Mixing Truth and Pandemic

MORE THAN six hundred and thirty thousand Americans have died from Covid 19, nearly all of them, arguably, unnecessary, most of them avoidable. In one of the world's wealthiest countries, (depending on how wealth is measured; there are many ways) in which the supply of vaccine greatly exceeds the demand, only slightly more than half the American population is fully vaccinated, although the rate of vaccination has improved recently. The U.S. is still far from herd immunity, but could have, should have achieved it months ago. That is a testament to P.T. Barnum's famous assessment: "Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people". It is also, easily arguable, a crime against humanity, an indictment of the American culture of false beliefs, false choices, and misplaced values, as well as criminal indifference to human suffering. Many of those who refuse vaccination undoubtedly see themslves as champions of freedom and personal choice, true patriots defending American values and freedom against governmental authority, and they seem to see themselves, stupdidly, arogantly, as currently healthy, and thus, invincible. In fact, at least in terms of the pandemic, they are fools at best, traitors at worst. There are days in China during which no new cases are reported, no covid deaths. This is fact, neither Chinese propaganda nor some media hoax. In America, we could easily have been in the same enviable situation. The fake news consists of the various idiotic, nonsensical reasons vaccination refusers contrive for refusing. There is no word sufficiently negative to describe people willing to spread disease and death merely to satisfy some twisted, misguided need for self esteem enhancement, to arrogntly feel superior to science and expertise, to demonstrate power, to refuse to behave so as to make others safer. To fabricate nonsensical reasons to justify insane behavior which accomplishes only emotional gratification is nothing other than purest evil. The only marginally valid excuse for avoiding vaccination in America, that the FDA had not yet fullly, formally approved the vaccine, is no longer available. The hopeful expectation among many medical professionals, that vaccine hesitant people will now abandon their idiocy, do the right thing, and get the shot, is dubious at best, vain at worst, considering the infinite capacity of the American people to fabricate new versions of nonsense and false realities in their ceaseless quest for an enhanced feeling of self worth. When one excuse is proven false, another will soon replace it. Those to whom these remarks about the American pandemic response may seem unduly negative, hateful and unfair, are shooting the messenger because they dislike the truth, and are reacting to it emotionally, rather than objectively, honestly. The response, or lack of it, is the problem, not someone who decribes it. The fact that more than half a million Americans are dead from Covid 19 proves that this bleak assessment is fair, and accurate. If only it were not true. To paraphrase Adous Huxley: Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.