Doomsayers, Triduum, Etc.
2.2 million dead. That's what the models said. The models now say 60,000. Apparently 80,000 Americans died of the flu in 2018.
Rush Limbaugh breaks it down in this monologue.
He's not saying we over-reacted. He doesn't condemn social distancing. He understands this thing is different than the flu.
He's just pointing out the mendacious nature of the doomsayers, the officials who told us we're all screwed. Their models were based on us doing nothing. We were never going to do nothing, Rush points out, so the alarming figures were exaggerations all along.
I get his point, but I can't say I fully agree with him. All the models were based on us doing nothing. That was always clear, so I don't believe anyone was being dishonest. And the officials presumably posted the numbers of what will happen if we do nothing so society would mobilize and buy into it. I think the officials overhyped the "2.2 million dead" part and under-played the "if we do nothing" part, but otherwise, I'm not sure the doomsaying was wrong.
And for that matter, I'm not sure we'll ever know. We're dealing with an unseen and unpredictable enemy that shifts its invisible shape every couple of days. The only thing that has stayed consistent with this thing is that it spreads from human contact, hence the legitimate advice to distance, but we'll never know whether the cost of social distancing, from the economic to the spiritual, was worth it.
My guess is, once we know the full truth in this life or the next, we'll realize it wasn't.
In the coming months, expect "evergreen" posts occasionally. These posts will pinpoint specific parts from the podcast's general themes, but they won't be tied to current events. I will try to make them pithy and entertaining, but they will have a different "flavor" than regular blog posts.
Welcome to Holy Thursday. As always, I won't be writing during the Triduum. I will have a few "pre-fab" (evergreen?) posts, mostly relevant quotes from others, but otherwise, the blog will be quiet.
Even though the churches are closed, it is always ultimately up to us. These are still the holiest days of the year. Memo to self: Don't use Coronabeer as an excuse not to enter into the mystery.
