Thorough and brilliant post. Makes me wonder how we escape it all or I should say if we escape it. Safetyism, as you point out, is fraught w unintended harms, especially to children. When the possibility has become the probability, as seems to be the case, what IS the off ramp?
"Surface contact was determined to not be a significant route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2..." Recently I went to a supermarket where they had decided to start spritzing their clients with the stupid hand sanitizer upon entry. I said, "Still doing this theatre? No." And I left. I went to a different store of the same chain a few weeks later. Looks like the hand sanitizer harassment is chain-wide. I said, "No," again and left. No doubt the people supporting this figure it's "just" hand sanitizer, but I figure it's important to fight against whatever fronts of this madness I am able to.
The syllogism used by politicians goes like this (borrowed from the TV show Yes Minister):
1. We must do something
2. This is something
Therefore, we must do this.
Also the safety culture described goes back a few decades. I was hoping it was in decline (there were some signs) but with Covid it's clearly still very powerful. I find it interesting that in Greek mythology, the god Soter means "safety", but also "salvation". People today do have a quasi-religious drive toward safety, treating as a kind of secular salvation.
Nobody seems to remember that TV fact-checkers spent a couple of decades ridiculing us for throwing away our money on hand sanitizer. It was a go-to story any time they got bored (second only to lab-testing various objects and comparing the germs found to those on a toilet seat): interview an expert who would say that the only way the stuff could do any good was if you scrubbed with it for 10 minutes and followed up with soap and water. Suckers! Hahaha!
I was just thinking about the big snow of 1982 this morning. I lived in west St. Louis County then. I believe about 15 inches fell that Sunday, and I had to go to work that night downtown. I cleared the snow off my VW Rabbit and headed down I-70. When I had the building in sight, I just parked the car on the street (not in a parking space, literally on the street) as everybody else was doing. Next morning I drove home. Seems so crazy now.
Fast forward to this week. We had about 6 inches here (a little farther west of St. Louis). As of today still no mail, no delivery of a FedEx package scheduled for three days ago, and I doubt schools will reopen even on Monday. When I was a kid, the people you relied on would put on their tire chains and get the job done. Now, about once every five years some school administrator will get the nerve to not cancel when there's a dusting, and sure enough, a bus will slide up against a curb somewhere and the finger-pointing begins. Can't say I blame them for being timid.
I had a bout with what I'm pretty sure was the flu this week. Symptoms were exactly the same as last time I had it 13 years ago: fever for two days and feeling so weak that getting out of bed was a struggle. The fever is gone but I know it will take a couple of weeks before I feel good again. My wife shows no signs of infection, but my sickness cult busybody sister-in-law got wind of it and has been nagging her that I have to "get tested." No, I do not.
Here in North Florida we also have the same safetyism when we get cold snaps. A few times per year temperatures even below freezing - for just a few hours. When growing up in the 1980's-90's, life continued on mostly as normal, but not anymore.
Thorough and brilliant post. Makes me wonder how we escape it all or I should say if we escape it. Safetyism, as you point out, is fraught w unintended harms, especially to children. When the possibility has become the probability, as seems to be the case, what IS the off ramp?
"Surface contact was determined to not be a significant route of transmission of SARS-CoV-2..." Recently I went to a supermarket where they had decided to start spritzing their clients with the stupid hand sanitizer upon entry. I said, "Still doing this theatre? No." And I left. I went to a different store of the same chain a few weeks later. Looks like the hand sanitizer harassment is chain-wide. I said, "No," again and left. No doubt the people supporting this figure it's "just" hand sanitizer, but I figure it's important to fight against whatever fronts of this madness I am able to.
The syllogism used by politicians goes like this (borrowed from the TV show Yes Minister):
1. We must do something
2. This is something
Therefore, we must do this.
Also the safety culture described goes back a few decades. I was hoping it was in decline (there were some signs) but with Covid it's clearly still very powerful. I find it interesting that in Greek mythology, the god Soter means "safety", but also "salvation". People today do have a quasi-religious drive toward safety, treating as a kind of secular salvation.
Excellent, Steve. Thank you.
Nobody seems to remember that TV fact-checkers spent a couple of decades ridiculing us for throwing away our money on hand sanitizer. It was a go-to story any time they got bored (second only to lab-testing various objects and comparing the germs found to those on a toilet seat): interview an expert who would say that the only way the stuff could do any good was if you scrubbed with it for 10 minutes and followed up with soap and water. Suckers! Hahaha!
I was just thinking about the big snow of 1982 this morning. I lived in west St. Louis County then. I believe about 15 inches fell that Sunday, and I had to go to work that night downtown. I cleared the snow off my VW Rabbit and headed down I-70. When I had the building in sight, I just parked the car on the street (not in a parking space, literally on the street) as everybody else was doing. Next morning I drove home. Seems so crazy now.
Fast forward to this week. We had about 6 inches here (a little farther west of St. Louis). As of today still no mail, no delivery of a FedEx package scheduled for three days ago, and I doubt schools will reopen even on Monday. When I was a kid, the people you relied on would put on their tire chains and get the job done. Now, about once every five years some school administrator will get the nerve to not cancel when there's a dusting, and sure enough, a bus will slide up against a curb somewhere and the finger-pointing begins. Can't say I blame them for being timid.
I had a bout with what I'm pretty sure was the flu this week. Symptoms were exactly the same as last time I had it 13 years ago: fever for two days and feeling so weak that getting out of bed was a struggle. The fever is gone but I know it will take a couple of weeks before I feel good again. My wife shows no signs of infection, but my sickness cult busybody sister-in-law got wind of it and has been nagging her that I have to "get tested." No, I do not.
Thank you for another great article!
Here in North Florida we also have the same safetyism when we get cold snaps. A few times per year temperatures even below freezing - for just a few hours. When growing up in the 1980's-90's, life continued on mostly as normal, but not anymore.