Republicans are not wrong that tragedy never slowed us down before

Republicans are not wrong when they point out that the massive devastation of unfettered capitalism and interest-group-centric public policies never slowed us down before. The details of life and death in the US are evidence of an experiment gone horribly wrong, with a balkanization by class and race that more closely resembles a 19th century monarchical empire or an undeveloped nation in the grip of a brutal potentate than a 21st century civilized society.

It is true that every year thousands died from the flu, at birth, from the lack of health care, from the unhealthy diets of the poor, and poorly regulated gun ownership— and they were largely out of view, and when they came into view, crowded out by the next sensational news cycle. Before Covid-19, a grand experiment in social and political character happening simultaneously around the world and forced into our consciousness, only empaths suffered the truth for very long. And many, not just the 1%, were happy with that.

Self-deception is, frankly, a sine qua non of life in society, and the very cement that allows parties that serve small, rich minorities in power and out of the gallows, where they arguably belong.

So it’s not that Republicans want something unusual when they push to re-open and allow the boot of Oligarchic Fascism to take its place on the throats of the little guy. What’s unusual, in fact, is that our social conscience has taken this exceptional moment to stare into the abyss and ask: What is life worth? Is this who we are?

It’s not unusual to seek to sweep the tragedies of the American system under the rug. What’s unusual is that while we are trying to do so, we are forced to view so many other nations do better.

It’s not unusual that the powerful wish to silence medical experts and moralists — that is actually the norm. What’s unusual is that so many of us have had a moment of awakening, our consciousness attentive to the horrors of a system that long ago set aside human value for the accounts of Mammon.

The Republicans are not wrong that attending to the sick with empathy and at a cost is not our way of life. The Democrats can’t honestly claim that they have done so very much better. What is unusual about this moment of grave crisis is that we are peering uncomfortably into the soul of this nation. And many of us are paralyzed by what we see.