V1: You’re probably tired of this word, (9) For one year, it’s all that we have heard!(9) But before Coronavirus came (9) Was a disease whose spread was quite the same. (9)
Bridge: The longest lived diseases on earth- (7) And in this field is no dearth- (7) Are nowhere near this one’s worth. (7)
Chorus: It’s Capitalism! (6) The Worst-of-all-ism! (6) This disgusting pandemic (7) Makes us incurably sick. (7)
V2: This awful system has doomed us all- Growing, while all ecosystems fall: Money buffers some, but for how long? Don’t wait for the Rich to see it’s wrong!
Chorus
V3: A system based on hierarchy- Just a glorified oligarchy- That puts price tags on ev’ry Life form Guards the int’rests of a few by storm.
Chorus
V4: Slavery, conquests and racism, Mass extinctions, theft and sexism, Poverty, speciesism as well: Capitalism maintains this hell.
Chorus
V5: It is not some glitch nor divine fault To see the homeless and starving; halt! The wealth of the wealthy comes from them: The poverty of the poor ’s the stem.
Chorus V6: Hard work brings wealth, some bootlickers say: Why do some work twenty hours a day Picking tea or fruits, while bosses lounge? Jeff doesn’t work harder: he’s a sponge!
Chorus
V7: Don’t let them fool you with their foul lies: In this system, community dies; Profits are stretched by stealing labour- Exploitation is not to savour.
Chorus
V8: There’s always another way to live: Instead of just taking, we could give. Kindness and cooperation cures: Greed can’t wipe out compassion for sure.
Chorus
Outro/Rap: More money, more oil, (5) More misery and toil; (6) We can’t drink money- This system’s not funny! Food and water: locked; Ask why and they’ll be shocked, We pretend it’s right That kids should starve at night; Not that all be fed; Sell yourself, end up dead- The only choices, Repeated oft by voices- Seem to buy this lie Sell labour till you die: Make your boss richer Refill all their pitchers, With all your labour; Forsake your own neighbour. Wealth is not a car: Nor mansions, yachts, by far; It’s not enmity- It is community! We are social apes Together, order shapes! We’re all different, Our labour’s to be spent On what we desire- And all that we require Ought to all be free Not withheld for a fee. Let’s bridge the chasm: Fuck capitalism!
“As you may know, the World Health Organization recently announced that COVID-19, otherwise known as coronavirus, can be characterized as a pandemic. You can read their statement here. COVID-19 is spreading, but misinformation and disinformation are spreading even faster. In order to protect Tumblr’s community from the real and serious danger that misinformation presents, we have terminated your account.” tumblr - the place to express yourself.
This year the death rate is slightly lower than last year and significantly lower than in 2018 - that means that
there isno pandemic,it’sacentrally controlled media driven hysteria - the bigest hoax in world history, a criminal plot to enslave the hole world, called “the great reset”.
“The [Trump] administration had ample warning about a likely pandemic. In fact, a high-level simulation was run as recently as [October 2019]. Trump has reacted during his years in office in the manner to which we have become accustomed—by defunding and dismantling every relevant part of government, and assiduously implementing instructions from his corporate masters to eliminate the regulations that impede profits and save lives. He is also leading the race to the abyss of the environmental catastrophe, by far his greatest crime—in fact, the greatest crime in history when we consider the consequences.
"By early January, there was little doubt of what was happening. On December 31, [2019,] China informed the World Health Organization of the spread of pneumonia-like symptoms with unknown etiology. On January 7, [2020,] China informed the WHO that scientists had identified the source as a coronavirus and had sequenced the genome, which they made available to the scientific world. Through January and February, US intelligence was trying hard to reach Trump’s ear, but failed. Officials informed the press that ‘they just couldn’t get him to do anything about it. The system was blinking red.’
