COVID-19 Discourse: What Are We Doing, and Where Do We Go from Here?

Image by geralt, via Pixabay

It’s been a while since I posted on this blog, but I’m writing tonight to say that the COVID-19 discourse bothers me. Most of the contentiousness involves vaccines and treatments (namely Ivermectin). Also, I have seen the effect that these discussions have had on people.

I may make a series of posts on the subject, but that would require a lot of research and commitment. However, there is at least one post that I have started working on that is pressing.

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What Is Bothering Me About the COVID-19 Discourse?

Off the top of my head, these aspects of the pandemic have bothered me:

• The pandemic response by the United States government
• How people politicized the pandemic from the beginning
• How fear has turned people against each other
• Propaganda (its effectiveness, how blatant it is, how it has contributed to people turning people against each other)
• The effects shutdowns have had on individuals and small businesses
• Other things that the pandemic has exposed about various governments, human nature, and society at large

After more than a year and a half, I have barely taken part in discussions about COVID-19. For the most part, these discussions have been landmines. Talk about vaccines and treatments has been the most contentious from multiple angles. However, I have noticed that people with a specific political outlook have been responsible for most toxicity.

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What Would I Like to Talk About Regarding the COVID-19 Discourse?

If I do make some in-depth posts about the pandemic, these are a few of the topics that I would like to talk about:

• This pandemic has shown me the worst of humanity.
• What makes someone an “anti-vaxxer?”
• What should we have done to deal with the pandemic properly?
• Why are we turning on each other?
• Was Joe Biden right in calling this “the pandemic of the unvaccinated”?

If I do get around to making these posts, I will go back to this one and add the links here.

Quick PSA: Don’t Drink Bleach, Y’all

Bleach is for cleaning, not for your body. Original Image by JeepersMedia via Flickr. (CC by 2.0)

So, if you have been paying at list indirect attention to Donald Trump’s coronavirus press briefings, you may have heard about his suggestion of “injecting” sunlight and even disinfectants (like bleach and Lysol) directly into people’s bodies in order to get rid of the coronavirus.

Our Leaders Are Failing Us During This Coronavirus Pandemic

In this image, Trump and Mike Pence can be seen giving a press briefing during a Coronavirus Task Force Meeting on February 29, 2020, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House. Trump’s administration has provided no real confidence that this country is taking the pandemic seriously. Image provided by The White House via Flickr. (Public Domain)

So … how’s your 2020 going? Not so great, right? I honestly had no expectations for this year beyond meeting a few personal goals, but the coronavirus pandemic (this virus is called COVID-19) has already ruined this year for many. Not only are people dying, but many have either lost their jobs or have been furloughed. They will not have money to pay all their bills or buy essentials to make it past this indefinite crisis period (which could last for at least six months).

Instead of talking about statistics — at least in this post — I wanted to briefly write about what we need from our leaders to stop the spread of the virus and help people recover.