago — hog(häg,hôg) butcher(ˈbo͝oCHər) for the world, headquarters(ˈhedˌkwôrtərz) of Montgomery(məntˈgəm(ə)rē) Ward(wôrd), the nerve(nərv) center of the nation’s rail(rāl) network — had more than two million residents.

“You see these numbers, and they just look fake(fāk),” said David Schleicher, a law professor(prəˈfesər) at Yale(yāl) who writes on urban(ˈərbən) development and land use. Chicago heading into the 20th century was the fastest-growing city America has ever seen. It was a classic(ˈklasik) metropolitan(ˌmetrəˈpälitn) magnet(ˈmagnət), attracting anyone in need of a job or a raise(rāz).

But while other cities have played this role through history — enabling people who were geographically(ˌjēəˈgrafikəl) mobile to become economically(ˌekəˈnämik(ə)lē,ˌēkə-) mobile, too — migration(mīˈgrāSHən) patterns like the one that fed Chicago have broken down in today’s America. Interstate mobility(mōˈbilətē) nationwide(ˈnāSHənˈwīd) has slowed over the last 30 years. But, more specifically(spəˈsifik) and of greater concern(kənˈsərn), migration has stalled(stôl) in the very places with the most opportunity.

As Mr. Schleicher puts it, local economic booms no longer create boomtowns in America.

…
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/06/upshot/what-happened-to-the-american-boomtown.html

Self-Discipline(ˈdisəplin): Willpower

By Steve Pavlina

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength(treNG(k)TH,strenTH), not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.
– Vince Lombardi

Willpower — such a dirty(ˈdərtē) word these days. How many commercials(kəˈmərSHəl) have you seen that attempt to position their products as a substitute(ˈsəbstiˌt(y)o͞ot) for willpower? They begin by telling you that willpower doesn’t work and then attempt to sell you something “fast and easy” like a diet(ˈdī-it) pill(pil) or some wacky(ˈwakē) exercise equipment(iˈkwipmənt). Often they’ll even guarantee(ˌgarənˈtē) impossible results in a dramatically short period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of time — that’s a safe bet because people who lack willpower probably won’t take the time to return these useless products.

But guess what… willpower does work. But in order to take full advantage(ədˈvantij) of it, you must learn what it can and cannot do. People who say willpower doesn’t work are trying to use it in a way that’s beyond its capabilities(ˌkāpəˈbilitē).

What Is Willpower?

Willpower is your ability to set a course(kôrs) of action and say, “Engage(enˈgāj)!”

Willpower provides an intensely(inˈtens) powerful yet temporary(ˈtempəˌrerē) boost(bo͞ost). Think of it as a one-shot thruster(ˈTHrəstər). It burns out quickly, but if directed intelligently(inˈtelijənt), it can provide the burst(bərst) you need to overcome inertia (iˈnərSHə) and create momentum(mōˈmentəm,mə-).

Willpower is the spearhead(ˈspi(ə)rˌhed) of self-discipline. To use a World War II analogy(əˈnaləjē), willpower would be D-Day, the Normandy(ˈnôrməndē) Invasion(inˈvāZHən). It was the gigantic(jīˈgantik) battle(ˈbatl) that turned the tide(tīd) of the war and got things moving in a new direction, even though it took another year to reach VE Day (Victory(ˈvikt(ə)rē) in Europe(ˈyo͝orəp)). To make that kind of effort every day of the war would have been impossible.

Willpower is a concentration(ˌkänsənˈtrāSHən) of force. You gather up all your energy and make a massive(ˈmasiv) thrust(THrəst) forward. You attack your problems strategically(strəˈtējik) at their weakest points until they crack(krak), allowing you enough room to maneuver(məˈno͞ovər) deeper into their territory(ˈterəˌtôrē) and finish them off.

The application of willpower includes the following steps:

Choose your objective

Create a plan of attack

Execute(ˈeksiˌkyo͞ot) the plan

With willpower you may take your time implementing(ˈɪmpləmənt) steps 1 and 2, but when you get to step 3, you’ve got to hit it hard and fast.

