Lest we forget

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Sitting unhidden in one of my barrio tiendas sipping on a litre of Poker beer, it dawned on me that less than a year ago such behaviour was officially prohibited and had been for the guts of 12 months.

Saving face: Colombians seem particularly keen on facemasks.

I'm not sure about you, but as things gradually return, for the most part anyway, to how they were pre-pandemic, I've nearly forgotten how absurd those "lockdown"/restricted-movement days were (it's good to have my various blog posts during the period as a reference point. See, for example, https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-collateral-damage.html and https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/06/coronavirus-auxiliary-killers.html. Here's hoping the internet's Ministry of Truth doesn't get at them).

Failed estate

This isn't to say that my tried-and-trusted Bogotá tiendas are devoid of signs of those crazy times. Clientele's wearing of facemasks under the chin is one rather inane reminder. There's also the odd sign to wash one's hands (a tad difficult in establishments without adequate facilities in this regard), to wear aforementioned masks and even notices to disinfect your footwear, a practice that was found early on to be rather ineffective in combatting contagion in most settings.

As for the facemasks, Colombians seem quite happy to wear them, anywhere and everywhere. Whatever about their efficacy in terms of reducing the spread of respiratory infections — the jury is still very much out — they may at least offer some protection from Bogotá's contaminated air. Although, when worn around the chin, it's unlikely they'll be of much help.

Nonetheless, it's good to have some reminders of what we've just gone through — as long as they're kept at a safe physical distance that is.

Of course, people still afflicted by coronavirus monomania will not only say that all draconian measures introduced were necessary but they are also likely to argue that they didn't go far enough nor last long enough.

Again, the evidence that strict lockdowns work in combatting a disease such as covid-19 is far from conclusive. And when viewed solely through the lens of Sars-CoV-2, one is guilty of inflicting other causes of pain and death on those who would otherwise be fine. It's a delicate balance, one that many countries appear to have got shockingly wrong.

"Those who have been most faithful to the creed, if they're not quite rewriting recent history their changing tack is explained as 'we weren't to know.' Really?"

As we begin to accept that we must learn to live with covid rather than stop living and as we move our focus onto the next global cause for concern, any proper, unbiased analysis of the last two years must critically examine the role of much of the media in unquestioningly following the official line.

A majority in the Fourth Estate, not for the first time and it certainly won't be for the last, decided to take refuge elsewhere.

A dubious narrative was established and followed with fervour. "The Science" — the one that promoted heavy-handed containment measures and has coerced people into taking covid vaccines even when it is clear that some have robust natural defences against the infection — became the true faith.

Signs of the time. Careful now ...

Those of us who dared ask fair and reasonable questions were blasted as heretics. We were selfish, content to needlessly let people die, so the attacks went. Very early on in this collective, dangerous insanity I called out what was for the most part nauseating, hypocritical virtue signalling (see https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/03/coronavirus-fallout-virtue-signalling.html).

We now have some of those who were most faithful to the creed backtracking. If they're not quite rewriting recent history their changing tack is explained as 'we weren't to know.' Really? They seemed utterly convinced of their righteousness at the time, trying to rubbish those of us who went against them.

Centre fight

In any case, it's quite easy for them to shrug all this off now. Vaccine certs proudly in hand, life is pretty much back to normal. (More power to the countries that are doing away with jab passes — little by little, society appears to be taking a more reasonable, rounded approach to this. Let's not mention atrocious Australia, crazy Canada or nefarious New Zealand, though.)

Thus, some people tell me I should get over all this, 'hum a different tune'. For the most part, I am doing that.

However, the agents of coercion and control who were given a new lease of life with the arrival of the novel coronavirus continue to try to make life difficult for us "infidels". 'Just conform, goddamn it!'

Many appear quite happy to have the state overseeing more aspects of their lives, often falsely believing that it's for the greater good of society. It generally means a little less personal responsibility, too, so they'll acquiesce.

