I'm like a pencil;
sometimes sharp,
most days
well-rounded,
other times
dull or
occasionally
broken.
Still I write.
j.g. lewis
is a writer/photographer in Toronto.
Month: March 2020
I read yesterday — in a Facebook post from someone I respect for the fresh and solidifying presence she brings to my news feed — comments likening the current COVID-19 coronavirus to AIDS.
Fear was the thread running through her opinion piece, and the need compassion was her premise, but in passing on her thoughts she was contributing to the misinformation that perpetuates the spread of unreasonable and incomprehensible actions.
The writer correctly identified that each of us is at risk for coronavirus COVID-19, and further that many of us are scared. But her assumption that we are as scared as those who live (or lived) with HIV or AIDS is as damaging as it is disrespectful.
HIV/AIDS is nothing like COVID-19. The human immunodeficiency virus which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is blood borne while COVID-19 is airborne.
HIV is an infection caused by contact with blood, pre-ejaculate semen and vaginal fluids. Coronavirus spreads in a manner similar to influenza; by respiratory droplets from coughing settling on skin, office building doorknobs and subway straps.
You can get the coronavirus from a handshake. It can take a more intimate (and perhaps careless) encounter to become infected with HIV.
Of course my explanation is an over-simplification, but the reality is there. In the 80s this woman refers to in her Facebook post, HIV was surely a death sentence. Coronavirus, in 2020, is not even close. Yes, the global death rate increases daily, but COVID-19 is a virus you can recover from. In fact, many of the original cases of the coronavirus we currently fear have since recovered from the infection.
Yes we need compassion, as this woman clearly states, but we also need sound minds to prevail. We need to wash our hands. We need to isolate ourselves if we are feeling poorly. We need to keep our distance from people, and we need to follow sound advice from medical professionals
What we don’t need is loose talk, which will further confuse an already concerned population. Misinformation breeds fear, and there is already too much of that going around; both fear and misinformation.
03/13/2020 j.g.l.
Posted on March 12, 2020 by j.g.lewisLeave a comment
Woefully inadequate,
absent-minded at times,
I’ve given up with the
murky delusions which
once easily sated a
temporary existence.
The darkness at 5:47 in
the morning will soon
be bothered by sunlight’s
brash persistence.
I’m no longer protected
by indecision or sorrow.
j.g.l.
I’m fearful. How could I not be? We are, right now, heading towards a global recession with so many variables that there is no clear picture on how bad it will get, or how long it will last.
Opinions are the greatest commodity available at the moment, but much them are of little value as the coronavirus epidemic spreads, stock markets plummet, consumer behavior becomes illogical, and the supply chain of knowledge dwindles as quickly as auto parts and hand sanitizer.
Whether by paranoia or panic, we’ve got people stockpiling toilet paper in preparation for a shitstorm that will continue for who knows how long? Two months? Six months? A year?
Nobody is really talking about recession — not yet and not loudly — but history shows us where we are headed. 2008 is still fresh in our memory.
The coronavirus has been big news, globally, for months. We have been fortunate, so far, in Canada with cases of infections limited to a few provinces and only one death; so far. Statistics change hourly. The World Heath Organization has been avoiding the word ‘pandemic’ for weeks.
The picture in the United States is not as clear, but it is not good. Still, the North American continent is not yet in bad shape like, say, Italy, Iran, or South Korea. Or China.
And this recent crude oil price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia will further devastate money markets at a time when treasury boards can do so little to prop up individual economies. How much lower can interest rates be reduced?
Just yesterday a large domestic producer in this country announced plans to cut spending by more than 30 percent. The Canadian oil patch — already reeling — is in no way prepared for the economic downturn that has begun.
Governments are searching madly for ways to respond; our own prime minister is announcing something or other today. The ever-vainglorious U.S. president has been continually weighing in with his unfettered ignorance; more concerned about the battle he will face in this fall’s election.
And the race between the two Democrat hopefuls who plan to do battle with Donald Trump this autumn is in no way inspiring.
I’m fearful. You should be too. Of course, right now, that’s just my opinion.
*the above image is ‘borrowed’ from the rather clever video for the Van Halen song Right Now.
The 1991 image seems especially appropriate right now.
