I don’t know about you, but I am getting sick of the whole debate over Covid-19 and the disinformation, misinformation, pandering, and over-the-top emotional response to the various actions taken and the inaction shown in dealing with it.
We’ve seen response running the gamut from “Shut everything down and lock everyone away!” to “It’s all a hoax and it isn’t anywhere near as bad as everyone says it is so we don’t need to do anything” and everywhere in between.
Do we need to shut everything down again? No, I do not think so, particularly in light of evidence showing that in most cases it had little effect on the spread of the virus, particularly in non-urban areas. It was a one-size-fits-all solution to a problem that was anything but a one-size-fits-all problem. Now that we know that, why would anyone consider doing that again?
Do we stop taking precautions? No, of course not. But how far do we need to go? We certainly don’t need to wear BL-4 biohazard suits like those used in hot labs like Fort Detrick, Maryland. Washing our hands frequently is certainly an easy precaution to take. Masks are easy to use (though there are those who question their effectiveness) and are basically inexpensive. Cleaning frequently used surfaces is easy. None of those efforts are onerous or take much time to perform.
One thing I wish would stop is the misinformation/disinformation taking place, some through ignorance and some from malice. None of it helps us, though there are likely some who benefit from it. Fraudulent study results help no one. (One such study stating hydrochloroquine was ineffective published in The Lancet was later withdrawn when it was found the supposed researcher was not a scientist or researcher of any kind but a science/science fiction writer. The research institute that ‘conducted’ the study didn’t exist. It was a con job.) Others put forth treatments or “cures” that were either ineffective or downright dangerous, if not lethal.
At one point there was a story circulating that 5G was responsible for spreading Covid-19. The explanation was bogus, a bunch of pseudo-scientific gobbledygook cobbled together make it sound legitimate, but it was enough to convince some people and they helped spread the story.
Covid-19 has also driven some people insane. This insanity was not due to being infected with the disease itself, but by the fact of its very existence. It has pushed some people over the edge.
We have seen people overreact when they think someone isn’t taking Covid-19 seriously enough in their judgment. This overreaction has run from people in a public park being maced by an outraged Karen, other Karens reporting an assault to the police because someone was not wearing a mask, and in one case in Manhattan Beach, California, a Karen accosting two men eating their lunch, splashing one of them with her cup of hot coffee when he refused to wear his mask. (Did I mention he was eating his lunch?) At least in this last case she was arrested for assault and battery, as was her boyfriend. Ironically, the man who was assaulted was wearing a body camera as he was regularly accosted because he had the audacity to wear a MAGA hat. (Remember, this took place in California.) His body cam caught the whole incident. When the police arrived (called by the Karen), the man showed the footage to the responding officers which led to the arrest of the woman and her boyfriend.
I have no doubt there are plenty of other stories similar to those above where people are overreacting to perceived dangers. I have been on the receiving end of this, the incident taking place a few weeks ago when I was traveling through the Weirs Channel in the Official Weekend Pundit Lake Winnipesaukee Runabout. As I was making my way from Paugus Bay end to the main lake, a fellow in a boat traveling in the opposite direction started yelling at me for not wearing a mask. It must be understood that New Hampshire had no mandatory mask edict (and still doesn’t), at closest approach I was probably 25 feet from the other fellow, and both he and I were alone on our respective boats. Why would I need to wear a mask when I’m in the middle of a 72 square mile lake in my boat by myself? Or was the guy just being a Ken (male Karen) and being a jerk while doing it?
With Motorcycle Week fast approaching here in New Hampshire, I have to wonder if any of the poor deluded Karens and Kens will be out in force?
Of course they will.
