Mired in Dysfunction

The news is not good. In fact, it’s terrible, especially about the rise in Covid and our inability to cope with it even though we have the tools to do so. Most of the explanations as to our dysfunction focus on the large number of unvaccinated people out there. There are many reasons for this, but make no mistake about it, much of this is the legacy from the previous administration.

I sometimes feel as if we are actually living dystopian fiction in real life. Reality has, at best, become obscured and, at worst, denied. It is Fahrenheit 451 but instead of burning books we are burning ourselves. We shouldn’t be going through this. It’s like sending the army into battle and taking away their guns.

Recently, I heard from two friends which helped to shed light on why we find ourselves in this situation. One sent a recent BBC article about all the reasons many people are against getting the vaccine, the point being that all such people, in his words, are not “troglodytes.” He treasures playing the contrarian and delights in finding fault with conventional wisdom, especially as related to the role of the media and government. It is really a game of one- upmanship that, intentional or not, can enable wrongdoing by power brokers and spread misinformation.

The other friend sent me a long text that was frightening in some respects. He mentioned that he and his wife refused to be afraid of getting the virus, that to him “it’s God’s will if I get it” and “if I pass away, it’s meant to be.” He said he was not getting vaccinated and cited not knowing the long-range effects of this medicine. He added that he knew a couple of people who had died from staph infections in hospitals while being treated for Covid.

I respect that there are plausible reasons some people are hesitant or don’t get vaccinated. There are medical and religious reasons as well as reluctance of minorities based on negative experiences with government health authorities. There are also simply the difficulties for many to get time off or travel to vaccination sites.

The unpleasant fact is that current politics drives too much of what is happening on the health front right now. Everything has become politicized from wearing masks, social distancing and getting vaccinated. Politicians fear saying something that could hurt their reputations among their voters or their chances of reelection. They are hostage to the “party line” even if it means telling untruths. Voters and others have chosen sides. It doesn’t matter how many people die as long as the political party succeeds and their personal beliefs prevail.

We have had criticism and hesitance in the past about taking vaccines but never anything as pervasive or as outlandish as this. I have closely watched and chronicled the pandemic since the first cases in January 2020. The previous administration from the beginning was in denial and downplayed the threat and severity. Official word from the White House was that it was just like the flu. As things got worse, there was reluctance by the government to take action, and efforts were made to discredit medical authorities and recommendations about closing down public events, wearing masks, and other prudent restrictions. Official policy, pronouncements, and inaction set the stage for what is happening now, and last-minute testimonials by Republicans can’t put the genie back in the bottle