"Trump was not silent, however. He issued a stream of confident pronouncements informing the public that it was just a cough; he has everything under control; he gets a 10 out of 10 for his handling of the crisis; it’s very serious but he knew it was a pandemic before anyone else; and the rest of the sorry performance. The technique is well-designed, much like the practice of reeling out lies so fast that the very concept of truth vanishes. Whatever happens, Trump is sure to be vindicated among his loyal followers. When you shoot arrows at random, some are likely to hit the target.
"To crown this impressive record, on February 10, [2020,] when the virus was sweeping the country, the White House released its annual budget proposal, which made even sharper cuts in all the main health-related parts of the government (in fact just about anything that might help people) while increasing funding for what’s really important: the military and the wall.
"One effect is the shocking belated and limited testing, well below others, making it impossible to implement the successful test-and-trace strategies that have prevented the epidemic from breaking out of control in functioning societies. Even the best hospitals lack basic equipment. The US is now the global epicenter of the crisis.
"This only skims the surface of Trumpian malevolence, but there’s no space for more here.”
–Noam Chomsky, “Ventilator Shortage Exposes the Cruelty of Neoliberal Capitalism,'” in The Precipice: Neoliberalism, the Pandemic and the Urgent Need for Social Change (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2021), 289-290
“Scientists have been warning of a pandemic for years[…] But scientific understanding is not enough. There has to be someone to pick up the ball and run with it. That option was barred by the pathology of the contemporary socioeconomic order. […]
"The depth of the pathology is revealed clearly by one of the most dramatic—and murderous—failures: the lack of ventilators that is one of the major bottlenecks in confronting the pandemic. The Department of Health and Human Services foresaw the problem, and contracted with a small firm to produce inexpensive, easy-to-use ventilators. But then capitalist logic intervened. The firm was bought by a major corporation, Covidien, which sidelined the project, and, ‘in 2014, with no ventilators having been delivered to the government, Covidien executives told officials at the [federal] biomedical research agency that they wanted to get out of the contract, according to three former officials. The executives complained that it was no sufficiently profitable for the company.’
"Doubtless true.
"Neoliberal logic then intervened, dictating that the government could not act to overcome the gross market failure, which is now causing havoc. As the New York Times gently put the matter, 'The stalled efforts to create a new class of cheap, easy-to-use ventilators highlight the perils of outsourcing projects with critical public-health implications to private companies; their focus on maximizing profits is not always consistent with the government’s goal of preparing for a future crisis.’
"Putting aside the ritual obeisance to the benign government and its laudatory goals, the comment is true enough. We may add that focus on maximizing profits is also 'not always consistent’ with the hope for 'the survival of humanity,’ to borrow the phrase of a leaked memo from JPMorgan Chase, [the US’s] largest bank, warning that 'the survival of humanity’ is at risk on our current course, including the bank’s own investments in fossil fuels. Thus, Chevron canceled a profitable sustainable energy project because there’s more profit to be made in destroying life on Earth. ExxonMobil refrained from doing so, because [it] had never opened such a project in the first place, having made more rational calculations of profitability.
"And rightly so, according to neoliberal doctrine. As Milton Friedman and other neoliberal luminaries have instructed us, the task of corporate managers is to maximize profits. Any deviation from this moral obligation would shatter the foundations of 'civilized life.’
"There will be recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, at severe and possibly horrendous costs, particularly for the poor and more vulnerable. But there will be no recovery from the melting polar ice sheets and the other devastating consequences of global warming. Here, too, the catastrophe results from a marked failure—in this case, of truly earth-shaking proportions.”
