I feel compelled to say something about pandemic policies. There are lines starting to be crossed in the process of blaming and scapegoating people that can never be uncrossed, with policy implications that it seems that most people haven’t thought of. Talk of denying medical care for people who are not fully vaccinated (a diverse group of people being wildly misrepresented as all MAGA-types because it’s so useful politically) is a cheap and easy way to channel all that built up anger and frustration away from the extremely complicated reality of how we got to where we are in this disaster of a pandemic response. I wonder how many people have thought about which group will be voted off the island next? Smokers? People with diabetes? People whose FitBits show they haven’t been exercising as much as they’re “supposed to”?
Of course we’re all desperate for this pandemic to just be over and this makes it almost irresistible to grab on to one or the other side of what is essentially a “back and forth” tennis match of two simplistic narratives here in the US. But not only are neither of these narratives based on the actual evidence and science, they are both contributing to a degree of censorship of that evidence and science that is beyond what even cynical me thought was possible in the US. The last thing I want to be is yet another person telling you what to believe. I wish more people would look past the PR releases that pass for news these days because outside of this mainstream media bubble is where the real conversations and scientific work is being done. I know I’m a geek but it’s incredible how much people have learned about COVID and how to prevent it and treat it, even in some very limiting circumstances. It’s also really sad to me how much of this is kept from the general public here and replaced by a “did too!”, “did not!” rhetoric. It could have changed a lot of things. I wish I could summarize some of the highlights but there is simply so much that I wouldn’t know where to start.
I’m not posting links to sources because 1) I don’t have time, and 2) it’s not that simple, but here are a few points to consider- If it digs its heels into a narrative at the start and censors any evidence that doesn’t support that narrative, it’s not science. If it demands that you unquestioningly accept its assertions on faith while refusing to produce the evidence, that’s not science. If a person who fails to unwaveringly uphold the orthodox view is shunned as a heretic, that’s not science. That’s a belief-based system and the first belief is that it’s an evidence-based system.
And as for those lines that can’t be uncrossed- celebrating the deaths of people from a disease, or making death threats against them, or proposing that they be denied medical care or have to pay for their own medical care (which, let’s face it, in the US is basically a death threat) because they think differently than you do destroys the very society that we are supposedly trying to save. They’re not “rights” if you only have them when it’s convenient to the people in power. There is an ethic in conventional medicine to treat everyone, including enemy combatants, terrorists, pedophiles, mass shooters. So if you’re fine with all that but WHOA we gotta draw the line at not fully vaccinated people…please stop for a minute and ask yourself if you are certain that you know exactly whose bidding you are doing. Who are you allowing to tell you who to hate? I’m reminded of the quote that goes something like “when fighting monsters, be careful not to become one yourself”. And another saying- “the problem with seeing both sides of an issue is that then you miss all the other sides.”
They’re not “rights” if you only have them when it’s
convenient to those in power. More
wealth is at stake now then there has ever been before in human history. Those who are controlling the public
discourse and policy have a long history of willingness to sacrifice large
parts of the population for their own financial gain with no concern for the
suffering they cause. The road to hell
is paved with good intentions…. Good intentions don’t ward off unintended
consequences.
