6 minute read
Sean Patrick: A New York Rant
A NEW YORK RANT
CAN’T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?!?!?!
By Sean-Patrick M. Hillman have been so depressed lately. No, fear not Gothamites, I am not suicidal (though if you are, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 to get some help). You can look forward to my acerbic column to continue for many years. I am depressed because as we approach our great nation’s 244th birthday, we have become more divided than ever…especially in New York.
I blame politics, special interest groups and social media. Flat out. When I was growing up, Ronald Reagan was our President. And before you start, NO this is not a political statement or column. President Reagan always believed that no matter our differences, we are all Americans and that any argument or negotiation should start from that common thread. Where is that logic now?
Everyone is suffering from political and societal exhaustion. Forget COVID-19…this issue is going to end up killing us a lot faster. Between the Democrats and the Republicans, both sides are so blinded by their own ideology that they refuse to compromise. Perhaps if someone, ANYONE, came to the table and used President Reagan’s philosophy as a starting point, we could begin to close the divide that this country has suffered for over 15 years.
ourselves that we are all human. We all make mistakes (yours truly very much included in this sentiment). We all blindly follow our heroes and the public personas we love. And there is nothing wrong with that. But with everything that we are all enduring right now, isn’t it time for all men and women to set aside those mistakes, those passion points, differences, and remember that we are all Americans? In our case, we are all New Yorkers. We need to remember the lessons that history has tried to teach us… as an example, let’s get back to the comradery and love we all felt for each other post 9/11. It should not take a terrorist attack, global pandemic or other time of strife and uncertainty to bring us together. Just the reality that we all live in the greatest city, in the greatest country, on Earth. That should be a good starting point.
Yes, my fellow Gothamites, I am preaching unity. Enough with the lines in the sand. Enough with the great racial, gender and societal divide. All it is doing is padding the pockets of would-be politicians so that they can get re-elected. Isn’t it time we say “ENOUGH”?!?!? We need to remember that there is a reason why New York has always been considered the “Great Melting Pot” of our world. It is the one place on this planet where we have every nationality, every point of view and every religion. Rather than focusing on the differences, let’s take the spirit of President Reagan’s advice and start from “we are all New Yorkers” and come back together to restore our metropolis to its former glory. Maybe it is time for everyone to just take a step back and remind
As a third generation New Yorker, I will be the first to set aside ANY differences to begin bringing people back together…that is how you unite the races and genders. Through peace. Not through rioting, looting and political meandering. The next time you have a negative thought about your neighbor, that person working at Duane Reade or the person delivering your food, remember that they are just like you and I…they live in the greatest city on Earth. And THAT is how you begin to heal a fractured populous. Only together can we achieve greatness. Can’t we all just get along please?!?!?! •
NEW YORK, NY
TIME OUT WITH… ED MICHAEL REGGIE
By Bailey Beckett d Michael Reggie is the epitome of the modern-day entrepreneur. The New York resident has started, invested in, and sold start-ups companies through his company Future Factory for years, which he began after a highly respected career in healthcare. Having taught entrepreneurship at Tulane University in his native Louisiana, he knows better than most an opportunity when he sees one.
But he could not have expected the funeral business would provide his biggest challenge and opportunity yet. After hearing from colleagues and co-workers about the difficulties of planning services, and understanding prices, his curiosity was piqued. He began months of research into this often-insular industry, and he found that little transparency, secretive pricing, and lack of information for consumers inspired his newest venture: Funeralocity, the Internet’s only free price comparison website. The site launched last year to great fanfare and has steadily become the go-to platform for anyone searching for a funeral home.
Tell us more about Funeralocity.
We are a free comparison website that lists prices, locations, and contact information for nearly every funeral home and crematory in the U.S. Ninety-one percent of funeral homes do not list their prices. With our platform, you can find the most up-to-date costs for nearly every business. So, whether you are planning your funeral or for a family member, you now have a resource that can provide you all the information you need with a simple search.
Why is this needed?
Planning a funeral is something you will do once or maybe twice in your lifetime. It is not an everyday event. And so, people are naturally inexperienced in this regard. Often, they live far away from their loved ones. Funeralocity is a website that makes this process easier. You can search funeral homes in any geographic area, compare prices, and find the appropriate contacts from the privacy of your own home, no matter where you live.
What have been the challenges in this marketplace?
It is a fragmented industry with most funeral homes and cremation providers very much rooted in their communities. Funeralocity is a one-stop destination that can connect users to thousands of funeral homes across the country.
What has been the reception of Funeralocity since your launch last year?
The response has been beyond our expectations. We have many thousands of visitors come to our website and received news coverage across the country. Especially important to me has been the support we have received from hospice professionals working in the field. We are heartened that the public has found Funeralocity an honest and transparent resource when planning a service. All our information is independently collected and vetted, and people appreciate that because there is no other site that offers this vital information.
How has the Coronavirus affected your business?
It has put us right at the center of it here in New York City. We have been assisting grieving families looking to make last arrangements when they could not find a funeral home. We have staffed our helplines with licensed funeral directors to help these families make plans under challenging conditions. It is a scenario that has never been seen before. The need for services was considerably heightened, and some homes could not handle the demand.
Additionally, stay-at-home restrictions made having in-person services challenging, so virtual funerals became an option that homes began offering. That is why our staff helplines proved helpful: we were able to find homes for callers that could handle their needs, including religious/ cultural/ spiritual considerations, which are always essential factors in planning services. Our traffic from the New York area increased over 100 percent, and one of the things we are watching is the pricing of funeral homes in the region. By our analytics, it appears that prices increased during this crisis.
What are the misconceptions about funeral planning?
Statistics show that most consumers call only one funeral provider in their time of need. People do not often realize the vast price differences between funeral and cremation providers. As with every other purchase, it is essential to shop around. A funeral is typically the fifth most costly expenditure in one’s life.
