At this exact time last year I was headed home from my parents house in TN with positive Covid test in hand (a very odd disease). I’m back in TN again visiting family and I am very thankful for the opportunity to spend time with loved ones. I am lucky that most of my family and friends don’t live in abject fear of Covid and vaccination status doesn’t trump get-togethers.
I really appreciate your rational arguments based on science and I wish more people would at least attempt to look into things rather than just be spoon fed by the media. There are real ways to keep yourself safe and healthy and those things are never promoted by the media. The constant fear, panic and worry are horrendous for your immune system.
Overall I think people desire to be heard and that best happens in intimate one on one conversations. It is very important to have someone to talk to and a lot of people are suffering from loneliness and depression (also bad for the immune system). I am cautiously optimistic for 2022 - Happy New Year!
Dec 31, 2021·edited Dec 31, 2021Liked by Modern Discontent
I appreciate this post so much. I teach bioethics and from the beginning I have watched in horror as the pandemic gets mismanaged — but despite all of it, I have maintained my sanity. I rolled with the punches (online teaching, mask mandates, lockdowns, the ridiculous rules at work). For nearly two years I have remained strong…until this past week, when my university announced another round of mandatory vaccines (deadline: February 28, which is predictably past the omicron surge…) to “protect us from omicron.” I fell to my knees and screamed until my lungs hurt, because I cannot take anymore intrusions into my bodily autonomy, I cannot continue to pump my body with a substance that may or may not have long-term side-effects for an illness that is indistinguishable from the sniffles, but I cannot afford to give up my career. I felt defeated and helpless. My helplessness turned to anger — anger at my liberal friends who voted against the recall, anger at their willingness to buy into the fear propaganda, anger at their trust in the mainstream media and the regulatory agencies that have been so obviously captured. But then I realized that if I acted on that anger, I would be doing exactly what they want us to do: to be divided, to scapegoat and fear each other. The most radical shit we can do right now is to redirect our anger and frustration to the assholes who have orchestrated this mess and to refuse to give into the hate.
I'm a little disappointed with the judgment in your post, given that you have previously called for more empathy towards differing viewpoints. Of course the constantly fluctuating messaging from "authorities" is very confusing, which is even more reason why we should be empathetic towards different viewpoints - from people who are ready for the pandemic to be over, to people who think they might die if they catch covid (both sides, and everything in between, can find evidence to support their way of thinking).
I found it particularly bothersome that you take issue with masking behaviors of people when eating. Given that there is no clear consensus on what viral load it takes to seed infection in individuals (varies by person, air circulation, etc), it makes sense that the simple way to view the problem is exposure = airborne concentration * time. Thus, wearing a high filtration mask whenever not actively eating makes a lot of sense, in that you decrease the time that you breathe in or out a large concentration of particles. Even a few minutes could make a difference depending on viral concentration in the air and individual tolerance. Of course there is no evidence that this makes a drastic difference in infection risk, but also no evidence that it does not. We simply haven't gotten that nuanced with studies, and probably never will. In that case, I definitely would urge you to err on the side of empathy rather than judgment, as you previously recommended. There could be a logical rationale to this behavior, and it possibly could help especially when dining indoors in close vicinity to others in an enclosed space. That, combined with the constant guidance to "wear a mask at all times when not eating" - to me, that isn't "bizarre" behavior, it's just people trying to be cognizant of guidance that they believe (even if you don't) will help.
That brings me to my second point - if people wish to believe they might get omicron and die, that's also a viewpoint to be empathetic towards. Just as we are empathetic towards those that fear vaccination due to the rare risk of side effects, we should also be empathetic towards those who fear covid for the small risk of death. Perhaps they lost someone close to them, or have had to care for people dying from covid related complications. If these people don't want their life to return to normal and wish to continue taking precautions, that is a view I can completely stand behind. Even if death is not the fear here, I think it's completely fine for people simply to not want to get sick and be willing to make sacrifices (such as not returning to "normal" and taking "bizarre" actions), and that is a choice individuals can make. I don't think you should judge them for it, or let that depress you. Family members scared of covid and wanting to mask their children also deserve empathy too, especially since they are trying to do the right thing. At the end of the day, they're not your children, and once you have made your views known, it's up to the parents to decide what their risk tolerance for their own family will be. The science is NOT clear cut on anything in this pandemic, and opposing papers come out every single day - you write on them a lot, so I'm sure you can imagine the confusion for people who don't have time to follow every development carefully but just want to do what they feel is common sense to protect their loved ones. Thus, as you mentioned in a previous post, the importance of empathy.
Tldr; a little empathy and a little less judgment for people on all sides of this debate. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a happy new year!
thanks for this post. the contradictory/fluctuating messaging (regarding covid management or protection), taking sides (politically, on a medical issue), and fearful news is exhausting. Combine that with economic and social pressures..... passes the human psyche's tolerance. I do what I can to wake from the pseudo arguments that rob my peace of mind... and largely restricted news to printed 'dry' sources (read- not histrionic) so i know whats happening without the trauma. I am hopeful, but acknowledge (Im a mental health provider) I have to lean on self-care more than ever before to not get sucked into this vortex.