Yet, an all-powerful state with much of the media in tow, doing its best to silence — or cancel, if you will — dissenting voices, painting any opposition as conspiracy theorists and so refusing to engage with it, is not something to be endorsed.

It's why I won't simply let this go, not while we still have what is effectively nothing more than official opinion or debatable science being peddled as unquestionable fact.

As we've seen over the last couple of years and as history has repeatedly shown us, giving free rein to such forces rarely leads to positive outcomes.

The centre can hold for a little while longer. We have to be prepared, though, to battle hard to keep it together.
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A reinvigorated fun police

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

And just like that, it's all over — kind of. Within a couple of days of each other, both England (just England initially that was, not the other UK nations) and, more shockingly, a heretofore extremely cautious — officially, anyway — Republic of Ireland announced that they were ending most of the coronavirus pandemic restrictions.

Thou shalt not pass without a covid-19 vaccine pass: The social credit system in action — comply or be ostracised.

Learning to live again

Of course, I don't (currently) reside in either jurisdiction but I was somewhat optimistic on hearing the news. I'm not, however, expecting a domino effect around the globe in the coming weeks.

It does, nonetheless, give one hope that other nations will start to accept that we have to learn to live with covid-19 rather than stubbornly and damagingly maintain a suppression strategy.

As has been said oft-times before on this blog, we're not talking about an indiscriminate killer here, despite the efforts of many governments and media groups to portray Sars-Cov-2 as such. This covid monomania comes at a price — not just economically but in lives lost as well — and that price is something we're set to live with for some time to come.

I wrote previously (see https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/09/rocking-in-fear-world.html) about the irrational fear that has been instilled in the masses over the last two years. 

Thus, for people to return to their pre-pandemic lives — as much as they want to, that is — it was always going to take more than just an address from our esteemed leaders simply telling us that it's all pretty much back to normal and "away with you".

What's more, all the various rules and recommendations aimed at saving lives have empowered what one could call a citizen's army of do-gooders and virtue-signallers. Well-intentioned they may be but, as is often the case in such affairs, they are potentially doing more harm than good — and most likely to themselves than to anyone else.

'"Recklessly" going against the doctrine puts us all in jeopardy. So, à la Novak Djokovic in authoritarian Australia, an example must be made of these apostates.'

You see, many of us at the receiving end of such unsolicited help to save ourselves and humanity at large can, to a certain extent, shrug it off. The preachers, on the other hand, are so worked up about it that it appears to consume them.  

In effect, they almost stop living because they become so concerned about avoiding death.

Pernicious pretenders

Raised as an Irish Catholic, I see something quite familiar here. The top brass who issue the orders largely ignore them in their private (and not-so-private) lives — vide the No. 10 Downing Street parties and Golfgate in Ireland — but the foot soldiers follow the commands with zeal.

In other words, the plebs are the ones who do the donkey work, pay the biggest price, yet they'll never see the green pastures, the promised land.

For these covid crusaders, the non-believers, the heathens, must equally — or, preferably, to a greater extent — suffer. In fact, it's those who question the gospel who are the problem. They must be brought into line.

"Recklessly" going against the doctrine puts us all in jeopardy. So, à la Novak Djokovic in authoritarian Australia, an example must be made of these apostates.

The Catholic Church — together with other such institutions — has done a great job at convincing folk through the ages that having fun in the here and now only leads one to the depths of hell. Not only is living fundamentally a struggle but you must also suffer whilst going through it. (I must say, these days I do move to a more ascetic beat — I'm certainly no party animal anyway — but I don't expect everyone to follow my lead. I'm happy for people to mix, mingle and live as they see fit as long as they don't inconvenience me too much.)

Where religion has lost its (often malignant) influence we have plenty of pernicious pretenders to step into the vacuum.

