Reading around hither and thither, I've formed the impression that I'm not the only one worried that the administration has a pretty loose grip on this coronavirus thing. The above picture is of Mike Pence's team kicking off another public health meeting. It's almost as if "thoughts and prayers" is being repurposed for a new epidemic (since it's been so successful at reducing gun violence). I like the way the guy resting his arm on the fireplace appears to be sneezing, or worse, into his hand. I don't think that's recommended. Fold your hands, sir! The photographer has arrived and the vice president is now praying!
I have a suggestion for the president. I think that, in the interests of bipartisanship, former Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson should be appointed to the coronavirus team. She shares President Trump's skepticism about the utility of vaccinations, she shares the vice president's confidence in the efficacy of prayer, and the suits in the picture look to me as if they'd benefit from some yoga and herbal tea. Marianne was last seen stumping for Bernie Sanders in Texas. Not sure she can be reached by cell phone as they are said to cause cancer. Contact her telepathically.
Assuming only human intelligence can save us, we're probably screwed. I understand it's hard to find toilet paper on the shelves at CostCo, a circumstance that lines up with the following trenchant observation on Twitter:
Scientists: you should wash your hands because of Coronavirus.
— Nathaniel Stinnett (@NCStinn) March 4, 2020
People: I'm gonna stop flying, hoard masks, work from home & totally rearrange my life.
Also Scientists: the #ClimateCrisis will kill millions - we must use clean power & change how we get to work.
People: No way.
I wonder whether there's a scientific reason we're so bad at this—like, maybe our ability to assess risk is connected to our calculating faculties, the handiwork of the evolutionary process, which has selected genes that cause us to exaggerate immediate risks to ourselves and to ignore future ones to unknown others. You don't have to persuade people to look after their own short-term pleasures, but it's very difficult for us to take collective action in order to ward off a future plague.
When possible, we should find arguments that appeal not to our decency but to our self-interest. Regarding coronavirus, it's risky for me if you cannot get tested and treated. I'm protected if everyone can afford to go to the doctor.
Comments