At this exact time last year I was headed home from my parents house in TN with positive Covid test in hand (a very odd disease). I’m back in TN again visiting family and I am very thankful for the opportunity to spend time with loved ones. I am lucky that most of my family and friends don’t live in abject fear of Covid and vaccination status doesn’t trump get-togethers.
I really appreciate your rational arguments based on science and I wish more people would at least attempt to look into things rather than just be spoon fed by the media. There are real ways to keep yourself safe and healthy and those things are never promoted by the media. The constant fear, panic and worry are horrendous for your immune system.
Overall I think people desire to be heard and that best happens in intimate one on one conversations. It is very important to have someone to talk to and a lot of people are suffering from loneliness and depression (also bad for the immune system). I am cautiously optimistic for 2022 - Happy New Year!
I appreciate this post so much. I teach bioethics and from the beginning I have watched in horror as the pandemic gets mismanaged — but despite all of it, I have maintained my sanity. I rolled with the punches (online teaching, mask mandates, lockdowns, the ridiculous rules at work). For nearly two years I have remained strong…until this past week, when my university announced another round of mandatory vaccines (deadline: February 28, which is predictably past the omicron surge…) to “protect us from omicron.” I fell to my knees and screamed until my lungs hurt, because I cannot take anymore intrusions into my bodily autonomy, I cannot continue to pump my body with a substance that may or may not have long-term side-effects for an illness that is indistinguishable from the sniffles, but I cannot afford to give up my career. I felt defeated and helpless. My helplessness turned to anger — anger at my liberal friends who voted against the recall, anger at their willingness to buy into the fear propaganda, anger at their trust in the mainstream media and the regulatory agencies that have been so obviously captured. But then I realized that if I acted on that anger, I would be doing exactly what they want us to do: to be divided, to scapegoat and fear each other. The most radical shit we can do right now is to redirect our anger and frustration to the assholes who have orchestrated this mess and to refuse to give into the hate.
It's easy to get caught up in our emotions. The long game is hard, it makes us much quicker to lose our tempers.
I'm a little disappointed with the judgment in your post, given that you have previously called for more empathy towards differing viewpoints. Of course the constantly fluctuating messaging from "authorities" is very confusing, which is even more reason why we should be empathetic towards different viewpoints - from people who are ready for the pandemic to be over, to people who think they might die if they catch covid (both sides, and everything in between, can find evidence to support their way of thinking).
I found it particularly bothersome that you take issue with masking behaviors of people when eating. Given that there is no clear consensus on what viral load it takes to seed infection in individuals (varies by person, air circulation, etc), it makes sense that the simple way to view the problem is exposure = airborne concentration * time. Thus, wearing a high filtration mask whenever not actively eating makes a lot of sense, in that you decrease the time that you breathe in or out a large concentration of particles. Even a few minutes could make a difference depending on viral concentration in the air and individual tolerance. Of course there is no evidence that this makes a drastic difference in infection risk, but also no evidence that it does not. We simply haven't gotten that nuanced with studies, and probably never will. In that case, I definitely would urge you to err on the side of empathy rather than judgment, as you previously recommended. There could be a logical rationale to this behavior, and it possibly could help especially when dining indoors in close vicinity to others in an enclosed space. That, combined with the constant guidance to "wear a mask at all times when not eating" - to me, that isn't "bizarre" behavior, it's just people trying to be cognizant of guidance that they believe (even if you don't) will help.
That brings me to my second point - if people wish to believe they might get omicron and die, that's also a viewpoint to be empathetic towards. Just as we are empathetic towards those that fear vaccination due to the rare risk of side effects, we should also be empathetic towards those who fear covid for the small risk of death. Perhaps they lost someone close to them, or have had to care for people dying from covid related complications. If these people don't want their life to return to normal and wish to continue taking precautions, that is a view I can completely stand behind. Even if death is not the fear here, I think it's completely fine for people simply to not want to get sick and be willing to make sacrifices (such as not returning to "normal" and taking "bizarre" actions), and that is a choice individuals can make. I don't think you should judge them for it, or let that depress you. Family members scared of covid and wanting to mask their children also deserve empathy too, especially since they are trying to do the right thing. At the end of the day, they're not your children, and once you have made your views known, it's up to the parents to decide what their risk tolerance for their own family will be. The science is NOT clear cut on anything in this pandemic, and opposing papers come out every single day - you write on them a lot, so I'm sure you can imagine the confusion for people who don't have time to follow every development carefully but just want to do what they feel is common sense to protect their loved ones. Thus, as you mentioned in a previous post, the importance of empathy.
Tldr; a little empathy and a little less judgment for people on all sides of this debate. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and have a happy new year!
thanks for this post. the contradictory/fluctuating messaging (regarding covid management or protection), taking sides (politically, on a medical issue), and fearful news is exhausting. Combine that with economic and social pressures..... passes the human psyche's tolerance. I do what I can to wake from the pseudo arguments that rob my peace of mind... and largely restricted news to printed 'dry' sources (read- not histrionic) so i know whats happening without the trauma. I am hopeful, but acknowledge (Im a mental health provider) I have to lean on self-care more than ever before to not get sucked into this vortex.
Thank you and you as well.