Something Is Rotten
Stand up for what you believe in, even if it means standing alone.” Kim Hanks
2020 exposed many American problems. We’ve seen – and maybe even, experienced – that “something is rotten”!
What to do when you know that “something is rotten”? Passive, powerless people complain and wish for things to get better. Powerful people don’t contribute to existing problems and work to correct them.
Pandemic?
Yes, it sucks for us all, but think of the Spanish flu of 1918 which infected 500 million people and killed 50 million worldwide. It came and went without a vaccine to prevent it or effective treatment for it. How come? Everyone was FORCED to wear a face mask and rubber gloves as well as avoid public gatherings until the virus’ transmission was brought to a halt. The world was smart 102 years ago.
Clearly, we are dumber today. As a nation we have a lack of understanding and discipline needed to control the spread of Covid-19. (It gets worse, with the highest infection rate yet, on 10/25/2020 the White House declared that we are NOT trying to control the pandemic because vaccines and treatments (of unproven so far safety or effectiveness!) are on the way…………
Be powerful: use your common sense! New Zealand is Covid-19-free and so are other countries. That’s not because the virus is picking and choosing, but because some nations are wiser than ours. Protect yourself and others by complying with scientists-recommended guidelines. (Don’t urge passersby to do the same. It can be dangerous in our country, today!) Set an example and stay safe. Live within the recommended restrictions, avoid social gatherings indoors, do what’s right, so we’ll all be free again, sooner rather than later.
Black Lives Matter
Of course, they do! Do we need a police reform so African Americans can feel as safe as everybody else? ABSOLUTELY! Is it enough? No.
For the record: I’m white. It isn’t my fault. It isn’t my “achievement”. It’s a simple case of the luck of the draw. My race or my skin color ALONE don’t make me superior or inferior to anyone. Who I am, how I act or what I do, might. The same is true for everyone. I’m stumped by the ignorance of “White Power” and / or “White Supremacy”. Just a little research will tell you that there is no such thing as a better or superior race.
Caucasians are not superior to African Americans by virtue of race. With that said, white people are superior to African Americans in many OTHER ways. On AVERAGE, we have better education, more money, better health, etc. Now – before I get you outraged! – none of it is a “white” achievement. The drastic discrepancy is the result of exploitation of African Americans by white Americans, first and institutional racism, second. Here, I said it.
Police brutality gave rise to Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter, not only in confrontation with the police, but in general. Both issues have to be addressed to create social balance. (Once they are, “White Supremacy” – the movement and the unspoken sentiment – would have no leg to stand on.)
Until then, be powerful: express your outrage over the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. (Murder is murder. Murder committed by a person wearing a uniform that represents governmental authority ought to be prosecuted even more harshly.) Support Black Lives Matter. Reexamine your prejudices. Be there for your African American friends.
Life-Threatening Poverty
It is true that a pandemic is an unexpected emergency and interrupts life. Still, it is astounding to see the extent of economic despair it caused (or just exposed?).
The level of poverty in OUR Country is mind-blowing! 50 millions are poor!!! People who lost jobs because of the pandemic, lost their health insurance – in the midst of the Covid-19 crisis, no less! – as well. Millions are at risk of losing housing. There are children who depend on school lunches for survival. There are people who wait for hours for free food at food banks.
A country in which millions of people — including children! — are starving, homeless (or about to become homeless), or have no health insurance ISN’T “the wealthiest country in the world”. Something is very wrong with a country that can’t – or won’t – provide governmental protections to its citizens during a crisis.
Be powerful! If you can, help someone who suffers financial hardship. If you can’t, volunteer at a food bank or for food distribution to those who need it most. If you lost your income and / or your financial stability, do what you have to do to survive and recover. (Don’t forget that things you have, but don’t need, can be sold Online. Skills you have can be offered as a paid service.)
Most importantly perhaps, VOTE!
Looking at only the three issues I brought up:
Coronavirus: our current President minimizes the impact of the disease, refuses to wear a face mask in public (leave alone, pass a federal mandate for mandatory face coverings) and holds super-spreader events. (Yes, the President himself became infected and recovered quickly. DON’T FORGET: you’re NOT the President! You may not be a multimillionaire. Even if you are, you don’t have a dozen of doctors on stand-by or access to the latest and / or experimental drugs. What’s true for the President of the United States DOESN’T apply to the rest of us!)
Black Lives Matter: our current President repeatedly expressed his support for White Supremacy, but none for the victims of police brutality.
Poverty: based on the actions of our current President, if you are poor or struggling, it’s your own fault….
