WASHINGTON, D.C. — I can’t imagine the Government going door-to-door with a cure for cancer. So why do we need it with the COVID vaccine?
Seriously? Door-to-door? My goodness, lotteries, prizes, gift certificates, free dog grooming. Seems like someone is trying awfully hard to make sure that I am safe and healthy. But didn’t the Nazi’s (and the police in New Orleans after the hurricane) go door to door as well?
This reminds me of a Jim Carey movie called “The Truman Show?” It was about a man who-from birth-was living in an artificial simulation. Everyone he knew was an actor; every event in his life was contrived, scripted, and filmed for a “Reality TV” series that was immensely popular worldwide.
In the morning, special effects would simulate a sunrise. Stormy? Turn the rain, wind and thunder effects on.
Nothing that happened to Truman was actually happening in the rest of the world. Or even to him, really. And he was under constant surveillance (any part of this starting to sound familiar?).
The ruse fell apart, eventually, because the folks behind the curtain couldn’t keep up the fibs anymore. Kind of a virtual Ponzi scheme where the music finally stopped and-surprise!- short one chair. But it went on for decades.
That’s how 2021 feels:
{Using Bullhorn}-“We are in an emergency! Mayday mayday! Cue emergency effects and powers! Smoke!
Roll out solemn advertising, but add hopeful music! Make sure that the colors are muted in the beginning, but back to shiny and vibrant by the end of the spot!
We need lots of coverage and news on deaths. Don’t let anyone believe that this might not be their last minute on this rock! Don’t worry about contradictions-keep the populace hammered with misery so that they do not question!
Ready the politicians with inspiring slogans, smiles, messages of hope, praise, heroism, and vigilance! “WE- (AND ONLY WE) WILL SAVE YOU!!”
And people stayed home, cut off their lives, convinced themselves that they were, in fact, an island after all. Out emotions followed the stories being released, the heartwarming stories of underdogs that had somehow managed to beat the odds, the information that we were allowed to hear.
And, not surprisingly, once we started to go down that path we increasingly began to actively listen to the rhetoric-and ONLY the rhetoric- that backed up what we had been told (and subsequently decided) to believe. This is known as cognitive dissonance-despots throughout history have used it to great success to control the masses. Or rather, to let the masses think that they are controlling themselves by simply avoiding thought trains they have been programmed to be uncomfortable with.
Of course, any salesman knows that once you convince someone to start saying “yes” then it becomes easier to keep them saying “yes.” And easier to get them detached from critical thinking. Easier to get them to agree with next round of suggestions.
This is the essence of brainwashing; there are four lights. Oh, and I don’t want to forget this little chestnut: the smarter one is the more susceptible you become.
The script requires shaming those who didn’t play along and deifying those who trudged forward. Ridicule toward anyone who doesn’t toe the line, questions about intelligence and sexual performance, questions as to whether or not their mothers wear army boots. (Mine does, staff Sgt., perfectly willing to get all stompy to mouthy teenagers. Just take my word for this.)
If you want an eye-opening exercise, type in “Reason for not getting the mRNA vaccine” in Google. The responses for the first page or two will ALL suggest ignorance, stupidity, voting Republican, brain damage, and poor IQ scores as the reasons for otherwise healthy folks that don’t want to go through with it.
All the cool kids are doing it, don’t you want to be cool?
Noted, what is WAY down the page is the lack of clinical trials, the lack of oversight, the lack of peer review, etc. Not an anti-vaxxer, but it seems anything that might help one make an informed clear decision has been either doctored with or made difficult to find.
Day-to-day conversations and correspondence would be prefaced with some reference to “trying” or “unprecedented” times.
But, as Mark Twain purportedly said: “It is far easier to fool a man than it is to ever convince him that he was fooled.” After we collectively made the decision to go along with the bleating our egos became involved; no on wanted to admit that we had made a stupid mistake, or that the Emperor was not, in fact, displaying his Prada™ best.
No one actually cared if people had their vaccines prior to 2020. They had opinions on it, of course. but that never prevented them from going into public places, handling grocery carts, riding public transportation, or jumping into an elevator with strangers. Or made commentary to others that might be exercising these same attitudes. The prevailing philosophy was “If he dies, he dies.”
General regard toward vaccines was similar to that concerning driver’s licenses: we hit the roads in a fast-moving metal missile powered by exploding dinosaur juice; who knows if the person behind the wheel is qualified to do so? Don’t care: get in, sit down, shut up, and hang on.
People didn’t pay attention until they were told to. Ordered to. Shamed for any hesitancy. Then threatened if they didn’t.
SO, back to our halcyon days of rosy 2021. The theme has changed to “reopening” and “recovery,” a “return to normal.” (Cue sunrise, birds singing (I personally think that they are actually screaming because they are afraid of heights) and images of wildlife returning after a storm. People helping people. Doe nuzzling her fawn.)
Inasmuch as we have the illusion of choice in elections, this is yet another illusion of returning to “normal.”
Stores are reopening, mask mandates are loosening, people are returning to work as businesses start hiring! Yay team!
It’s fantastic in the same way giving you a baloney sandwich is fantastic after a year of dry toast. There’s much better than baloney in the world to eat (presumably; not buying it yet). But after coming off so many draconian restrictions for our collective safety, our gratefulness for the smallest of things becomes exaggerated.
Q: But while society is being rationed some of their meager liberties back, is government reeling in the emergency powers? Inquiring minds want to know.
A: Absolutely not.
In case I wasn’t clear: no.
If you recall, I discussed how it is and has been in the United States:
The interesting thing about “states of emergency” is that it doesn’t end until it either is allowed to expire, or the executive calls it off. States of emergency have been allowed to continue long after their original purposes were served.(!) It is difficult to believe that, once power has been given to a ruling body that, for any reason, that same body would willingly and voluntarily surrender said power. Governments are not, sadly, normally concerned with reducing their power.
One example was under Truman: he declared a state of emergency which lead to the Korean War. It never was called off … and surprise we’re in Vietnam.
States of emergencies are at the whim of the Executive, and can be declared with little oversight. The powers allowed under those circumstances is decided by Congress. In 1973 alone, 470 additional powers were enacted by Congress to the President in times of crisis. While the National Emergencies Act was supposed to keep endless emergencies in check, the US still has emergencies that are currently active dating back to 1979.
Some of these “emergencies” are directly connected to our continued tumultuous relationship with Iran and the middle east in general.
And in each and every instance, individual liberties were taken for the collective good-and they were rarely-if ever-returned.
In a Post Emergency world, individual liberties are greater than they were during lockdown, but far less than they were prior to lockdowns. The governments’ powers and overreach are far greater than they were prior to lockdown, but now are being executed far more covertly.
The idea of “Vaccine Passports” has of course been bandied around, and every iteration of it is an awful Orwellian train wreck. But that’s the least of the worries, which is saying quite a lot.
Tune in tomorrow for the final exciting installment of “We Are so Scr%$#%d …”
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