While we’re self isolating it can be pretty easy for all the days to start to blend together. After all, not only are your own trips curtailed, but those subconcious cues, the noise of the traffic outside, the procession of people walking by the house, those have all been disrupted as well. People are coming to the realization of just how serious this thing is now, and that will continue to grow. As the disease progresses, this will change the nature of politics, especially in the United States, and that will have reverbrations around the globe.
It’s been noted in some studies that watching certain news channels, specifically Fox News, can leave people less informed than if they watched no news at all. For many years, places like Fox News, Breitbart, Infowars, and others, have been pushing the notions that neither government nor the other media are to be trusted, and that, because of that, neither should scientists, especially when they say things about the world that suggest government action might be required to solve global problems.
This message has resonated especially well with conservatives and republicans, and among them, even better with those who are older.
But now we have COVID-19. A disease that is more fatal to those who are older, a disease that will require significant government action to bring it under control, and a disease that is moving so fast, the primary source of information about it is the media and press releases from various governmental and medical personnel. This is a perfect storm brewing, where those who are most likely to be badly affected by the disease are the exact same people who will take the fewest precautions to prevent getting it.
In short, this will change everything.
It’s too early, too difficult to say how that change will fall out. It could lead to a kinder, gentler society that is more concerned with helping those of us who fall behind. Or it could lead to an over-reaction, spurred by those who have been fighting against Mr. Trump’s laissez-faire attitude toward all things that don’t have Obama in the name, and lead to a society where government starts restricting too many freedoms in the name of protecting the vulnerable. Or it could go entirely opposite and bring society closer to an anarcho-libertarian type state, or anywhere in between. The point is, even as we retreat from the virus, we cannot allow ourselves to retreat from the world. We need to be aware and agitating for what we think will make the world a better place, despite, or perhaps because of, the hardships that will come from COVID, and we must be aware that we’re thinking of more than just tomorrow, because the changes we make may well be lasting ones.
In the meantime, however, The Voice Magazine continues. And this week, we bring a look at the latest federal bill to end conversion therapy. We also have the results from the latest AUSU Council Meeting—the first meeting of the combined old and new councils, and we have articles as diverse as a recipe for black bean burgers, advice for COVID-inspired working from home, warnings about popular scams and how to avoid them, plus other advice, news, events, scholarships, and more! Enjoy the read!