Read on Twitter
In my view, the biggest problem of perception as it pertains to COVID response is not misunderstanding the scale of lost life, suffering, and hardship caused by the pandemic, but misunderstanding the scale of these in the US or the world more generally, during "normal" times.
1/4 https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1324783284539326468
1/4 https://twitter.com/chrislhayes/status/1324783284539326468
With a comfortable life and an appreciation for science, it is natural to view the pandemic as a singular, unique threat to life and well-being.
But while one might imagine a society so just, equitable, and fulfilling that this view would be justified, we do not live in one. 2/4
But while one might imagine a society so just, equitable, and fulfilling that this view would be justified, we do not live in one. 2/4
Unfortunately, the lives and well-being of many Americans face many threats.
One of the greatest is simply marginalization. Among 35-45 y.o.'s (a group heavily impacted, e.g, by the opioid crisis) the overall risk of death in the US is more than twice the same risk in Sweden.3/4
One of the greatest is simply marginalization. Among 35-45 y.o.'s (a group heavily impacted, e.g, by the opioid crisis) the overall risk of death in the US is more than twice the same risk in Sweden.3/4
The pandemic is not a small problem.
But blinded by the scale of a novel peril, it is easy to underestimate the even greater toll wrought by the poverty and inequality that fester every day, which objectively pose a greater and more durable threat to life and welfare. 4/4
But blinded by the scale of a novel peril, it is easy to underestimate the even greater toll wrought by the poverty and inequality that fester every day, which objectively pose a greater and more durable threat to life and welfare. 4/4