Don’t try to tackle(ˈtakəl) your problems and challenges in such a way that a high level of willpower is required every day. Willpower is unsustainable(ˌənsəˈstānəbəl). If you attempt to use it for too long, you’ll burn out. It requires a level of energy that you can maintain only for a short period(ˈpi(ə)rēəd) of time… in most cases the fuel(ˈfyo͞oəl) is spent within a matter of days.

https://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/06/self-discipline-willpower/

Cycle(ˈsīkəl)
CYCLE

INT: A LIVING ROOM

MARIA(məriēə), a woman in her early forties, is rocking(räk) her infant(ˈinfənt) son while breastfeeding(ˈbrestˌfēd) late at night. There is a storm outside.

MARIA

(Is singing(siNG) a lullaby(ˈlələˌbī) and slowly stops)

This is it. There are some moments you know you’ll remember forever. Not because something memorable happens, but because for just the briefest(brēf) moment you get broken out of the cycle of endless days and you understand exactly where that moment stands in the whole history of the world.

(Looks down at the baby and smiles)

You would be the one making me notice it, too. I never thought I’d want anything to do with your kind. “Give away your life and never get it back” would be the censored(ˈsensər) version(ˈvərZHən) of my views on parenthood(ˈpar-,ˈpe(ə)rəntˌho͝od). I couldn’t imagine(iˈmajən) anyone wanting to wake up in the middle of the night to let a leech(lēCH) suck(sək) on their chapped nipples(ˈnipəl), then be a zombie(ˈzämbē) all day doing laundry(ˈlän-,ˌlôndrē) and listening to the little parasite(ˈparəˌsīt) scream(skrēm). Day after day after day. I thought I’d be giving away my youth. As though youth is something you can just hold onto if you hold out on making choices.

(Looks outside)

The most important thing is realizing that it all ends anyway, and you can’t stop any of it. I didn’t want to know that before now. I wanted the illusion(iˈlo͞oZHən) that I could stay rooted and the world would flow around my ankles(ˈaNGkəl). But here you are and my nipples are chapped and sometimes I do feel like a zombie, but it isn’t unending(ˌənˈendiNG), it’s…ephemeral(əˈfem(ə)rəl). Rain pattering(ˈpatər) on the roof and your tiny(ˈtīnē) body fitting perfectly in my arms and my skin still looks youngish and none of it is going to last very long at all. You’re my little barometer(bəˈrämitər) for how quickly time really passes. I never knew until right now. I was afraid(əˈfrād) to know, I think.

(With a look of deep contentment)

And it isn’t nearly as scary(ˈske(ə)rē) as I thought. Now that you’re here, I can see your whole life ahead of you, which means that I have to see my whole life ahead of me too. I’m going to get old. You’re going to become such a beautiful young man. I wasn’t really aware(əˈwe(ə)r) that I would die until right now, or that I’d be so okay with it. Forty years of running from this one realization(ˌrē(ə)ləˈzāSHən), and it isn’t so bad now that it’s here. Knowing that being replaced in the world can be a kind of joy(joi). Knowing that the cycle doesn’t have to be the grind(grīnd) of the wheel((h)wēl) turning—it can be winter, spring, summer, fall.

https://www.instantmonologues.com/preview/Cycle

To Complain(kəmˈplān) Is to Be Truly(ˈtro͞olē) Alive(əˈlīv)

By Samantha(səmansə) Irby(ərbē)

There are so many things in daily life that cause me never-ending unease(ˌənˈēz): waiting in the kind of loosely defined wraparound(ˈrapəˌround) line at the D.M.V. that makes losing your place inevitable(inˈevitəbəl); self-service situations whose unmarked rules the savage(ˈsavij) among us approach(əˈprōCH) “Lord(lôrd) of the Flies”-style, leaving, say(sā), the Starbucks condiment(ˈkändəmənt) bar in complete(kəmˈplēt) disarray(ˌdisəˈrā) in their wake; holding my breath(breTH) while hoping for the woman two stalls(stôl) down to hurry up and leave as she hopes for me to hurry up and do the exact(igˈzakt) same thing.

Then there are the minor(ˈmīnər) tragedies(ˈtrajidē) that cause me deep, unrelenting(ˌənriˈlentiNG) angst(aNG(k)st,äNG(k)st) every moment I’m awake. I hate trying to sign a credit(ˈkredit) card slip that is so slippery(ˈslipərē) the pen just leaves weird(wi(ə)rd) scratch(skraCH) marks as I melt(melt) into a molten(ˈmōltn) puddle(ˈpədl) of anxiety(aNGˈzī-itē) because I’m holding up the line at the store. I hate when someone comes to my house unannounced(ˌənəˈnounst) and I have to sit real still in the corner of the room you can’t see from the window because I don’t want anyone to know what the cats and I wear when we watch TV. I hate when I’m trying to walk into a building at the same time as another person and we both go through the “wait, I’m polite(pəˈlīt), too” motions that result in an awkward(ˈôkwərd) reach-in-and-retract(riˈtrakt) dance that can come to an end only when one of us drops dead on the sidewalk. The potential(pəˈtenCHəl) for me to be utterly(ˈətərlē) humiliated((h)yo͞oˈmilēˌāt) lies in wait around every corner of my life.

