The politics is failing.
It’s all a big show. It’s not about the essence of things, it’s about special effects, slogans and numbers. It’s about the politically correct. It’s a colorful present box with nothing inside.
The box of the present.
Mask yes, mask no. Before, if you put a mask, you were an idiot. Then, if you didn’t put a mask, you were an idiot. Now, there will always be someone considering you an idiot, whatever you do.
You’re an idiot, anyway, and your leaders tell you so.
Random numbers. Curfew at 23, at 22, at 21, let’s try. Maximum number of people meeting together. Weeks of quarantine. Infections, much more, much less. Deaths, do gunshots count? Duration of antibodies and of the effect of vaccines. Strains of the virus. Pick a number. We’ll use a roulette to decide. A Russian one, for some. The constitution? Nobody reads that crap, anymore. Many are already exempted from respecting it, anyway.
L’état, c‘est moi. Was it Gerard Depardieu?
The ‘what’s the big deal?’ process goes faster and faster, every day. It’s just the distance; it’s just a mask; it’s just an app; it’s just a form to contact you in case; it’s just a conspiracy; it’s just a deleted post; it’s just a deleted video; it’s just a deleted page; it’s just for a month; it’s just for two more weeks; it’s just so you can meet family and friends soon; it’s just so that you can meet them, but not so soon; it’s just a few freelancers; it’s just a small company; it’s just your freedom; it’s just your life.
It’s just one thing, what’s the big deal?
Life and health of billions on the market, an auction. My vaccine is 80% effective! Mine is 90%! Now, mine is 93.5%! But mine is 95%, it’s better! Who offers more? Now, yours is not safe anymore, people are dying. Yes, but they die because they’re weak and old, whereas with the virus they would die because they’re old and weak.
My news are faker than yours, damn right, they’re faker than yours.
Science. Let’s listen to the scientists, but not all of them. Just some, especially the rich ones. They must be right, if they made so much money and managed to have big companies. There are also others, yes. They studied this their whole life, PhD, working in labs, underpaid. They say things I don’t like and they’re not rich. This one developed an operating system famous for having a lot of viruses, it must have something to do with it, I’ll listen to him instead. They’re doing this for us. Novel ‘Jesuses Christs’, sacrificing themselves for us, and resurrecting in less than three days.
Can you imagine, how much money they gave away? Only for our salvation.
The light lock-down. We can go to the shopping mall, buying shit we don’t need, hundreds and hundreds of people under the same roof, packed in elevators of a building made by Escher, but it’s prohibited to be more than a bunch while training, playing, dancing. The normal lock-down. H&M is open, but gyms are closed. For sure, this will improve people’s health. Together with Netflix and McDonald’s to go. The mega lock-down. You didn’t behave, did you? Now, everything will be closed and it’s your fault. If you are good, I’ll give you some pocket money, and maybe we will go on vacation this summer. What’s coming, afterwards? The titano-lock-down? The ludicrous lock-down? Do you get inspiration from a dinosaurs manual or from Mel Brooks’ movies, to make up names for the new measures?
Words without meaning, but strictly in English, even in non-English-speaking countries, because it’s cooler.
One year has passed and nothing has been done by the politics. Some use the carrot, some use the stick, some both. That’s it. Nothing more, anywhere. No plan, no strategy. Restrictions. Some say they work, some say they don’t. Be that as it may, they are not a viable solution forever. Forever is, in fact, the possible duration of the crisis. Vaccines raise distrust, even the CEO of one producing company doesn’t look very keen to take it. Even if the whole population were fine with it, it seems that it would take years to vaccinate a decent percentage of the population. Nobody knows anything. There’s no chance to understand anything, all the messages are scrambled. There is no coherent message, not from national or supranational institutions. Ignorance, in its most ethymological meaning.
Politics is not doing anything to guarantee a decent level of social cohesion, plus it’s worsening the situation. The frequent allusions and suggestions that the ‘good citizen’ should report the neighbor, in case there is suspicion of transgression. Leaders humilating protesters, and abusing of the state of emergency for implementing unconstitutional measures. Politics is betraying its main purpose: trying to keep people together and safe. The transformation of a health problem in a moral one. A matter of science became a matter of faith. The slogan of solidarity. A new kind of solidarity, a one-way one.
One against the other. For what and why, exactly?
What you can do is deciding what side you’re on. It’s a big football match. What’s your favorite team? What colors do you prefer? Plain or striped? The alternative? Have some popcorn and enjoy the shitshow. If you can.