–Noam Chomsky, “Ventilator Shortage Exposes the Cruelty of Neoliberal Capitalism,'” in The Precipice: Neoliberalism, the Pandemic and the Urgent Need for Social Change (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2021), 287-289
“Though the US and a few other failed states had all the information that led functioning societies to react appropriately, of course not all was entirely clear. That could hardly have been possible in such tumultuous circumstances. Like others, leading US health officials had some uncertainty about what exactly was happening and how best to handle it. Nevertheless, it was possible to take effective action, as shown by the record of governments that have some concern for their citizens. US intelligence and health officials understood more than enough. Through January and February, they were trying to get through to the White House, but Trump was too busy watching his TV ratings. In the style of petty dictators, he […] surrounded himself with sycophants or comical figures. So, nothing from them. Or from the Republican Party, now trembling in fear of the crowds that can be mobilized by Trump and his corporate sponsors.
"When some dare to inject a little rationality into administration discussions, they quickly learn their lessons, like the physician in charge of developing vaccines who was dismissed in April [2020] for warning against one of the quack medicines that Trump was advertising.
”‘Down with intelligence! Long live death!’“
–Noam Chomsky, “COVID-19 Has Exposed the US under Trump as a 'Failed State,'” in The Precipice: Neoliberalism, the Pandemic and the Urgent Need for Social Change (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2021), 263
“In 2003, after the SARS epidemic, scientists were well aware that a pandemic was likely, probably a related coronavirus. They also understood how to prepare for it—just as scientists today have a good idea as to how to prepare for a future pandemic.
"But it’s not enough to know. Someone has to pick up the ball and run with it. The obvious candidate is Big Pharma, with huge resources, thanks to the profits from exorbitant patent rights granted under the highly protectionist ‘free trade’ agreements. They’re ruled out, however, by normal capitalist logic. There’s no profit in preparing for a catastrophe down the road. And in fact it can be in their interest to impede a constructive response.
"Next, the government could step in, but that’s blocked by the neoliberal intensification of capitalism’s inherent inhumanity. As Reagan declaimed in his inauguration speech, government is the problem, not the solution. Translation: Take decision-making away from the government, which is at least partially responsive to public influence, and hand it over to private tyrannies that are unaccountable to the public…
[…]
"The third factor is the reactions of individual governments. They varied. China very quickly provided the WHO and the world with all relevant information. By early January, Chinese scientists had identified the virus and sequenced the genome. Some countries at once reacted, including Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, a few others. Each now seems to have the crisis largely under control. Europe dithered but finally acted, with varying degrees of success.
"At the bottom of the barrel is Trump, reflecting his dedication to his primary constituency—private wealth and corporate power, lightly hidden under a farcical display of 'populism.’ Throughout his term in office, Trump has systematically pursued policies that enrich his primary constituency while harming others, including his adoring crowds. One part of this program was steadily defunding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and dismantling programs and organizations that could have provided advance warning of what was likely to happen. As a result, the US was singularly unprepared.”
–Noam Chomsky, “COVID-19 Has Exposed the US under Trump as a 'Failed State,'” in The Precipice: Neoliberalism, the Pandemic and the Urgent Need for Social Change (Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2021), 261-263
The upside to this #pandemic is it has given me time to order some #prints and #books I’m trying out a few different #printshops to see the quality and find out if my work makes them uncomfortable. (at Long Beach, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAqxG5qD3q_/?igshid=1f1wpc1hphgwt
It’s been a long while! Over the past couple of months, in my paid work, I’ve been co-leading a large randomised control trial in public health. Hoping we can publish results in the new year. Our team is also busy researching issues of technology and safety. In my personal research, Associate Professor Alana Lentin and I wrapped up series 1 of Race in Society. We covered media representations; the lockdown and ableism; intersectionality; policing; and economics. I’ll bring you write ups of other episodes soon, or head to our YouTube to watch the videos.
In case you missed it, here are two interviews I gave earlier in the year, on the sociology of COVID-19. Unfortunately, the topics of moral panics and misinformation remain relevant.
one of the things i do not like about our society slowly moving out of covid is the return of movie trailers as youtube ads. horror films in particular.
i just want my song, and youtube’s like, you can have your song…WITH FEAR.
something i learned recently and want to share in the hopes of helping someone else-
somethimes, the biggest form of self care right now is doing your schoolwork. dragging yourself, kicking and screaming, into doing it and submitting it so that you don’t fall behind today, is an act of self care for both your current and future self.
it’s a way of making sure that even though you don’t feel like you can/want to achieve your goals right now, they’ll still be there for you when you feel a little stronger.
