Thank you for putting post-pandemic infectious morbidity in the broader socio-political context. Studying pandemics throughout history, it seems post-pandemic denialism is pretty constant. As you so ably describe Europe and the USA are all captured by naked capitalism. Politicians are unable to think the social-business-government contract. Chaos ensues.
Many thanks again, Julia, for another insightful article. So glad that I am retired in a blue state and live alone in my home, which I own outright and has an air purifier, and I can almost completely control how and when I come into contact with others. I feel badly for those who can't. And it will take millions more dying and disabled before anything changes. Pathetic. Many thanks again, and I wish you good health.
This is why I appeal to Governments and Media through the lens of cost. Yes, research in M.E, L.C, and other Post Viral Illnesses costs money, but it will lower the cost of sick pay. If the research had been done when we asked for it in 1980, they may not have had to spend the past 70 years paying benefits to the millions us who are too sick to work. And we'd definitely have better information on how to prevent these illnesses becoming an issue during a pandemic.
I naively thought that perhaps the resulting increase in disability from Covid would lead to them realising this, and realising our current system of 'let it rip' is unsustainable from an economic viewpoint (I long ago gave up expecting them to care about us as humans), but clearly not. I wonder when will the tipping point be? When deaths once again outnumber sickness? When they themselves can't leave their beds? The extra frustrating thing is, that even with the limited research that has been done, we already know easy ways to limit these infections, yet the world has been gaslit into believing they don't work, that they won't make a difference.
"the story is the same: people are sicker, and governments are blaming the sick" AND managing to convince their citizens to blame the sick and the poor and the immigrants. SMH.
"A banker, a social welfare recipient and an asylum seeker are sitting at a table. There are 12 cookies in front of them. The banker takes 11 cookies and says to the social welfare recipient: “Watch out, the refugee wants your cookie.”
I'm not religious, but I'm a curious person. I stumbled on this Re: The Sermon on the Mount.
"And.. the Aramaic word for blessed is “congratulations.” Jesus is actually saying hey, poor people, Hey, hungry people. Hey, sick people, you who are being persecuted, congratulations! And why is he congratulating them? Because he's saying, this kingdom that's coming about, that I'm going to help build? In that kingdom, you're going to be first, you're going to be the most important. And then he says to the rich and the powerful. Woe, are you. ‘Woe’ meant warning. ‘I'm warning you, those of you who are full now, those of you who are laughing now, those of you who are rich now, Woe are you, because in the kingdom that's coming, you're going to be last, you're going to be pulled down from your thrones.
So you can see my friends why these words, why these Beatitudes were so daring and dangerous for Jesus to speak, and why he had to be silenced for saying them."
Thanks for pointing out all this. It seems that no matter how obvious the costs of not dealing with the forever pandemic, it will never be acknowledged. The working class has to force the issue to be dealt with through enforced indoor clean air standards and upgraded ventilation. Another takeaway for me is the hypocrisy of the "progressive" media outlets and politicians who are frauds on COVID, but it's not as if that's the only issue.
AOC went around calling Pelosi "Mama Bear" after starting her career pretending she'd be bringing the fight to her and the establishment. Trump was the one who finally brought the ceasefire to Gaza, notwithstanding all the BS he did after, AOC and others claimed Holocaust Harris was "tirelessly working for a ceasefire", which isn't a thing. In politics, either you do the thing, or you don't.
"Sick people cost money; letting a pandemic rip isn’t cheap, only easy." 👏👏👏
Thank you for putting post-pandemic infectious morbidity in the broader socio-political context. Studying pandemics throughout history, it seems post-pandemic denialism is pretty constant. As you so ably describe Europe and the USA are all captured by naked capitalism. Politicians are unable to think the social-business-government contract. Chaos ensues.
Many thanks again, Julia, for another insightful article. So glad that I am retired in a blue state and live alone in my home, which I own outright and has an air purifier, and I can almost completely control how and when I come into contact with others. I feel badly for those who can't. And it will take millions more dying and disabled before anything changes. Pathetic. Many thanks again, and I wish you good health.
This is why I appeal to Governments and Media through the lens of cost. Yes, research in M.E, L.C, and other Post Viral Illnesses costs money, but it will lower the cost of sick pay. If the research had been done when we asked for it in 1980, they may not have had to spend the past 70 years paying benefits to the millions us who are too sick to work. And we'd definitely have better information on how to prevent these illnesses becoming an issue during a pandemic.
I naively thought that perhaps the resulting increase in disability from Covid would lead to them realising this, and realising our current system of 'let it rip' is unsustainable from an economic viewpoint (I long ago gave up expecting them to care about us as humans), but clearly not. I wonder when will the tipping point be? When deaths once again outnumber sickness? When they themselves can't leave their beds? The extra frustrating thing is, that even with the limited research that has been done, we already know easy ways to limit these infections, yet the world has been gaslit into believing they don't work, that they won't make a difference.
Thank you so much for this reporting. The further out we get the more the data clarifies...
"the story is the same: people are sicker, and governments are blaming the sick" AND managing to convince their citizens to blame the sick and the poor and the immigrants. SMH.
"A banker, a social welfare recipient and an asylum seeker are sitting at a table. There are 12 cookies in front of them. The banker takes 11 cookies and says to the social welfare recipient: “Watch out, the refugee wants your cookie.”
I'm not religious, but I'm a curious person. I stumbled on this Re: The Sermon on the Mount.
"And.. the Aramaic word for blessed is “congratulations.” Jesus is actually saying hey, poor people, Hey, hungry people. Hey, sick people, you who are being persecuted, congratulations! And why is he congratulating them? Because he's saying, this kingdom that's coming about, that I'm going to help build? In that kingdom, you're going to be first, you're going to be the most important. And then he says to the rich and the powerful. Woe, are you. ‘Woe’ meant warning. ‘I'm warning you, those of you who are full now, those of you who are laughing now, those of you who are rich now, Woe are you, because in the kingdom that's coming, you're going to be last, you're going to be pulled down from your thrones.
So you can see my friends why these words, why these Beatitudes were so daring and dangerous for Jesus to speak, and why he had to be silenced for saying them."
(https://www.douglasucc.org/homilies/the-beatitudes-jesus-shocking-words)
What bible are these greedy, perverse oligarchs (and their minions) referring to?
Matthew 19:24
"And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God."
I guess they've just decided to unite to do their best to make the lives of the majority HELL on earth.
Thanks for pointing out all this. It seems that no matter how obvious the costs of not dealing with the forever pandemic, it will never be acknowledged. The working class has to force the issue to be dealt with through enforced indoor clean air standards and upgraded ventilation. Another takeaway for me is the hypocrisy of the "progressive" media outlets and politicians who are frauds on COVID, but it's not as if that's the only issue.
AOC went around calling Pelosi "Mama Bear" after starting her career pretending she'd be bringing the fight to her and the establishment. Trump was the one who finally brought the ceasefire to Gaza, notwithstanding all the BS he did after, AOC and others claimed Holocaust Harris was "tirelessly working for a ceasefire", which isn't a thing. In politics, either you do the thing, or you don't.