Doug's Darkworld

Heard from an old friend this morning. Known her and her family for 30 years. I’d heard that her and her dad were hospitalized, now I know the rest. Covid-19. Her dad, the family patriarch, caught it. Probably from a caregiver. Before they knew what was going on, he’d given it to kids and grandkids. No one died, though the dad is still hospitalized. My friend is home, but on oxygen, too fatigued to work, hoping it gets better. Daughter still suffering from fatigue and terrible headaches. Hoping they are past the worst of it. And they were most certainly taking every precaution, my friend is a veterinarian.

Covid-19 is hitting close to home in other words. I’ve been muddled all day about this. Angry, frustrated, depressed. I guess I’ve distilled it down to a couple of things. It makes me more determined than ever to avoid catching this virus. Bursitis is hard enough without hauling oxygen around. More determined than ever to keep blogging through this. And more angry than ever at people like Rush Limbaugh and the like who criminally downplayed the dangers of Covid-19, effectively sabotaging any chance America would do what needs to be done to fight this monster.

Lastly, once again for those in the back: Covid-19 is freaking wildly contagious, and far more dangerous than the typical cold or flu. These are facts medical science determined in January. And here we are in America six months later, 200,000 dead or so, no end in sight, and huge numbers of Americans are still in denial about Covid-19. I never thought I’d see the apocalypse arrive … but a third of the country and the federal government would pretend it’s no big deal and it will just go away. I can only hope as Covid-19 spreads among Trump supporters that some of them will wake up. And insist Trump and company use reason and science to fight Covid-19, cause hopes and prayers aren’t cutting it.

A thin, likely forlorn hope. Admitting one was wrong is hard to do at the best of times, and when one has sunk one’s whole identity around a falsehood, pretty much impossible for most people. It actually kind of gets worse too. Rather than embracing reality, a huge number of people on the right are embracing Q-Anon. A conspiracy theory that basically blames Covid-19 on some sinister leftist power cabal who are using it to destroy Trump and his fight for justice. Details vary, like all conspiracy theories, upon closer inspection it turns to mush. Evidence free mush. I need to see evidence. “The president wore a yellow tie!” or “Intelligence officials verified it!” is not evidence. Anyhow, here’s a good take on the Q-Anon thing: Why You Should Care About QAnon.

The whole Q-Anon thing is the logical result of the GOP’s strategy the past few decades: ”Liberals are stupid and their stupid ideas will destroy America!” It’s been a great strategy for firing up the base; for actually getting things done, not so much. And a frighteningly ineffective strategy at fighting Covid-19. And while musing upon these lines, came across this by Robert Reich: Voters can replace a party that knows how to fight with one that knows how to govern. I tend to have mixed feelings about Reich, but one point he raises illustrates my thinking nicely. The GOP has now spent a decade demonizing the ACA (Obamacare) and endlessly trying to repeal it … but despite multiple promises to do so (including promises by a certain Donal Trump in the 2016 election campaign,) they have yet to come up with an alternative. I rest my case.

So I’m angry, sad, and depressed all at once. More people I know will almost certainly be sickened or killed by Covid-19. All I can do is try and be a breath of sanity in an insane nation. Have a safe week everyone, sanity is apparently optional at this point. #StaytheFHome #WearaDamnMask

Copyright © 2020 Doug Stych. All rights reserved. Likes and shares appreciated, non-commercial sharing with attribution is fine.

(Image from Snappygoat, IE a Public Domain image under US copyright law. The Destroying Angel. It’s a beautiful mushroom, doesn’t it look scrumptious? It’s an Amanita mushroom, several closely related species are colloquially known as the Destroying Angel. That one mushroom could kill a whole family gathering, including the pets. I’m in a morbid mood these days, what can I say.)