It’s been so long since I’ve been on here and soooo much has happened.
Firstly I just want to say I hope everybody is keeping well and keeping safe through this pandemic. It’s so crazy that this is our life now but I hope everyone is getting through it.
Since the last time I’ve been on here unfortunately I’ve been grieving a loved one who passed away as well as trying to deal with the stress this pandemic has caused. My university closed in March and all learning and exams were turned into online learning.
Having to complete my exams while grieving, in lockdown and all online with no library access was one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do however despite that, last week I got my results which in turn led to me getting my degree!!!!
I HAVE A DEGREE IN PSYCHOLOGY AND HISTORY!!!
I’m currently waiting to hear back from my college about a higher diploma course (in Psychology) that starts in September however it’s extremely competitive and very limited places and after the year I’ve had I’m not very hopeful, however I can’t rule anything out yet, I just have to wait and see.
Sending lots of love and light to everyone struggling at the moment.
i was telling my dad, ever the skeptic, about corrupted blood back in March at the start of lockdown, and how the cdc studied it. how it can be used as a model for what to do and how people might act in the event of an unpredicted pandemic, and how people were playing out the same behavior during covid.
he said “so they fixed it, right? how did they fix it in the game?” and i told him the truth: they didn’t. they couldn’t control it. they had to reset the servers and roll them back to the time before the ZG encounter.
it really feels like that meme where it’s like “wow, cool video game reference!” and the point soaring over their head says THE DAMAGE WAS IRREVERSIBLE. THE THREAT SPREAD TOO RAPIDLY AND EVERYONE DIED.
weird reframing of the corrupted blood incident to make it seem, for some reason, like it was all selfish actions that people said was unrealistic because real people would help others. in fact its literally the opposite, it was used as real world data specifically because of the player driven efforts to fix it
The reason this plague in the game was a good model is because we had all walks of life type people reacting in different ways.
Those with healing magic would go into infected areas to see if they could save the infected or at least keep them alive through the disease. Those that couldn’t do that tried to warn players before they entered infected areas. NPC could be infected and have “no symptoms”; they could be asymptomatic carriers and pass it to nearby players.
The best part though was by the time Blizzard had finally come out and said “if you are infected, try to quarantine yourself so you don’t spread it!!” the player base was ALREADY DOING SO. The players had recognized the problem and worked together in myriad ways to fix it.
They also had negative reactions as well, another reason this was such a good example of a real outbreak. They had a couple people report healers or alchemists who were claiming to sell cures/treatments to the disease that ultimately would do nothing. They had a group of players that would hide in the mountains near cities and just pass the disease back and forth between themselves and then raid cities to infect them all over again. They had higher level players start rebelling on the servers. Saying it was an overreaction and if you get it you’ll just die and you can come back and be fine, etc. Since they could get the disease and survive, ie it didn’t do enough damage to them since they were higher level, they felt it unnecessary to care about whether they got it or not. They complained about not getting to play like normal just because this plague could kill lower level players.
ALL of these reactions, good and bad, were real enough to what we assumed a real life epidemic would play out that people started to use it as a model. And now look, we have proof that it was accurate.
However, what we needed to learn from it was primarily that it wasn’t reversible. The bad reactions and lack of care from the few players that weren’t cooperating made it impossible in the end to contain. The only reason it was fixed at all is the game had to reverse time, literally just delete their entire game log a few weeks and time travel weeks into the past to before the plague even began.
Think about that.
The reason no one believed it was a valid model is that it was a video game and thus the consequences weren’t permanent. “No one would act like that in real life.” But look at how we are handling this outbreak. Is it not eerily similar?