This coronavirus pandemic has given such fanatical forces a shot in the arm, literally and metaphorically. The fun police have been reinvigorated. The officers won't go away quietly.
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Addicted to a prescribed life

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Thanks to a means-tested health system and with my parents — seven children in tow — deemed too well off to receive government assistance, the idea of going to the doctor for the slightest — and not-so-slight — complaint was generally discouraged in the household of my youth.

Once you pop, you just can't stop. This is what most pharmaceutical companies want to be the case anyway.

Popping pills

Fair enough, by the time I, the youngest, started going to secondary school, our lot had improved quite a bit and would continue to do so through the Celtic Tiger years (until it all went belly up).

Nonetheless, due to the austerity that had prevailed before then, I'd learned that a trip to the general practitioner (GP) was considered an "exclusive" event. And one would have to show very good cause to gain entry. 

In any case, by about the age of 15, I'd started to match — to an extent — my father's trait where showing any momentary physical or mental infirmity was reprehensible.  

I do, though, recall those childhood days when being deemed sick enough to receive the sweet Calpol over-the-counter pain reliever was a joyous occasion.

Looking back on it now, it's as if the pharmaceutical company that produced that syrup did so with the idea of making it addictive in mind. Ludicrous thought, I know.

There were times, too, when I liked being on prescribed medication. I'm not sure why this was, but popping pills stored in a little plastic container with my name printed on it seemed kind of cool.

That's all changed now. For better or for worse, I do my best to avoid visiting the doctor or seeking pharmaceutical help.

OK, at almost 37 years of age, leading what I believe to be a largely healthy lifestyle and with no underlying conditions that I know of, there's nothing startling in the fact that I haven't felt the need for regular medical check-ups or medication.

'A vaccine's modus operandi is to induce or increase an organism's natural immunity mechanisms. Without them for certain potentially deadly diseases, the human body would simply be overwhelmed.'

Yes, it may not be the wisest move to be so reluctant to seek medical assistance should the need arise, but I'd like to think that my body would give me signs if there was something malignant at play that required outside help.

Also — and many of us have plenty of anecdotes to back this up — just because a medical practitioner gives one the all-clear doesn't mean that everything is fine.

What's more, when there is something untoward, some doctors have a tendency to automatically reach for their old reliable, the prescription: 'Pelt them with pills.'

A late aunt of mine used to uncontrollably, albeit mildly, shake. It was put down as just one symptom of various complications she had following a brain haemorrhage. 

It was subsequently discovered it was due to a chemical imbalance from the myriad of medications she was taking. Little wonder. I recall her handbag being like a portable pharmacy.

Body and mind over matter

This is not to say that I'm against all modern medicine and medical procedures. One risks severely reducing one's life expectancy in taking such a stance.

On that point, the argument could be made that my late sister would still be with us had she opted for chemotherapy to deal with her breast cancer rather than go an alternative route. We'll never know.

If you're not fully in agreement with whatever treatment you receive, there is a possibility it won't work. The mind is a powerful force after all. And we all do have to face death at some stage.

Then, of course, there are vaccines, perhaps the greatest medical discovery humankind has ever made.

A vaccine's modus operandi — important to mention in these times — is to induce or increase an organism's natural immunity mechanisms. Without vaccines for certain potentially deadly diseases, the human body would simply be overwhelmed.

One's organism could, in theory, fend off the likes of polio or yellow fever without the aid of a vaccine. Based on case fatality rates for those diseases, however, one would be taking a huge gamble adopting such an approach.  

With Sars-Cov-2, on the other hand, we've known from an early stage that many people have solid defences against the infection, an infection that kills quite discriminately i.e. the elderly and the obese have a far greater risk of severe illness and death.  

Thus, the need for covid-19 vaccines for all has always been questionable, particularly when there are some not-insignificant, genuine doubts hanging over these jabs. This push for compulsory vaccines appears to have more to do with exerting control than being for the greater good of public health.

