[OutsiderFan]

The “can’t do spirit” that grips America today - and is on display in this forum - is way more responsible for the potency of this pandemic than anything about the virus or even our government decision makers. There is no end in sight until this changes. Therefore...

Maybe the authors of the “reset and try again” letter should have started at a much more remedial level that has nothing to do with the virus or the available approaches to getting control over its spread and attendant damage. I mean after five months of stepping on the pandemic rake, we all know what the available solutions are. They aren’t that complicated. The issue is not finding solutions. It is our ability to take the medicine and make the sacrifices necessary to implement them.

Maybe the writers should have started not by calling out those in decision making positions. Maybe they should have trained fire on the American people. Like Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez called out those who dehumanize women, on the floor of the House of Representatives this week, maybe health experts and scientists need to call out the selfish stupidity and moral cowardice in Americans that allows decision makers in this country to make terrible decisions. Maybe we need to all be read the riot act and made to think much deeper about ourselves. Maybe we need to have a “coming to Jesus” moment about who we are and what we want to be. Maybe they should have called out the fact political partisanship and tribalism is the real problem we face that must be addressed, and the destruction wrought by SARS-CoV-2 is just a symptom of a much more debilitating disease.

I find the two statements I’ll highlight from your post  to be inconsistent. Which I’ll explain. 


First, you talk of  the “stupidity” and “moral cowardice” for which you call for a “come to Jesus” talk.  A lecture. Do you truly believe that people would respond well to being lectured by someone on their “stupidity” and “moral cowardice”. If so, who gets to decide what is “smart ” and what is “moral” 

Then you  add that we should call out the “political partisanship” and “tribalism” as a real problem we must address. I fully agree with that.  As long as we can actually discuss it without things devolving into one side calling the other “stupid” and denigrating the other sides “morals.” Indeed one of the cornerstones of our deepening political/ ideological divide is that both “sides” self-righteously believe they are not just right, but that they are morally superior. And cynical politicians exploit that. 

When in fact, when it comes to “ moral issues” (and I use air quotes because I’m uncertain of the definition to be applied) there is considerably more agreement than disagreement; and where there is disagreement, if we could actually freely and openly talk, we might at least understand that those with whom we disagree are not our “moral” inferiors. We don’t have to agree.  That’s fine. But (with some obvious exceptions -real racism (or any other ism) being the best example) we can at least try to hear the “other side” and avoid the self-righteousness that leads to our further division.

Good questions and thank you for your sincere curiosity. It's hard to imagine anyone objectively saying we haven't as a collective society been stupid about our response to the pandemic, just based on how virtually every other developed country in the world has gotten control of it while we flail away and continue to absorb damage. I see this as a product of moral cowardice, like someone can't sacrifice anything for anyone else, even though doing so will in fact make things better for that person, because they are so afraid of who knows what. In sum, my post adds up to me making a personal commentary about what might be needed and reasons why.  I do not advocate calling people stupid or moral cowards personally. I never attack or advocate attacking people personally. I attack ideas if I find them wrong or objectionable and do my utmost to avoid the word "you" whenever in a debate with anyone because that word can make arguments personal and people defensive.

The "let's try again" letter was directed at government decision makers.  Alexandra Ocasio Cortez's House floor speech was addressed to men who dehumanize women. Both were strong objections to ideas and policy responses, respectively, without personally attacking anyone. My belief is the American people all need to be called out in a similar fashion as a collective. 

To add some needed humor to this, here's a metaphor for how Americans need to be called out as a collective body of people. It's not perfect, but think of the Trekkies as Americans doing stupid stuff, thinking they are cool, and William Shatner as the someone calling us on the carpet and knocking us off our high horse. Only he doesn't say "just kidding" to us:
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/...kies/n9511

[OutsiderFan]

The “can’t do spirit” that grips America today - and is on display in this forum - is way more responsible for the potency of this pandemic than anything about the virus or even our government decision makers. There is no end in sight until this changes. Therefore...

Maybe the authors of the “reset and try again” letter should have started at a much more remedial level that has nothing to do with the virus or the available approaches to getting control over its spread and attendant damage. I mean after five months of stepping on the pandemic rake, we all know what the available solutions are. They aren’t that complicated. The issue is not finding solutions. It is our ability to take the medicine and make the sacrifices necessary to implement them.

Maybe the writers should have started not by calling out those in decision making positions. Maybe they should have trained fire on the American people. Like Congresswomen Alexandria Ocasio Cortez called out those who dehumanize women, on the floor of the House of Representatives this week, maybe health experts and scientists need to call out the selfish stupidity and moral cowardice in Americans that allows decision makers in this country to make terrible decisions. Maybe we need to all be read the riot act and made to think much deeper about ourselves. Maybe we need to have a “coming to Jesus” moment about who we are and what we want to be. Maybe they should have called out the fact political partisanship and tribalism is the real problem we face that must be addressed, and the destruction wrought by SARS-CoV-2 is just a symptom of a much more debilitating disease.

I find the two statements I’ll highlight from your post  to be inconsistent. Which I’ll explain. 


First, you talk of  the “stupidity” and “moral cowardice” for which you call for a “come to Jesus” talk.  A lecture. Do you truly believe that people would respond well to being lectured by someone on their “stupidity” and “moral cowardice”. If so, who gets to decide what is “smart ” and what is “moral” 

Then you  add that we should call out the “political partisanship” and “tribalism” as a real problem we must address. I fully agree with that.  As long as we can actually discuss it without things devolving into one side calling the other “stupid” and denigrating the other sides “morals.” Indeed one of the cornerstones of our deepening political/ ideological divide is that both “sides” self-righteously believe they are not just right, but that they are morally superior. And cynical politicians exploit that. 

When in fact, when it comes to “ moral issues” (and I use air quotes because I’m uncertain of the definition to be applied) there is considerably more agreement than disagreement; and where there is disagreement, if we could actually freely and openly talk, we might at least understand that those with whom we disagree are not our “moral” inferiors. We don’t have to agree.  That’s fine. But (with some obvious exceptions -real racism (or any other ism) being the best example) we can at least try to hear the “other side” and avoid the self-righteousness that leads to our further division.

Good questions and thank you for your sincere curiosity. It's hard to imagine anyone objectively saying we haven't as a collective society been stupid about our response to the pandemic, just based on how virtually every other developed country in the world has gotten control of it while we flail away and continue to absorb damage. I see this as a product of moral cowardice, like someone can't sacrifice anything for anyone else, even though doing so will in fact make things better for that person, because they are so afraid of who knows what. In sum, my post adds up to me making a personal commentary about what might be needed and reasons why.  I do not advocate calling people stupid or moral cowards personally. I never attack or advocate attacking people personally. I attack ideas if I find them wrong or objectionable and do my utmost to avoid the word "you" whenever in a debate with anyone because that word can make arguments personal and people defensive.

The "let's try again" letter was directed at government decision makers.  Alexandra Ocasio Cortez's House floor speech was addressed to men who dehumanize women. Both were strong objections to ideas and policy responses, respectively, without personally attacking anyone. My belief is the American people all need to be called out in a similar fashion as a collective. 

To add some needed humor to this, here's a metaphor for how Americans need to be called out as a collective body of people. It's not perfect, but think of the Trekkies as Americans doing stupid stuff, thinking they are cool, and William Shatner as the someone calling us on the carpet and knocking us off our high horse. Only he doesn't say "just kidding" to us:
https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/...kies/n9511