?On Sat, Apr 18, 2020 at 06:10 PM, Sal Sunshine wrote:
It¡¯s just almost impossible for me to believe this kind of selfish, myopic thinking even exists. ?Do these f*ckers think any of the rest of us like the isolation? ?
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Saw this gem tonight on a friend¡¯s FB ?page, pretty much encapsulates the ¡°my portfolio/pantry/state of mind is more important than your life, peon¡° ethos especially the reference to ¡°them¡± going back to work.
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¡°I can't stand trump, but personally, I'm far more scared of poverty, despair, hunger, and the breakdown of society than a nasty but not terribly lethal virus. It's only been a few weeks, and already the food system is straining. Factories are shutting down, food is being dumped, and crops are rotting in fields. The "cure" has the potential to be far more lethal than the virus itself. Realistically, a vaccine is 12-18 months out, and vaccines for viruses that mutate at a fast rate are crapshoots at best. At some point, people are going to have to go back to work, and when they do, the virus will inevitably spread through most of the population.¡±
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Notice some of the phrases taken right from the Bible According to Trump, like the cure being worse than the disease. ?And of course the breakdown of the social order that¡¯s being deliberately organized by right-wing organizations so ¡°they¡± have to go back to work and risk getting sick, leading to...what? ?An even greater breakdown of the social order? ?So what, as long as ¡°despair¡± is held at bay, however artificially. ? And if you get the virus and the hospitals near you are so overwhelmed you can¡¯t get the care you need, or if you have cancer or heart disease and can¡¯t get in because there¡¯s just too many virus cases? Well that¡¯s tough luck I guess, or something. ?
Interestingly, this writer makes some valid points but they are points we all recognize - that no matter how you go about dealing with the pandemic there is going to be hardship. It is easy to say we should open up the economy when you aren't sick and you haven't lost anyone to coronavirus. For many, this virus is simply numbers and something that happens to other people. Everyone who feels like this should walk down the halls of hospitals dealing with hundreds of cases. Eye opener. For sure, the "cure" for this disease is difficult and is resulting in massive unemployment, bankruptcies and lost night's sleep. There is no easy solution to this thing - we all just have to sit in the middle of this metaphorical fire and wait for it to burn itself out which will take a long time, like years. The vaccine is the only real solution.?
Of course, trump continues to foment this terrible idea of "liberating" ourselves from the tyranny of the state Governors. If staying healthy is tyranny I will take it. Luckily, in Canada, things seem a lot more cohesive and our PM is not inciting his citizens to rise up and rage against common sense. Most are resigned and on board to do their part and the statistics reflect this with a fraction of the sickness and death found elsewhere. We Canadians are a genial lot, law abiding and polite - it is not just a stereotype! Even I, the brash American that I am, am happy to toddle close to home and socialize with no one. Groceries are mostly delivered and I spend a lot of time in the isolation of the great outdoors up on this beautiful island I live on. I am lucky, though. I am retired and don't have to fret about anything other than the stock market. It could be so much worse for me and I am grateful it is not. Luckily, Canada is not opening the border with the US for at least another 30 days and I hope that Trudeau will hold tough against fat ass and hold out for another 4-5 months after that. Until the shit show south of my border gets cleaned up I don't want Americans wandering up here spreading their germs that are more prevalent due to the haphazard approach the US has taken with dealing with this virus. Am I sounding germaphobic? You betcha. The Yanks can stay home until they get a clue on a mass scale. So many are acting like entitled children refusing to have a little self discipline. I know there are those experiencing real hardship, be it they are stuck at home with abusive family members, or watching a business go belly up or unable to visit an elderly parent languishing in a nursing home. I happen to be one of the luckier versions of those practicing social distancing (at least I am healthy so far) but I am well aware of those who are not so fortunate. Nevertheless, no matter how we go about this, there is a huge price to pay.?
Sal Sunshine