While the great advancements in medical science have significantly increased our life expectancy, we must be aware of our limitations. We must also remain cognisant of the fact that sometimes the natural process is better left alone.

One doesn't need to be a scholar of history to know that human interference — even when done in good faith — doesn't always produce positive outcomes.
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The case for non-pharmaceutical covid defences

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

When it comes to explaining my continued reluctance to get the Sars-CoV-2 vaccine to those who have no issue with it, it's like we're on a different plain, nay planet, altogether.

Where I see the figure six, they see a nine and vice versa, something to that effect.

Lining up for a jab to live life but not necessarily a jab to save lives.

Just do it

'Is it that you're frightened of needles?', is a common, benign initial question. I'm not, although I have been known to get rather lightheaded after injections and I needed a little more recuperation time than the average person after the one and only occasion I gave blood (it hasn't deterred me from wishing to donate again, it's just Colombia doesn't want my blood now).  

'Oh, so you're afraid that the vaccine will do you more harm than good? You don't need to worry, it's practically 100 per cent safe.' On this front, I'm not really worried about potential nasty side effects, yet the idea that the vaccines are fully safe we know is not true.

What's more, the benefit-risk balance comes down more heavily on the latter side the younger one is. Covid-19 itself, on the other hand, is ageist, with the elderly facing a far greater risk of severe infection and death.  

'Ah, so you're one of those conspiracy theorists who think that the vaccine implants a microchip in your body or something like that.' No. As much as some might wish to label me thus, I don't believe that.

What I certainly do have is much less confidence in governments and leading civil servants that are directing public health across the globe. 

The 'trust the science' mantra, when that "science" is far from proven beyond reasonable doubt and has been shown to have more holes in it than the socks I currently have in my possession, only makes one more suspicious.

'In a Twitter exchange with the renowned US epidemiologist, Larry Brilliant, he accepted that natural immunity is a factor but said it was risky to rely on. For the vast majority of older people, that would seem true. For most younger folk, not so.'

Indeed, it's akin to the line from the Jim Carrey character in the classic comedy flick Dumb and Dumber, 'It's OK, I'm a limo driver.' At least he got his passenger to the airport unscathed, although — similar to this pandemic — with plenty of collateral damage along the way.

'So you're just a contrarian who doesn't want to be told what to do.' I'd be lying if I said this wasn't a factor but with good reason. It ties in with the above, our decision-makers' just-do-it-or-else approach, which not only fails to convince sceptics of the benefits of covid-19 vaccines for the entire population but also ensures a more entrenched position.

When one has been close to a highly contagious virus and suffered no adverse reaction, practically forcing said person to take an emergency-issued vaccine for 'one's own good and that of humanity at large', when the evidence that this is the case is questionable, to say the least, in what other way would any right-thinking individual respond than to refuse?

A not-so-'Brilliant' vaccine: data show that natural immunity may be better than the vaccine over time.

Surely public health bodies would serve humanity better by studying what exactly is at play in those of us who seem to have non-vaccine-acquired defences against covid-19.

Immune to rationality

Natural immunity — this shouldn't have to be stated but it appears many have to be reminded of it — is not an absurd concept. 

In a brief Twitter exchange a few months ago with the renowned US epidemiologist Larry Brilliant — a man who truly knows about tackling infections, unlike Bill Gates — he accepted that natural immunity is a factor but said it was risky to rely on.

For the vast majority of older people, that would seem true. For most younger folk, not so, as emerging data appear to show.  

With Colombia joining the list of countries that are effectively forcing the vaccine on people, the unvaccinated here are set to become social pariahs. One of the many worrying aspects of this is the number of so-called liberals all over the world who support such coercion.

It is understandable in some ways. The hypochondriacal masses have been bombarded with fear-inducing messages about the severity of covid-19 from governments and media for almost two years now. In such an environment disproportionate, irrational responses are not surprising.

