“Isn’t it sad that you can tell people that the ozone layer is being depleted, the forests are being cut down, the deserts are advancing steadily, that the greenhouse effect will raise the sea level 200 feet, that overpopulation is choking us, that pollution is killing us, that nuclear war may destroy us – and they yawn and settle back for a comfortable nap. But tell them that the Martians are landing, and they scream and run.”― Isaac Asimov, The Secret of the Universe
As of today, May 20th, 2020, COVID 19 has killed 324,962 worldwide. Almost a third of those deaths, 93,533, have occurred in the United States. We are currently conducting what I call the Grand Experiment here in the States. In spite of the unanimous opinion of scientists and doctors, we are opening the United States back up, giving the virus back vectors that allowed it to spread and quickly threaten to overcome both the healthcare system here in the states as well as other healthcare systems around the world. In the interest of higher stock prices, we are willing to risk both American lives and the sure destruction of the economy if the virus gets out of control.
Donald Trump has called this effort a “war”. His critics claim he is simply using hyperbole so as to cement his legacy as a “war-time” President. In this instance, however, I agree with him. Invaders can take all forms and come at us in many different ways. It doesn’t necessarily have to be rival gangs of mammals equipped with guns, aircraft, and explosives. It could be an invasive species of insect that preys on insects beneficial to our agriculture or, as with the Zika virus, the insects can transmit a virus directly. In the case of the Coronavirus which causes COVID 19, we are the carriers as the virus spreads throughout our environment. So this is a war in every sense of the word; our opponent uses stealth so it is invisible. Science, until it develops a vaccine or a treatment, such as Tamiflu for the influenza virus, has given us clear instructions on how to slow down the spread and, when followed to the letter as the South Koreans did, even stop it in its tracks.
Most countries have recognized the seriousness of this Pandemic and followed the science. Three countries, the United States, Russia, and Brazil have not. We are about to experience the full force of the virus while Brazil and Russia are at the very cusp. While the United States still leads the world in the number of new daily cases, 20,289, Brazil is second with 16,517, and Russia is third with 9,263. Brazil is poised to start passing the United States in many of the categories, the most sobering being new deaths each day. It is interesting that all three countries are led by a self-proclaimed Strong Man who is quite willing to ignore the scientists and other experts and instead follow his ‘instincts’.
While I could write volumes on Putin or Bolsonaro, living here in the United States I am way more concerned with the consequences here. Each day the internet is filled with right-wing websites, blogs, and social media pages vilifying the science and the scientists who are tasked with fighting this war against COVID 19. Their recommendations are viewed as liberal assaults on ‘freedoms’. The issue of wearing a protective mask illustrates this anti-science/anti-expert sentiment like nothing else. It is as if there were Londoners during the blitz who refused to turn their lights off to help stymie the German bombing runs in the name of ‘freedom’. No one could be that stupid, you say? Hold to that claim and I can guarantee the right-wing in this country will make a fool out of you. Even if a vaccine is developed, it is estimated that 1 in 5 Americans would refuse it. Why you ask? Because the anti-vax community has convinced them that this is a surreptitious way of introducing a microchip into people in order to track their every move. This they tweet, post, and IM from their cell phones that they willingly carry around with them everywhere they go. Mad, isn’t it?
“I have always found it quaint and rather touching that there is a movement [Libertarians] in the US that thinks Americans are not yet selfish enough.”
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There is an exception to this anti-science rhetoric by the right-wing. One of the more common canards you hear is that modern medicine is hiding the cure for cancer and that all one needs to do is a search on Google and YouTube for both the proof of this claim and, more importantly, for the myriad of cures that are out there. One of my favorites is German New Medicine which claims, among other things, that “mainstream medicine is regarded as a conspiracy promulgated by Jews.” You can find out about it and others here. There is a notable exception to this narrative about cancer and the medical community. It happens when they or a loved one gets diagnosed with the disease. Gone are the posts about the nefarious medical mafia and their schemes. Suddenly we are all extorted to pray for the doctors so God will guide their hands and to pray for the unfortunate victims. They sit silently in front of the cancer surgeons, oncologists, and radiologists, mouths shut, hanging on every word. “We must pay close attention and do what we are told by the experts in order to beat this terrible disease.” But what about the coffee enemas? “Shut up, you are not a doctor!” Sorry, I was just repeating what you told me a few months ago.
You can cut the hypocrisy with the same knife the surgeon uses to remove the cancer.
secularinthesouth 