Culture and the Covid

My Afghani coworker was talking to me yesterday and mentioned the extremely high rate of Covid infection in Afghanistan. I took the opportunity to mention that in Islamic communities which place a high value on communal activities, some practices that might be considered utterly unremarkable from a health standpoint in normal times could now become super facilitators for the virus. For example, many Islamic cultures have carried over the Arab practice of having several people eating from the same plate, each using bread to pick up food from the section of the plate nearest them. I am not from that culture but I've worked with enough middle eastern people to where I'm familiar with and have engaged in this practice myself.

"This is the kind of thing we need to get away from because what is the point of wearing a mask if we all eat from the same plate?" I said. "If one of us gets the virus there is no need for all of us to get it. We should stop eating like this. After the Coronavirus thing is over we can get back to normal."

While the Muslim world deals with cultural issues that influence the impact of the pandemic, we here in the west must remind ourselves not to be smug. In the US we are  also dealing with a cultural issue that goes a long way to explaining why we are dead last in regard to our response to the Coronavirus. The issue is this. A significant portion of our population is under the impression that among the various liberties enshrined in the US Constitution there exists the freedom to put the lives of other people at risk during a raging pandemic (spoiler alert, no such right exists). These people are guilty of a perverse sort of individuality and are so short-sighted in their worldview that they fail to see that their actions are self defeating regarding their own cause. They call vociferously for a reopening of the US economy but sabotage those very efforts by failing to perform the most basic act that would help reign in the virus allowing the economy to reopen, to wit, wearing a mask. In fact, when you look at nations that successfully quelled their once rampant Covid numbers, you will find that mask wearing was virtually universal and was never politicized. Here in the US, however, the motto can be said to be give me liberty and give me death.

Predictably, the reddest states which happen to be the ones most hostile to mask wearing and social distancing lead the way in returning to alarming levels of new Covid infections and deaths. Other states which have reacted more responsibly have fared better but are likely to ultimately be negatively impacted by contagion crossing over from states where the virus is flourishing. Amid all this, you still find people who continue to insist that the decision on whether or not to wear a mask is a personal decision, which makes about as much sense as saying that the decision on whether or not to stop at a red light is a personal decision. The problem is not that you put your own stupid life at risk, it is that you also risk the lives of innocent people who might actually be thoughtful, intelligent, and valuable. There are various rights and freedoms enumerated in the Constitution that make our nation great but among them there is no right to put the lives of other people at risk because of your own intransigence and stupidity.

Unfortunately, I don't see a solution to our cultural backwardness in the foreseeable future. It is my opinion that, even presuming a further skyrocketing of statistics that is sure to come roughly three weeks from today when those newly infected from the 4th of July celebrations start hitting the ICUs, I don't think another lockdown will do any good. In all likelihood , the anti-maskers will simply continue to defy recommendations and continue having social gatherings which will result in the Covid stats remaining static for the duration of the lockdown rather than decreasing. This would be a waste of time. I believe we should put off any further lockdowns until the death rate hits perhaps 750,000. Only then will enough people begin to take this virus seriously enough to get past their own political and cultural obstacles so that we can actually have a lockdown that will actually bring this virus to bay. Until then good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor.

Two Jobs

I was at my day job on Monday when I looked at my phone and realized I had missed a call from my boss from the night job I quit last summer. I called him back and he picked up almost immediately. "I called you on accident", he said.  "Sorry."

"Oh, no problem."

He paused a moment, then asked "You wanna work?"

I answered in the affirmative.

"You can work nights?"

Again, immediate yes.

"Ok, come in at five today."

So I came in and my old coworkers were surprised and really glad to see me. Apparently, they had a few people quit in a short amount of time. I worked two days in a row but I have tonight off from the night job which will give me some time to either go to the gym or to clean the kitchen up really well, I haven't decided on which yet. I'm in good spirits though because, even though I've never been short on paying my bills, the money has been getting tighter as of late. I want to get back to how it was last year when I was paying my bills and I still had multiple uncashed checks on hand at any given time. It's nice to have extra in case something comes up so I can break it off without even having to think about it. That is peace of mind.

The other nice thing is that, since I was so tired from working two jobs yesterday, I went to sleep early so then I woke up early and made coffee and breakfast and have been reading John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" since 5:00 this morning. That makes for a nice beginning of my day.