Quantum query: Which was the story of the summer? - by David Perlmutter

David Perlmutter, QuantumListing/Perlmutter Properties

Even though the calendar still says it is summer, it seems that the season punches out the Tuesday after Labor Day. Even though summer is the time people find it easiest to unwind, with longer hours of sunlight, this particular summer seemed equal parts relaxation and anxiety. With that in mind, we posted September’s Quantum Query, “Which was the story of the summer?

The choices were: Brexit, the Presidential election, the Olympics, and big, crazy weather. Hearken back to June, when for a week or so, the 24-hour news cycle was obsessed with Brexit, the United Kingdom’s referendum on whether it wanted to leave the European Union or remain. To my surprise, the Leave vote carried the day by a 52-48 margin. International markets went into a short-lived panic and pundits had a field day, but in the end only 15 % of our Twitter voters thought it was the story.

My own vote was for the Presidential election. Between the two conventions and the daily mudslinging, it seemed very difficult to get away from this story. I thought that this was definitely going to be the winner of the poll, and early results seemed to be heading that way. But, just like in the seesawing of the Presidential polls, when the counting was done, the Presidential election came up short, with only 36% of the vote.

Before the games started, the Summer Olympics were being touted as an unmitigated disaster: Zika virus, crime, pollution and unfinished venues were just some of the headlines predicting disaster. However, once the opening ceremonies got underway, the Olympics became a welcome relief from the election. Seeing the athletes perform was inspiring and entertaining. And of course, Ryan Lochte and his teammates’ idiocy toward the end of the games were just enough to add some intrigue and comic relief to the Olympics. Admittedly, I got tired of watching the Lochte train wreck unfold in slow motion and it snuffed my interest in the Olympics, so I skipped the closing ceremony. That being said, 43% of the vote felt that the Olympics were the story of the summer. 

The crazy, big weather that we’ve been experiencing was the loser of our poll, with only 7% voting for it. Unfortunately, though it lost our poll, I fear that this is going to be the enduring story with the longest lasting impact on the lives of everyone on the planet. The Brexit is going to play out in slow motion over at least a couple of years, and may even be cancelled because of the complication of unwinding all of the treaties and agreements that will be necessary. The 24-hour news cycle has turned the coverage of the 2016 Presidential election up to 11, but come November, someone will be elected, and no matter what your political preference, odds are that American democracy will survive.  However, human activity has had unintended consequences on the environment, and how the planet and its population will respond is a great unknown.

David Perlmutter is the owner of QuantumListing/Perlmutter Properties, White Plains, N.Y.