Ah, those rankings!

“Paradise,’’ by Jan Bruegel

From Robert Whitcomb’s “Digital Diary,’’ in GoLocal24.com

WalletHub’s rankings of the “best’’ and “worst’’ states in which to retire put Rhode Island as third worst, with Kentucky the worst and New Mexico second worst, and the three “best” as Florida, New Hampshire and Colorado. (So the rankings can’t be said to be biased for warm states.)  Massachusetts was put at 14th best and Connecticut at 33rd.

Such lists are fun but even the choice of metrics for establishing rankings is itself subjective. To paraphrase Tolstoy, each individual and each family is happy or unhappy in its own way.

 “John Tworog,’’ in the comments section below GoLocal’s article on the rankings, had some interesting observations:

“Balderdash! Quality of life like beauty is in the eye of the beholder! RI can compete with any state in that category! RI has a four season moderate climate. It is poised to get better with global warming. It's not too cold unlike the northern states and not too hot unlike the southern states. The thing is RI is a small state. But that is just lines on a map. We are really residents of the state of Southern New England. Boston is a lot closer to us than residents in other states are to their big cities. Apples and oranges!’’

--But from “Jane Blythe’’:

“Those are the reasons I had to leave R.I. --- it could be THE best state, but because of corruption and other factors, it has sunk so low. Just could be the ideal place, in so many ways --- its small size, its friendliness, its sense of pride, the proximity to Boston --- but the leaders have ruined it. Sad....’

Of course, hating the state’s leaders (a common emotion soon after they’re elected) doesn’t address the flaws of those responsible for electing them, either through voting or failing to vote – the oh-so-put-upon citizenry.

As usual, the majority of comments on such articles are negative, with the traditional denunciations of the state for its taxes, history of corruption and other pathologies, real or imagined. I think that a lot of this negativity can be explained by the Ocean State’s history of class and ethnic animosity and how its intimacy has fueled too many insider deals. “I know a guy,’’ etc. – not that other states are unfamiliar with such things….

The names of many complainants after such stories are familiar, which reminds me that many Rhode Islanders who constantly complain about the place could easily afford to move but stay put. It’s as if  they fear losing the satisfaction and indeed pleasure from complaining about the tight little place while they’re in it.  The thrill would be gone if they lived year round in, say, the bland land of palmetto-shaded strip malls and gated communities (albeit with  energetic  alligators in the golf course water hazards).

Anyway, these are the sort of typical remarks:

-- From “Justice ONeil:” (identified on Facebook as a dog!)

“Only surprise there is it's not #50”

 -- From “Scott J. Grzych’’

“The good news is that the taxes are so high, I'll never be able to retire.’’

Ah, those rankings! Forbes ranks Rhode Island 20th for “quality of life,’’ whatever that may mean.

To read the WalletHub rankings, please hit this link.

To read the GoLocal article on the report, please hit this link.\

Maybe the Ocean State would have better politics and government if more Rhode Islanders showed less fatalism and bestirred themselves to vote, or even run for office. Consider that the United States Elections Project ranked Rhode Island as having the worst voter turnout in New England in the 2016 election, at 59.7 percent. Massachusetts was at 68.3 percent; Connecticut at 64.9 percent; Vermont at 64.8 percent; New Hampshire at 72.5 percent, and Maine at 72.9 percent.

Hit this link to see United States Elections Project site.

Over-ranked rankings

Most people seem to love to read rankings – of cities, colleges, best places to retire, etc., etc. But just about all these rankings are comparing apples and oranges. Each of these places is unique.

National city rankings, for instance, usually fail to include such qualities as convenience, as measured by compactness and proximity to nearby important cities; cultural complexity and interest, and the beauty of the built environment. Rather they emphasize such financial metrics as low taxes for retirees.  And thus boring SunBelt cities tend to be ranked much higher than, say, Providence, which all in all, is a much more interesting place than most Sun Belt cities. (Perhaps the most exciting Sun Belt cities are seedy, dangerous, exciting New Orleans and Miami, the sort of place that the writer Somerset Maugham called a “sunny place for shady people’’.)

I’m quite aware of Providence’s shortcomings.

And college rankings take little note of the big differences between a rural college and city university or even between a large and small institution, which can have big impact on how courses are taught and the overall college experience. The rankings industry is big, but it sells very misleading stuff.