I suppose I ought to. For my own clarity of mind if no other purpose. I suppose I can't simply abandon history happening all around me to a multitude of cheap memes.
Where to begin?
Coronavirus has of course changed everything. It is the giant-squid in the room that quite a surprising number of people are pretending isn't there.
In the beginning, I felt it may have been an opportunity for humanity to band together and deal with a common threat. I had ridiculous visions of international cooperation and new levels of community involvement all over the world. I thought we'd finally see the futility of our current economic system, and build something better. I even (briefly) had these ridiculous ideas of rolling up the sleeves and joining a volunteer citizen army to join the workers in the factories producing protective equipment. All out for World War C.
It all seems so silly now. Now I have very little faith than humanity could band together to solve anything.
Unlike climate-change, coronavirus is something that can be immediately observed. There's nothing abstract about it - it is a tangible threat that can be quantified. Surely this was something we could all agree on, and all face together. We would do what needed to be done, make the necessary sacrifices. Everyone, would be onboard - even the greedy billionaires. It would work something like this:
Coronavirus has of course changed everything. It is the giant-squid in the room that quite a surprising number of people are pretending isn't there.
In the beginning, I felt it may have been an opportunity for humanity to band together and deal with a common threat. I had ridiculous visions of international cooperation and new levels of community involvement all over the world. I thought we'd finally see the futility of our current economic system, and build something better. I even (briefly) had these ridiculous ideas of rolling up the sleeves and joining a volunteer citizen army to join the workers in the factories producing protective equipment. All out for World War C.
It all seems so silly now. Now I have very little faith than humanity could band together to solve anything.
Unlike climate-change, coronavirus is something that can be immediately observed. There's nothing abstract about it - it is a tangible threat that can be quantified. Surely this was something we could all agree on, and all face together. We would do what needed to be done, make the necessary sacrifices. Everyone, would be onboard - even the greedy billionaires. It would work something like this:
To stop the spread of the virus, there would naturally be mass lock-down and quarantine. On a scale we've never seen before. To make it work, we would need to ensure people wouldn't starve to death if they stayed home from work. Simple really: you just can't ethically force someone to miss work. People would need to be paid to stay home. The whole thing collapses otherwise.
Universal income. Paid sick leave. Rent controls. Eviction freezes. This is what it would take to beat the thing. We wouldn't worry about how to pay for it, just like we didn't worry about how much it would cost to beat Hitler. We would pool our resources and we would Just Do It.
And in the meantime, all those truly essential people - front like healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, those folks who keep the water and electricity running, the truckers who deliver food, and most of all - those teenaged cashiers at the supermarkets - would finally be recognized as society's Real Important People. Indeed, those supermarket workers were called heroes and given bonuses.
It was all in sight. It could have happened.
It didn't. And those bonuses were revoked months ago.
Conspiracy theories started and spread as fast as the virus itself. Basic precautions (let alone social reinvention) have become strictly politicized, with roughly half the world (including all its Trumpeters) fighting tooth-and-nail for their right to get sick. Wearing masks, social distancing, and staying home when possible were decided to be intolerable intrusions on freedom, comparable to Krystalnacht, armed thugs stormed the Michigan State Legislature, and at the time of writing, there are more cases than ever.
Meanwhile, a different gang of armed thugs murdered George Floyd, and the great US of A exploded in an orgy of state-sanctioned violence. Their fearless leader took the side of the baton bearing thugs, climate change is probably past the point of no return, democracy Hong Kong has been thoroughly crushed, while the People's Republic continues to stuff Uighurs into concentration camps.
And in the meantime, all those truly essential people - front like healthcare workers, doctors, nurses, those folks who keep the water and electricity running, the truckers who deliver food, and most of all - those teenaged cashiers at the supermarkets - would finally be recognized as society's Real Important People. Indeed, those supermarket workers were called heroes and given bonuses.
It was all in sight. It could have happened.
It didn't. And those bonuses were revoked months ago.
Conspiracy theories started and spread as fast as the virus itself. Basic precautions (let alone social reinvention) have become strictly politicized, with roughly half the world (including all its Trumpeters) fighting tooth-and-nail for their right to get sick. Wearing masks, social distancing, and staying home when possible were decided to be intolerable intrusions on freedom, comparable to Krystalnacht, armed thugs stormed the Michigan State Legislature, and at the time of writing, there are more cases than ever.
Meanwhile, a different gang of armed thugs murdered George Floyd, and the great US of A exploded in an orgy of state-sanctioned violence. Their fearless leader took the side of the baton bearing thugs, climate change is probably past the point of no return, democracy Hong Kong has been thoroughly crushed, while the People's Republic continues to stuff Uighurs into concentration camps.
School openings in Ontario have been a complete fiasco.
Used bookshops will probably not exist by this time next year.
It is difficult at this time to hold any faith in humanity. In recent years, we consistently made the worst decisions possible (Stephen Polyana Pinker notwithstanding). It's hard to believe Doctor Tar and Professor Fether are not in charge. Or that the UN isn't a fiddle emporium for Ubiquitous Neros. Of whom, three are worth noting:
Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro, and Donald Trump, each a contender for the "Asshole of the Year" award, have all at one time minimized, played down, or downright denied the Covid threat. All three have now had Covid.
Believers in Karma may make of this what they will.
Used bookshops will probably not exist by this time next year.
It is difficult at this time to hold any faith in humanity. In recent years, we consistently made the worst decisions possible (Stephen Polyana Pinker notwithstanding). It's hard to believe Doctor Tar and Professor Fether are not in charge. Or that the UN isn't a fiddle emporium for Ubiquitous Neros. Of whom, three are worth noting:
Boris Johnson, Jair Bolsonaro, and Donald Trump, each a contender for the "Asshole of the Year" award, have all at one time minimized, played down, or downright denied the Covid threat. All three have now had Covid.
Believers in Karma may make of this what they will.
