We would normally think that Christmas and its timely spirit can overcome anything. No matter how worrisome the top issues of the nation, surely we could put the concerns aside and bathe in the holiday spirit.
We have entered a new and pretty intense shutdown period. We might feel taken aback. After all, the restrictions of last spring got loosened. Many doors swung open. The CW was that masks were still advisable, I guess, although this matter got swept into politics. Republicans or Trump supporters were the skeptics on that. These people talk about optimal freedom. Trump got people on the Supreme Court who would ensure that churches would face no restrictions.
"Freedom of religion." When hospitals become filled to capacity, who will take responsibility for taking care of the spillover? The Supreme Court? Is there a tacit admission here that people will have to die as a consequence of maintaining some sense of American liberty? A lot of people seem to be asserting that including the South Dakota governor. We in West Central Minnesota are right next door to South Dakota.
The Republican Party's reach with its rhetoric strikes me as very surprising. The U.S. people in times of crisis - surely this is maximum crisis now - have historically found common ground. We ultimately realize the steps we have to take. When the crisis passes we can resume our partisan bickering. The contrast of the current situation is alarming.
I found as I began my day earlier this week, a uniquely bleak feeling entered my mind. Are we as Americans going to get past this one? The aggressiveness of people who call themselves Republicans or Trump supporters casts a pall. It's as if a very dark period in American history just will not pass.
I remember the nervousness people felt about the virus last spring, what struck me as an overreaction in some ways. You didn't dare be heard coughing lightly or clearing your throat in public. We let up as summer arrived, not that we weren't aware of a continuing threat. Dr. Fauci warned a long time ago that a new wave of the virus was "inevitable." I imagine he was pinning that on the cold weather months.
Then Dr. Fauci, in spite of his reputation for being pretty independent, actually got cowed by the political people and said "it doesn't have to be inevitable." He clearly made that statement against his better judgment. Sometimes optimism is not the practical course. Republicans are so glib talking about how "American freedoms" are sacrosanct, and how "small businesses" would go under if we take strong action.
So what are these people saying? That a large number of people simply have to die? The seriousness of the pandemic now makes us all wonder if our days might be numbered. We needed a strong national leader to tell us basically that "Thanksgiving of 2020 is canceled." You may get the day off but stay put. And why would that be so terrible? The Internet affords connectivity between people, crushing any geographic barriers.
Adversity for business? The House of Representatives tried to help with the "Heroes Act." The Senate will have none of it.
The assets of today
A total shutdown would have been so much more painful in pre-Internet times. Problem is, we have come to take the Internet for granted. It is human nature. Our "screens" give us all the entertainment and fulfillment we could ever want. The screens are a vehicle for education at all levels, superseding all the clunky and expensive "analog" systems that were the norm when I was young. Tom Friedman describes this as "the friction is gone." It's that simple. Maybe too good to be true? But it's true.
Ironically it's Republicans who have led the cry for our analog education systems that require all the orange school buses etc., to maintain close to usual operations. They say our kids need education.
Kids have a natural incentive to learn and communicate - they have tools for this advancement without the government-mandated systems. Such systems are self-serving bureaucracies. Maybe the kids don't need the type of education that was once considered essential. Who tells us the old way is essential? Might it be people with a vested interest in keeping the old way going? It's people who either work in the system or have political positions that are symbiotic with those people.
Once our young people have mastered basic reading, writing and arithmetic - not that difficult - they will find a passion beyond that. Getting dragged through "advanced" classes in a brick building should not be part of that.
A parody gave insights even though its intent was to be funny: this published piece gave an example of geometry learning at home. "This is what a rectangle is. There, that's enough."
Really, that's enough. Advanced geometry? The best you can say about such stuff is that it builds mental discipline. If kids get to find their passion and follow it, through electronic media tools, they won't need the mere mental calisthenics. Of course, there are geometry instructors all over the country. And physics.
The advanced studies will always be suited for a relatively small percentage of kids. It doesn't mean the others are dumb. We are all different, destined for different paths. Most of us are destined for a pretty humble existence. And that's terrific.
But hearing Republicans of all people extol our big bureaucratic public education system, strikes me as bizarre and disingenuous. It's just part of a "sell" job for normal life, because a departure from normal life might suggest the government needs to take drastic action vs. the crisis. And Republicans are always skeptical about drastic action by government. Better to pretend there's no problem. Right, Torrey Westrom? Just look the other way when bodies get carted out of hospitals. Be sure to express "disgust" with our governor because he wouldn't allow normal high school graduations last spring.
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My "Morris Mojo" podcast for today continues thoughts on juxtaposing Christmas with the pandemic. Christmas and a pandemic! How do we reconcile, make good, feel the spirit? Especially in these times of a President Trump who will hold power way into January? Quite sobering. Here's the permalink:
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
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