Lex Olson
There is a narrative circulating in Canada and the USA that is threatening to undermine the work of scientists and medical professionals in their struggle to contain the COVID-19 virus. According to this narrative, scientists and medical specialists are lying to the people, and this virus is actually no worse than any other flu. Furthermore, under covert cover, members of the global elites, namely Bill Gates and his cronies, are intent on trying to oppress people through contact tracing, forced vaccinations, etc, all in an effort to further consolidate their power, while profiting in the process.
The belief that COVID-19 is a relatively benign virus and only targets the elderly and immune-compromised is false and potentially dangerous to small communities across Canada, including Tumbler Ridge. The truth is that COVID-19 is unpredictable, and while some people have few serious complications, other people, some of them healthy, suffer debilitating complications, while still others die, possibly decades earlier than they might have had they not been exposed to this novel virus.
When did it become so common to disregard and ridicule specialized knowledge? How did a global pandemic, the most serious public health emergency in 100 years, become so highly politicized by people who, generally speaking, are not prone to believe in wild, fantastical, and unfounded conspiracy theories? How is it that someone with no expertise in virology or infectious diseases can feel entitled to make the assertion that COVID-19 is fake news, or a bio-weapon released in Wuhan, or a plot by the global elites to enslave the people? All of these speculative narratives are easily disproven, yet they persist, and many of them are gaining traction among people who otherwise are caring, intelligent and level headed.
The truth is that all cultures have some rules by which we all agree to adhere. When we go to the store, we wear clothing because, as Sigmund Freud recognized, “civilization is clothing,” or, to put it another way, we all agree to accommodate some limits on our personal freedoms in order to serve the collective, and to live together peacefully. In a similar vein, we all agree to stop at red lights and to refrain from engaging in anti-social behavior that threatens our way of life. We all accepted the no smoking policies that were implemented in Canada and restricted smokers from smoking in public indoor spaces, yet, somehow, a simple face mask, intended to curb the spread of a highly infectious virus, is being perceived as the ultimate symbol of tyranny and oppression. The problem with this logic should be obvious, yet in the age of “fake news,” critical thinking seems to be in short supply. Rather than protecting our beloved family members by agreeing to a simple and inexpensive protocol to slow the spread of COVID-19, many otherwise rational people are being influenced by this conspiracy narrative, at a time when we cannot afford to be complacent and self-centered. If ever there was a time when Canadians should be united, it is now.
While Covid cases continue to rise in Canada, some nations have managed to essentially eradicate this virus. They achieved this by agreeing to act as a collective, by accepting some temporary curtailments on their freedom so that the virus could be contained. For example, New Zealand, a social democratic nation, has eliminated community spread of COVID-19, mostly by accepting mask mandates, contact tracing, and mass testing. Similarly, Thailand, with a population of nearly sixty-seven million people, is conquering Covid, as their cases are stable and decreasing. Surely, Canadians who look beyond their borders must periodically wonder how and why other nations, some of them less developed than ours, are able to stop COVID-19 in its tracks.
According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, masks, in addition to social distancing and good hygiene, are an effective tool to slow the spread of COVID-19. Given that COVID-19 is primarily spread through close person to person contact, limiting social interactions with people who don’t live in your household is just good common sense. With Christmas approaching, remaining vigilant is more important now than ever, as Canada is in the midst of the second wave of this pandemic, and towns like Tumbler Ridge are not immune.
Perhaps the most stunningly depressing response from people who could loosely be defined as ‘covid deniers’ is the indifference they appear to express to people who are elderly or immune compromised. These people, just like the rest of us, also want to live, and by arguing that only the old and sick die from COVID-19, the underlying message that is being conveyed is that our elders are of no value, or that people who are immune compromised are expendable. Yes, this virus is often more serious for the old and the sick, but these people are our mothers, our grandfathers, our brothers and sisters. Surely we can care enough to protect their health in a global pandemic. Surely, common sense and compassion can prevail.
(This is a response to last week’s Another COVID-19 Story, which was also a letter, though I failed to identify it as such. First letter, too. Sigh. Sorry about that.)
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