Which is why I love to complain. Why are people so terrible at merging on the highway? When is my neighbor(ˈnābər) going to cut down that rotting(rät) tree limb(lim) or does it have to shatter(ˈSHatər) my windshield(ˈwin(d)ˌSHēld) before he notices how bad it’s getting? How is my phone bill this expensive every month? Where has Barack(bərək) Obama(ōbəmə) been? Who turned the thermostat(ˈTHərməˌstat) down to 68 degrees(diˈgrē)? Why does everyone pretend(priˈtend) to be cool with splitting(split) a huge((h)yo͞oj) check when I just had club(kləb) soda(ˈsōdə) and you had four overpriced(prīs) top-shelf cocktails(ˈkäkˌtāl), Kelly(kalē)?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/20/opinion/sunday/to-complain-is-to-truly-be-alive.html?referer=https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/10/25/opinion/complaining.html

The Consumerist(kənˈso͞omər) Church(CHərCH) of Fitness(ˈfitnis) Classes

Gyms(jim) provide ritual(ˈriCHo͞oəl) and community, serving as a sort of religion(riˈlijən). They also promote(prəˈmōt) values American culture already worships(ˈwərSHəp)—capitalism(ˈkapətlˌizəm) and overwork.

By Zan Romanoff

You pay a regular(ˈreg(ə)lər,ˈregyələr) tithe(tīT͟H) to support the community. In public(ˈpəblik), you wear symbols(ˈsimbəl) that identify(īˈdentəˌfī) you as one of the faithful(ˈfāTHfəl). When you gather with other adherents(-ˈher-,adˈhi(ə)rənt), it’s often in small, close rooms. Breathing(ˈbrēT͟HiNG) gets heavy(ˈhevē); bodies sweat(swet). If anyone speaks, it is to moan(mōn), or occasionally(əˈkāZHənl-ē) to shout(SHout) in triumph(ˈtrīəmf).

Exercise classes often function just as much like a church as they do like a gym: They gather people into a community, and give them a ritual to perform. The comfort of clipping your shoes into a beloved(biˈləv(i)d) SoulCycle(sōlˈsīkəl) bike or landing the first blow on your favorite heavy bag at a boxing gym is not so far off from the reassurance(ˌrēəˈSHo͝orəns) of arriving at temple on a Friday(-dē,ˈfrīdā). You know who will be leading(ˈlediNG,ˈlēdiNG) the evening; you can anticipate(anˈtisəˌpāt) the general contours(ˈkänˌto͝or) of its energy(ˈenərjē). You know you will recognize familiar(fəˈmilyər) faces among the participating(pärˈtisəˌpāt) crowd.

As more Americans have moved away from organized(ˈôrgəˌnīzd) religion (a 2015 Pew(pyo͞o) Center study found that 23 percent of the adult(əˈdəlt,ˈadˌəlt) population identified as “religiously(riˈlijəs) unaffiliated(ˌənəˈfilēˌātid),” up from 16 percent in 2007) they have also moved toward new forms of community building, as well as new ways to seek mental(ˈmentl) clarity(ˈklaritē) and spiritual(ˈspiriCHo͞oəl) experiences. The gym is a popular avenue(ˈavəˌn(y)o͞o) for this kind of searching, in part because it mimics(ˈmimik) the form of traditional(trəˈdiSHənl) religious(riˈlijəs) services.

First of all, it creates community for us: a place where we can congregate to actively(ˈaktiv) socialize(ˈsōSHəˌlīz). “I think I’ve figured out what [people are] really drawn to, and that’s the community aspect(ˈaspekt) of it,” says Sam Rypinski, who owns an LA gym called Everybody, which aims(ām) to be diverse(diˈvərs,dī-) and inclusive(inˈklo͞osiv). “We’re living in dark times; we’re very segregated(-ˌgāt,ˈsegriˌgāt,ˈsegrəgit) and separated from each other. We’re cut off by technology. We don’t connect with our bodies; we don’t connect with each other. So if there’s a space that encourages(-ˈkə-rij,enˈkərij) that on any level, people are so happy to be there.”

