Recent weeks have seen a burgeoning spike in Coronavirus infections and deaths in the United States. This in part is due to a number of states reopening activities and businesses before it was safe to do so, but also due to a half-hearted effort by citizens to follow epidemiologically recommended behavior in prevention. Some states’ governors have taken the tack of denying the strength of the Coronavirus, even its existence, its virility and unrelenting power, and ignoring data showing a spike in incidents of infection, continuing rise in hospitalizations, and the escalating number of American deaths from the pandemic. Some governors are trying their best to deal, consulting specialists in medicine, health, and epidemiology. There is some success and progress in their efforts, but there is a serious void in leadership from the president on down in addressing this crisis.

This is in contrast to most countries in Europe where the curve of pandemic deaths has been flattened and mostly is no longer rising. While still a danger and threat, the overall peak has been put in the rearview mirror, and plans are beginning to work towards reopening society again. There is a reason why the European death curve has been flattened. The reason has to do with a major difference between those countries and the U.S. There are a number of factors that helped mitigate the destructive power of Covid-19: 1) Virtually all of the citizens in those countries have a different level of trust of their government than we Americans have of ours. They basically love their country, and trust their leaders. When their leaders take measures in one direction, the people trust that this is for the benefit of all. The level of distrust and opposition is relatively minor. 2) Citizens of these countries basically are educated, have a respect for and believe in science, trust medical specialists and epidemiologists around health issues, and accept science as a means of assessing issues facing the country. 3) Citizens there understand the implications of a world-wide pandemic, its level of threat to humans, and the necessary place mitigating measures have when confronting the surge of the pandemic. Citizens of these countries have a realistic assessment of the level of threat, the reality that little is known about Covid-19, and the need to approach handling it with the best knowledge available. When knowledge isn’t at hand, to take proper measures based on however much is known to secure the safety of everyone. There is a concerted and unified effort from top leaders down through the people.

The situation here in the United States is vastly different in the face of Covid-19, and this is because of a lack of understanding of governance by this current administration: 1) First there is a level of mistrust of government overreach among a portion of our population that borders on paranoia. It perhaps has its roots in “the American spirit of individuality” that dictates much of what happens in our society. The “no one tells me what to do…!” mentality has its place because governments have on occasion reached beyond where it should. But where this mind-set fails us is when we’re faced with something out of the ordinary, a thing of such magnitude that it dwarfs any measures we have to deal with it, that we need that very government to take charge. A pandemic is one such monster that needs this to happen. Individual states are not equipped to deal with a pandemic. States’ rights are not the issue. Personal freedom is not the issue. Inability to deal with the unknown matter because of a scattered uncoordinated effort is the issue. And on this score we Americans all currently coming up short. 2) There is a major barrier we as Americans face because our overall population has been dumbed-down to the point that a significant portion does not believe in science, does not accept data, does not trust medical specialists and epidemiologists who know something about world-wide pandemics, and who basically does not trust our government. Sadly, government has failed us enough times, so this distrust isn’t totally unwarranted. And 3) This distrust has its roots in the sometimes betrayal by government. The thing lacking in that response, though, is the ability to discern when this is happening and when it is not, and lumping everything government does as bad. This is not helpful when determining our future. Because of this distrust we as a nation aren’t now able to assess what is happening, what the nature of the pandemic and its threat is. The worst part is there is a vacuum of leadership of the nation as we confront this pandemic. There is no concerted approach to understand and face this crisis from the president down through his administration. Half-hearted, half-assed measures have been set in place, but each has been manned by political appointees instead of specialists in science, medicine and epidemiology, and each effort has failed miserably. There is no unified competent national leadership addressing the Coronavirus pandemic in the United States; matters are left to each state to manage as best they can. The latest action by these political committees has been to abandon all efforts in addressing the Coronavirus pandemic.

On the issue of oppression by the government, and violation of personal freedoms: This is a shallow, infantile reaction to a serious pandemic. It shows a lack of individual ability to discern fact from fiction, reality from one’s own prejudices. It turns to a pseudo-intellectual issue of oppression when the reality is there is a monster on our doorsteps wreaking havoc and death. Even in the face of the fact that over 122,000 Americans have died so far from Covid-19 with numbers continuing to spike, some are not able to face this with a clear eye, and fuss about government preventing them from visiting a salon to do their hair, or visit the beach.

My observation of those making such heart-rending complaints is that they’re all white, and therefore privileged. This is a major inconvenience to their lifestyle, and as such, is offensive to them. There is zero understanding or compassion for populations of black and brown and poor whites in our communities who deal with real oppression more serious than one’s hair care on a daily basis. They know nothing of true oppression.

When a fireman tells you not to go into your burning home, there is a reason why it is a good idea to accept the command. It has nothing to do with violating your freedoms. It’s sane common sense. It’s for your own safety, and with the Coronavirus pandemic, it’s also for the safety of others you are putting at risk. Grow up and wear the damned mask!