I had hoped that as we see more breakthrough covid infections and data continue to show the limits of vaccine-acquired immunity, a realisation that some people already have what appear to be robust defences against this virus would be forthcoming. Alas, what we're getting is the opposite, doubling down on inoculation programmes.

One also has to wonder why there has been less of a focus on developing effective treatments when we've seen that the vaccine is far from a panacea.

It would seem to make sense to do so for a disease that's set to become endemic. Again, it just raises suspicions as to what forces are truly behind the mass-vaccination drive.

In this context, it's not quite a jab to save lives. It's more a case of 'get the jab or forget about living your life'. Don't ask questions, just do it.
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Rocking in the fear world

@wwaycorrigan

[Listen to an audio version of this blog entry here.]

Earlier this month, the UK's Daily Telegraph reported that accidents at London Tube stations have increased because some passengers are too afraid to hold onto the escalator handrails.

This is apparently due to fear of picking up the Sars-CoV-2 virus, or coronavirus as many simply call it. For the record, intoxication was also cited as a factor.

Careful now, coronavirus & Big Brother are watching you.

We must assume that those in the former category had no other choice but to use public transport to get to where they were going.

Fear play

Moreover, if they are so frightened of coming into contact with the coronavirus and thus potentially becoming ill with covid-19, it is perplexing how they managed to step outside and mix with the mad, morbid masses in the first instance. Think of all the dangers one encounters before entering the dungeon of disease that must be the London Tube.

Surely there are other, safer commute options? OK, I'm not au fait with the English capital, so perhaps it's not the case that the most efficient form of transport is by pushbike or on foot, as it is in many cities. 

Also, for health or other reasons cycling or walking what may be relatively long distances isn't an option for everybody (we're still waiting for these 15-minute cities).

That aside, congratulations are in order for the UK government, its public health body and malleable media. While they and their counterparts across the globe have got many things wrong during this pandemic — I've highlighted plenty of them previously — one can only applaud their remarkable success in instilling irrational fear about covid amongst the populace.

'No doubt there are many who hope I get my comeuppance for what they view as such an arrogant, indifferent stance.'

Judging by many people's reactions over the last 19 months or so, it's almost as if humanity had found the secret to immortality before our microscopic enemy from the East entered the global stage. Some seem so determined to avoid this virus that they'll actually harm themselves in other ways in the process.

There's no need here to once again repeat that covid-19 is a relatively mild infection for the majority — indeed, for some, it seems to cause no harm whatsoever — and that it is a very discriminate killer. One either knows this by now or simply refuses to accept the facts.

Fatal flaws

There are those who appear to want this to be an existential threat, one where we're all equally at risk. When one points out information to the contrary, he/she is accused of being heartless, of not caring enough, of wanting people to die.

I do find this odd as, in public pronouncements in any case, I usually do gravitate towards the worst-case scenario. I tend to see the problems more easily than the solutions. With covid, when I say, 'Look, all things considered, it's not that bad, it could be much worse', I get shouted down.

No doubt there are many who hope I get my comeuppance for what they view as such an arrogant, indifferent stance. I hasten to add, I'm not indifferent to those who have experienced loss due to covid.

All I'm trying to do is to put it into its proper context alongside all the other deadly threats we face as a species, something that I believe has been damagingly lacking throughout the pandemic. Overly focusing on one problem allows others to foment. Covid monomania can cause as much harm as the infection itself.

Perhaps I am setting myself up for a fatal fall. Wandering about unvaccinated (see The vaccine vexers for my thoughts on that), living my life as normal as I possibly can in these straitened times — save for any long-distance travelling of note — trying not to let fear of death affect my daily interactions.

Maybe coronavirus is just waiting for its moment to pounce on this blasé being. Maybe.

If it is, it is. The alternative is locking myself away indefinitely until it's "safe" to venture out again. I know if I did that, I wouldn't be long bidding adieu to this world.

I want to live life my way, as much as I can, not simply spend my days trying to avoid death.
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