…
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2017/12/my-body-is-a-temple/547346/

Don’t punish(ˈpəniSH) everyone(ˈevrēˌwən) for one person’s mistake

By Derek Sivers

The little diner near me has these big warning(ˈwôrniNG) signs(sīn) posted everywhere:

WE RESERVE(riˈzərv) THE RIGHT TO REFUSE SERVICE TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON

ALL ORDERS ARE FINAL! ABSOLUTELY(ˌabsəˈlo͞otlē) NO REFUNDS(rēˈfənd,ˈrē-)!

NO SHOES(SHo͞o), NO SHIRT, NO SERVICE

NO CELLPHONES. NO PHOTOS. NO VIDEOS.

NO LOITERING(ˈloitər)! RESTROOM(-ˌro͝om,ˈrestˌro͞om) FOR CUSTOMERS ONLY!

ALL VIOLATORS(ˈvʌɪəleɪtə) WILL BE PROSECUTED(ˈpräsiˌkyo͞ot) TO THE FULLEST EXTENT(ikˈstent) OF THE LAW(lô)

Poor business owner needs a hug(həg). Every time someone upsets him, he punishes all his future customers forever.

When I was six, I attended a strict(strikt) little school in Abingdon, England. Early(ˈərlē) in the year, someone spilled(spil) grape(grāp) juice(jo͞os), so they banished(ˈbaniSH) grape juice for the rest of the year. Later, someone spilled orange(ˈär-,ˈôrənj) juice, so orange juice was banished for the rest of the year. Eventually(iˈvenCHo͞oəlē) we were allowed nothing but water.

Many years ago, one guy(gī) tried to light his shoes on fire on a plane. Now for all future time, millions of people a day have to queue(kyo͞o) up to take their shoes off at the airport, because of that one dumb(dəm) moment.

As a business owner, when you get screwed(skro͞od)-over by someone, it’s tempting(ˈtem(p)tiNG) to make a big grand policy(ˈpäləsē) you think will prevent you from ever getting screwed-over again.

One employee can’t focus, and spends his time surfing the web. Instead of just firing or reassigning(ˌrēəˈsīn) that person to more challenging work, the company installs an expensive content-approving firewall so that nobody can go to unapproved(ˌənəˈpro͞ovd) sites ever again.

It’s important to resist(riˈzist) that simplistic(simˈplistik), angry, reactionary(rēˈakSHəˌnerē) urge(ərj) to punish everyone, and step back to look at the big picture.

In the moment, you’re angry, and focusing only on that one awful(ˈôfəl) person who did you wrong. Your thinking is clouded. You start thinking everyone is awful, and the world is against you. This is the worst time to make a new policy.

When one customer wrongs you, remember the thousands that did not.

You’re lucky to own your own business. Life is good.

You can’t prevent(priˈvent) bad things from happening. Learn to shrug(SHrəg).

Resist the urge to punish everyone for one person’s mistake.

https://sivers.org/punish

Little Fires Everywhere

By Celeste Ng

Everyone in Shaker(ˈSHākər) Heights was talking about it that summer: how Isabelle, the last of the Richardson(ˈriCHərdsən) children, had finally gone around the bend(bend) and burned(bərnd) the house down. All spring the gossip(ˈgäsəp) had been about little Mirabelle(ˈmirəˌbel) McCullough(makəlô)—or, depending which side you were on, May Ling Chow—and now, at last, there was something new and sensational(senˈsāSHənl) to discuss(disˈkəs). A little after noon on that Saturday(-dē,ˈsatərˌdā) in May, the shoppers pushing their grocery(ˈgrōs(ə)rē) carts in Heinen’s heard the fire engines(ˈenjən) wail(wāl) to life and careen(kəˈrēn) away, toward the duck pond(pänd). By a quarter(ˈkwôrtər) after twelve(twelv) there were four of them parked in a haphazard(ˌhapˈhazərd) red line along Parkland Drive, where all six bedrooms of the Richardson house were ablaze(əˈblāz), and everyone within a half mile could see the smoke rising(ˈrīziNG) over the trees like a dense(dens) black thundercloud(ˈTHəndərˌkloud). Later people would say that the signs(sīn) had been there all along: that Izzy was a little lunatic(ˈlo͞onəˌtik), that there had always been something off about the Richardson family, that as soon as they heard the sirens(ˈsīrən) that morning they knew something terrible(ˈterəbəl) had happened. By then, of course, Izzy would be long gone, leaving no one to defend(diˈfend) her, and people could—and did—say whatever they liked. At the moment the fire trucks(trək) arrived(əˈrīv), though, and for quite a while afterward, no one knew what was happening. Neighbors(ˈnābər) clustered(ˈkləstərd) as close to the makeshift(ˈmākˌSHift) barrier(ˈbarēər)—a police(pəˈlēs) cruiser(ˈkro͞ozər), parked crosswise(ˈkrôsˌwīz) a few hundred yards away—as they could and watched the firefighters(ˈfīrˌfītər) unreel(ˌənˈrēl) their hoses(hōz) with the grim(grim) faces of men who recognized a hopeless cause. Across the street, the geese(gēs) at the pond ducked their heads underwater(-ˈwätər,ˌəndərˈwôtər) for weeds(wēd), wholly(ˈhōl(l)ē) unruffled(ˌənˈrəfəld) by the commotion(kəˈmōSHən).

