The COVID-19 Pandemic has caused so much damage to all aspects of our lives. It has destroyed our supply chain, harmed our physical and mental well being, and has caused us to come face to face with our own livelihoods. Whatever the damage COVID has and continues to bring, we can be sure we will be bombarded with all types of narratives, whether or not that information makes sense.
Can SARS-COV2 lie in wait on our groceries? Guess we should wipe them down with disinfectant wipes just to be safe!
What about our takeout? Blast it in the microwave after delivery, you can’t be too careful now!
Don’t think about why the utensils were removed from the break room (with a working sink and dish soap) even though you sign in with a communal pen and touch all the same handles and surfaces as everyone else! Those Solo cups will kill you!
I and everyone else reading this post can list plenty more scenarios that just does not seem to pass the sniff test with respect to rules and behaviors, and some of these can be brushed off as either being innocuous or not all that intrusive. Even if it does not seem right why did/do we go along with it?
Since the pandemic began I continuously thought about a paper I read in one of my college classes about the AIDS epidemic. Although I don’t remember much about the paper in general, I specifically remember the proactive approach taken by the afflicted communities. These were not people that stood by and let government and medical institutions dictate their livelihoods and their behaviors. Instead communities organized protests against these institutions, contacted representatives and scientists, but most importantly they took the time to read and understand the science and literature about AIDS. During a pandemic this community became their own health advocates, learned the pharmacology and virology of HIV, what therapeutics were being looked at, and were able to discuss this information on equal footing with both doctors and scientists alike.
So what does this have to do with COVID? We’ve been in the middle of the pandemic for the past 18 months, with most people at home watching the news constantly. Therefore, it would not be a stretch to argue that many people should be adequately knowledgeable about COVID. Unfortunately, instead of having a well informed populace, it seems like we have ceded all ability to rationalize and interpret information. Many of us would rather spend our time shouting #trustthescience than to actually look up the science. We take the word of any authority figure instead of looking up the information ourselves and trying to piece it all together.
We have entered into an era of what I would consider intellectual disarmament, where many have lost the ability to think for themselves, go against the grain and try to come to a position of understanding and coherent thought. An era where “You don’t have to think about it cause someone else already did” is commonplace and not an idea of parochial ignorance.
The purpose of this newsletter is to try to bring rational thought to the forefront. To inform readers and provide them with not just knowledge but the ability to gauge and understand ideas and topics so that they may become their own well informed advocates, whether it falls within the realm of science or culture. Whether or not that goes against the norms or orthodox thinking, we will hopefully be well-equipped to engage in heterodox thought and rationale and gain our own ability to fact-check.
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When reports of covid reached the US I bought some N95 masks which I gave to family members if they were going to the airport or crowded place. Soon after that, I saw the data that came from the Diamond Princess (cruise ship). I saw that a) we would all eventually be exposed regardless of what we did and b) the vast majority of us would have no or mild symptoms. After that I stopped caring about masks etc and just watched this policy debacle unfold with disbelief and disgust.
Here's a great sensationalized heading: "COVID in Israel: Nearly Half of Deaths Over Past Month Are Among Unvaccinated." The nearly half is 45% which means 55% of the deaths were in the vaccinated. If this were an election piece then the vaccinated would have won (err, lost) with a landslide victory. Clearly the vaccine will keep you from severe disease and certainly nearly 100% protect from death (of course, there is no data on age and/or co-morbidities). I am glad Israel is keeping such good records, but again, good journalism must always incite hysteria in the masses. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/covid-in-israel-severe-cases-remain-stable-1.10216067