I was riveted by this recent article in The Tyee. You can read the complete article here. The major points of the effects of pandemics:
(1) Immutable Forces of History
(2) Pandemics Thrive on Upheaval
(3) Pandemics are Social Accelerators
(4) Pandemics Reflect the Civilization in Which they Flourish
(5) Pandemics Erode Trust
(6) Pandemics Always Discriminate
(7) Pandemics Spawn Irrational Social Movements
(8) Pandemics Possess Long Tails
(9) Pandemics are Biological Icebergs
(10) Pandemics don't End with a Political Command or vaccine
Excerpt:
"The technosphere represents a quasi-autonomous metabolizing system composed of concrete, plastic and steel infrastructure. It runs on fossil fuels, and its ever-growing complexity now requires artificial intelligence. Unlike the biosphere which generates no waste, the technosphere gobbles energy, water and resources only to spew out continuous streams of poisonous waste such as carbon dioxide, mine tailings and plastic garbage. The technosphere’s human-created components now weigh more than all living creatures on Earth.
Pandemics, which can play the role of constraining rapidly growing populations of any kind, act as a sort of biological blowback to this relentless conquest.
Moreover, they are not random. They remain critical barometers of our social and economic fragilities. They accompany ages of discord like crows and coyotes on a rotting elk carcass. Disorder and violence follow in their wake. They accelerate every bad trend in society, whether it be political disintegration, inequality or the rapid advance of dangerous technologies such as AI. And they unleash dangerous social movements."
The whole article is well worth the read. The multiple upheavals on our planet right now are merely a symptom of massive and dangerous underlying symptoms which we ignore at our peril.
"Disorder and violence follow in their wake. They accelerate every bad trend in society, whether it be political disintegration, inequality or the rapid advance of dangerous technologies such as AI. And they unleash dangerous social movements." Food for thought indeed. The covid pandemic certainly exposed the incompetence and panic at the heart of British government, as well as giving fuel to the anti-vaxxers and anti-lockdowners.
ReplyDeleteI even witnessed in my own building Nick, those opposed to vaccines (getting deathly ill in some cases) - the majority, and me in the minority (10%) paying attention to facts and wearing masks, incurring hostility - for absolutely no perceivable reason.
DeleteXO
WWW
Sadly too many of us, and particularly politicians, will continue to ignore them. Just as they do climate change. I believe our future is bleak.
ReplyDeleteHurtling towards extinction, EC, and there is no one in charge. I was startled today when watching the U.S. news (reputable, usually) when the hosts were self-congratulating themselves upon living "in the greatest country on this earth" and I truly wanted to scream back at them about their countless Covid deaths (well over a million and climbing, still, every week), their murderous rampages in schools and churches, their infant and maternal mortality rates one of the worst in the world, their take back of women's rights, their anti-black murdereous cops, etc., etc., and thought "what planet are y'all living on?"
DeleteNo one is in charge.
XO
WWW
Apparently the sane members of the House aren't running for re-election. It's a waste of their time, the political situation is hopeless. We'll escape the worst of it, but I pity the young folks.
ReplyDeletePlus the threats as well on the more upright members of government. That NYT article was incredible, laying the Trump threats on those who would impeach him and they were terrified.
DeleteAnd the move to extreme right wing governments around the world is alarming.
XO
WWW
I'm not the first, so I'll say it again. Our grandchildren and theirs (if they have children) will pay the worst price to live on this planet.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Joanne, I don't even discuss it with Grandgirl anymore as she and her generation are living a life where they are consciously not having children.
DeleteI weep for them.
XO
WWW
Thank you for this article--not fun reading but is very good in what it says. It should be read by all although I can think of many who would ignore the message. I have four grandchildren who are just starting their lives after school and I wonder every day what it will be like and I hope for better days ahead for them.
DeleteYes, it takes a bit of stomach to read it, especially for those of us who have little ones in our lives. It seems all the protests do no good and increase the divisiveness of all. Atrocities in the name of "war" are heartbreaking and climate change insurmountable.
DeleteXO
WWW
Thank you for posting the link to the article. It was very interesting and it also linked some things which I was sure related to the pandemic but are never acknowledged as such.
ReplyDeleteThings like spiralling cost of living and escalation of the poor getting poorer
What Mr Nikiforuk does not mention is the tens of millions more who have been permanently disabled by PASC (long Covid), more than double the number who died. Not to mention the economic fallout from that, and the immense human suffering. Governments don’t acknowledge it and neither apparently do critics. Good article as far as it goes, but not far enough. Canada announced a new Disability Benefit to partially address the problem, but in the fall budget failed to fund that benefit. ~Annie
ReplyDelete