Errors in thinking destroy lives. We realize that, on an individual level, when we see the unhealthy choices people make; ‘drowning my sorrow tonight is worthwhile’ is widely recognized as an action in self-destruction.
One of the major errors in thinking is ‘dropping the context’ in which a decision must be made. For a thought process to lead to a valid conclusion, the full context must be taken into account. That means immediate and long-range results. It also means narrow as well as wide-ranging ripple effects.
You would have to go far to find this principle exemplified better than in the public response to covid-19. Responses have been myopic, at best.
Obviously, care needs to be exercised in this situation – extreme care in the case of the more vulnerable. And that includes people understanding that being a carrier is not being a good neighbor. “Flattening the curve” is a valid medical concern.
However, fighting the virus is not the only input to this equation. For years, we’ve been told – correctly – that poverty kills. Whether it leads to people not seeking medical help when they should, or a burden of debt that makes one a slave to the credit card company, or whatever, poverty does destroy life (often slowly.) Where’s the discussion during this time of the tradeoff between the strictly medical viewpoint being pursued by those in charge and a broader point of view that includes the ramifications of the forced shutdown, likely leading to a recession or worse? Statism kills too, but I see almost no discussion of any limits the government should have on its actions during this time. The so-called empathetic response to the mandated economic hardships is bailouts – millions for the big business types, a thousand or two for the working man – as part of a trillion dollar response package by the Fed and Treasury. For years I’ve believed that the national debt was the biggest issue facing America. This will not make it better!
Unfortunately for us, politicians live by the motto of never letting a crisis go to waste. This virus has handed them a wonderful opportunity – and they jumped on it with both feet, turning a medical problem into a full-blown economic crisis. The stress of the formerly degenerating economic market has now been put down by a massive stimulus/bail out package and interest rates of zero. The spectre of a control economy is back, fanned by elites who have wanted that ever since the world wars showed how it could be done. It’s little wonder Sanders has dropped out of sight; he’s superfluous now.
The most haunting aspect of the discussion, however, is the unchallenged assumption underlying the many edicts, that government should have the authority to control our lives, jobs, and movements. It’s sad that the only real pushback to the draconian shutdowns was from the narcissistic hedonists on college break. We have morphed from a nation of responsible individualists to a nation of sheep, meekly following the latest rule.
The French economist Bastiat published a short story many years ago entitled the Parable of the Broken Window. To paraphrase it, a boy breaks a window, and the townspeople decide it was a good thing because now the hardware store and a contractor will see business to fix it. Bastiat’s answer was, no, you must take into consideration the unseen consequences as well. Now, the money going to restore the status quo will not be used to purchase new shoes the window owner needed. So after fixing the window, the owner is sitting where he was – a good window and worn out shoes – but minus the savings used to fix the window. And the shoe store is out of a sale. A fallacy in thinking led the townspeople to embrace a destructive action.
I’m afraid that is where we find ourselves today. We will be living with the consequences of our destructive actions well past this particular flu season.
Askance Eye Miniblog 