…
https://www.amazon.cn/s/ref=a9_sc_1?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Alittle+fires+everywhere&keywords=little+fires+everywhere&ie=UTF8&qid=1512873595

What Colleges(ˈkälij) Want in an Applicant(ˈaplikənt) (Everything)

The admissions(ədˈmiSHən) process(prəˈses,ˈpräsəs,ˈpräˌses,ˈprō-) is a maddening(ˈmadn-iNG,ˈmadniNG) mishmash(-ˌmäSH,ˈmiSHˌmaSH) of competing(kəmˈpēt) objectives(əbˈjektiv), and an attempt(əˈtem(p)t) to measure(ˈmeZHər) the unmeasurable(ˌənˈmeZH(ə)rəbəl): you. No, it isn’t fair(fe(ə)r), and likely never will be.

By Eric Hoover(ˈho͞ovər)

The admissions process is out of whack((h)wak). Just ask the heartbroken(ˈhärtˌbrōkən) applicant, rejected by her dream school. Ask high school counselors(ˈkouns(ə)lər), who complain that colleges don’t reward promising(ˈpräməsiNG) students for their creativity(ˌkrē-āˈtivitē), determination or service to others. Even the gatekeepers(ˈgātˌkēpər) at some famous institutions(ˌinstiˈt(y)o͞oSHən) acknowledge, quietly, that the selection system is broken.

Ask five people how to fix it, though, and they’ll give five different answers. Sure, you might think colleges put too much stock in the SAT, but your neighbor’s(ˈnābər) kid with the near-perfect score thinks it should matter a lot. More than half of Americans say colleges shouldn’t give children of alumni(ələmna) a leg up, according to a recent Gallup(galəp) poll; yet nearly half say parental connections should be at least a “minor(ˈmīnər) factor(ˈfaktər).”

The debate(diˈbāt) about who gets into the nation’s competitive(kəmˈpetətiv) colleges, and why, keeps boiling(ˈboiliNG) over. The Justice(ˈjəstis) Department has confirmed that it’s looking into a complaint, filed in 2015 by a coalition(ˌkōəˈliSHən) of 64 Asian(ˈāZHən)-American associations(-SHē-,əˌsōsēˈāSHən), charging discrimination(disˌkriməˈnāSHən) against high-achieving Asian-American college applicants. Also, students for Fair Admissions, which opposes(əˈpōz) affirmative(əˈfərmətiv) action policies(ˈpäləsē), has filed discrimination lawsuits(ˈlôˌso͞ot) against Harvard, the University of North Carolina(ˌkarəˈlīnə) at Chapel(ˈCHapəl) Hill and the University of Texas(ˈteksəs) at Austin(ˈôstən).

Although the Supreme(so͞o-,səˈprēm) Court(kôrt) affirmed(əˈfərm) last year that admissions officers may consider an applicant’s race among other factors, polls show that a majority(-ˈjär-,məˈjôrətē) of Americans disagree with that decision(diˈsiZHən). Critics(ˈkritik) of affirmative(əˈfərmətiv) action see plenty(ˈplentē ) of room for future legal(ˈlēgəl) challenges.

Whatever happens, age-old questions about fairness in admissions will surely endure(enˈd(y)o͝or).

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https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/01/education/edlife/what-college-admissions-wants.html