A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early January, 2002 | Richard Grayson

 

A Writer’s Diary Entries From Early January, 2002 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary From Late December, 2001 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary From Late December, 2001 | Richard Grayson 

A Writer’s Diary From Mid-December, 2001 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary From Mid-December, 2001 | Richard Grayson

Phoenix Independent publishes column by Richard Grayson, "What Dr. Rick gets wrong about ‘becoming your parents’"

Today, Wednesday, March 11, 2026, the Phoenix Independent has published a column,  "What Dr. Rick gets wrong about 'becoming your parents'" by Richard Grayson:

The popular Progressive insurance commercials featuring "Dr. Rick" are built around a clever premise: young homeowners gradually "turn into their parents," adopting the supposedly embarrassing habits of older generations.

The ads work because they tap into recognizable quirks—chatting with strangers, offering unsolicited advice, worrying about trash bins. As viewers say, "it's funny because it's true."

Yet the campaign's central joke raises an interesting question in light of current research on Gen Z loneliness. Ironically, many of the habits Dr. Rick discourages may be precisely the everyday social behaviors that psychologists believe younger adults need more of.

A growing body of research suggests that casual interaction with strangers—what sociologists call "weak ties"—plays an important role in well-being. Studies find that people who engage brief conversations with strangers report higher happiness and belonging than those who remain isolated. Small exchanges—talking at a gas pump, commenting on the weather—are not trivial. They weave together a social fabric.

Meanwhile, surveys consistently find that Gen Z reports higher levels of loneliness than older generations, despite living in a world saturated with digital communication. People are constantly connected online but feel disconnected in real life.

Seen from this perspective, the behaviors Dr. Rick tries to "treat" represent a lost repertoire of everyday sociability. When he tells his patients not to talk to strangers, he is advising them to behave the way many socially anxious people already do: keep their heads down and stay in their own lane.

The parent who chats with someone at the hardware store may seem mildly embarrassing—but that interaction builds trust and community. Many of us older residents of Apache Junction and Gold Canyon have known this all along.

In an era of widespread loneliness, "becoming your parents" might not be a problem. It might be part of the solution.

A Writer’s Diary From Early December, 2001 | Richard Grayson

A Writer’s Diary From Early December, 2001 | Richard Grayson

Arizona Republic publishes letter by Richard Grayson, "No Labels or Arizona Independent Party − it’s all branding"

Today, Tuesday, March 3, 2026, the Arizona Republic published a letter by Richard Grayson, "No Labels or Arizona Independent Party − it’s all branding":

Senate Bill 1609 would require the Arizona Independent Party to revert to its previous name, the No Labels Party — the name under which thousands of Arizonans signed a 2023 petition to establish it. That is the practical effect of this bill.The measure does not remove the party from the ballot. It does not raise signature requirements. It does not prevent anyone from registering with the party or running under its banner. Candidates affiliated with it will still face far lower signature thresholds than candidates who run as true independents and bypass party primaries altogether. An unopposed write-in candidate can still win a party nomination with only a plurality of votes.

As a candidate who ran under the No Labels banner, I can attest that the party's ballot access advantages existed before the name change and will remain after it.

Renaming the party “Independent” did not create independence, and restoring the original name will not diminish it. What changes here is branding — not democracy.

Richard Grayson, Apache Junction