COVID.

This is Part Two. Part One is here.

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Can we talk about COVID? Get this one out of the way?

I hear so many things and find it so frustrating that somehow a global pandemic affecting just about every country in the world has become something that indicates who someone is going to vote for in America in November. It would seem in America we really do believe that everything revolves around us. We’re really caught up in this idea that we’re the sun and all the countries revolve around us.

Some people are saying they are “over COVID” or that they don't “believe in it” or that “it’s going to end in November” which is fine but if someone said they are “over birth control” or don’t “believe in pregnancy” or “STD’s will all end in November” it really doesn’t change the reality of the actual situation.

Things are very much NOT normal. Every professional sport is playing to an empty or close to empty stadium/arena. Airlines are running about a 1/3 of what they were last year and are about to go out of business. The hotel industry is bleeding money. Weddings (a main business of my wife) are not happening or at least anywhere close to what they once did. Concerts (we have many friends in the music industry) just don’t exist. I can’t go to Canada for god’s Sake and thousands of small businesses are going under while people are being evicted around the nation.

Statistically, 200,000 Americans have died. We are the 9th highest death rate per million in the world at a cool 597 per million.  I mean we definitely aren’t the worst but hundreds of countries are doing better than us. Wuhan is having club nights and gigantic pool parties again - and their country is operating normally. Now, THAT is when we can say we are “over it” when I’m having a rager of a pool party with thousands of people in my back yard and a DJ and neon lights and flying to Europe the next day. By the way, China’s death rate per million is 3.4.

Yes 600 compared to 3.4. Yes I get China is an “authoritarian communist cesspool of evil” (that makes all of the things we buy) but they are also 3 times as big population-wise. (Just to be clear many economic experts think our economy would be stronger and not have all the issues we’re having if we had been more strict with lockdowns early on - like China.) 

There is also this idea of some states doing well and we can let the others go down but that’s not how countries work. For now, we’re ONE country and countries depend on each other for success.

Let’s take Idaho. Idaho is a state that falls if the country falls and rises if the country rises. And even though Idaho might hate liberal New York it gets a shit ton of money from New York and other states. California pays a huge chunk of federal taxes. 10 states give more money in taxes than they get back from the federal government, including Washington. So when Washington’s economy tanks Idaho receives less money from the federal government. So every Idahoan should be rooting for New York, Washington and California for that matter - because they are their fellow citizens - but also because if they fail, Idaho will not enjoy the federal money they receive and like very much. Washington is rooting for Idaho because we like… potatoes and Priest Lake.

But, honestly, can’t we all root for each other like we used to do?

We need the entire country to be over COVID before any of us can really be over it because if 25% of Americans are still scared, the economy will not recover. If Europe won’t let us travel the economy won’t recover. You see, being over it, or “not believing it” does nothing for the ALL - only for the YOU. We ALL have to be over it and we won’t be until those pool parties and clubs open again. Right?

There is some pushback on stats in general - as in we can’t trust them.

If we can’t trust statistics then we can’t talk about anything. I mean that quite literally. We can’t talk about the number of abortions, we can’t talk about unemployment numbers, we can’t talk about undocumented immigrants coming in… we can’t talk about a booming business, cancer, starvation, pollution, inflation, or, again, much of ANYTHING.
Statistics from reputable sources are very important. If I’m wrong on any, feel free to correct me. (Note, watch The Social Dilemma to see how important reputable sources are - and to get off of Instagram.)

So can we all please wear masks, please social distance and please not have rager pool parties… yet. They decrease the odds of bad things and increase the odds of good things, which we have to remember. Odds. Odds are not 100% so there are always exceptions (I’ve partied all summer and didn’t get sick) but they always show up in larger settings (200,000 dead and economic suffering).

Let’s get back to real normal, real soon and I need you and you need me to do this right. Right?