Are we able to handle not just the virus, but the rules that may be necessary to protect society from it?
Article in the Guardian claims that a survey reports pandemic measures have divided society more than Brexit. The attitudes between those wearing masks and those who don't.
Ideology has taken over politics. It has snowballed and taken on a life of its own, threatening a very imminent and destructive critical mass.
The problem is that the left is the underdog while the right controls the ruling class - yet the right thrives by promoting a contradictory narrative. Civilisation's last bastion against the demise of culture. No justification for that culture is offered nor is one sought!
Therein lies the problem. The left, understandably, wants to challenge these narratives - pulling down racist statues. But the response isn't to enter into a dialogue about why we lionise these people and why we should continue to do so when there is no justification for it other than because we have done so. The response is to decry the perceived destruction of culture. It is hard to argue against that because destruction - the smashing of statues - is what is seen.
The argument against the right wing or fascist narrative requires patience. It's nuances, more complex than mere appearance suggests. It requires a buy in from the interlocutor: the willingness to listen at least. Unfortunately that isn't forthcoming because there is no good faith discussion anymore and the right isn't interested in providing good faith actors (which isn't to say all right-wing thinking individuals can't be persuaded and won't listen).
People are gaslighting, the problem is they don't understand that's what they are doing. THis is what I mean by ideology taking on a life of its own, accelerating out of control. Or certainly threatening to.
They don't want to hear the reasons why people wearing masks look down on them. They choose, consciously or otherwise, to side with ignorance. At the very least refuse a very simple and harmless if unusual request that could help keep shops - and thus society - functioning. People need to be correct, and will double down if that is what they feel they are doing. Wearing masks is woke, yo.
Unfortunately it's not a game. These are the people that will call out the left for being 'soft'. Snowflake is the term de jeur, though they have always behaved this way. However calling out people for being 'soft' in terms of refusing to wear a mask out of fear - turning the argument back around - doesn't seem to work either. What's the alternative though? Let them continue with a practice that could well be dangerous? We tried not wearing masks; we've been trying it for years. Then a pandemic hit and circumstances change, btu the reactionary attitude is to reject change, even when it's forced on them. Like with a virus. They are their own worst enemy.
Unfortunately they blame the people ideology tells them to blame, not themselves or their behaviour.
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