Texas tells us a lot about those thing; I agree Abdul!! And like this pandemic, I think it shines a light on some of the most effed up parts of our culture and politics. I can’t help but think about the ableism of it all to secede the power grid like that and leave citizens without power for days. If people’s medications need to be refri…
Texas tells us a lot about those thing; I agree Abdul!! And like this pandemic, I think it shines a light on some of the most effed up parts of our culture and politics. I can’t help but think about the ableism of it all to secede the power grid like that and leave citizens without power for days. If people’s medications need to be refrigerated or medical equipment needs to be plugged in!!! (To name a few examples) Not to mention access to medical care is now trickier, especially for some. There are a lot of ways to help out right now in this acute phase, and that’s crucial, but how can we help in the more “chronic phase” of this so stuff like this failed response and no preparedness stops happening?
The key point is that we have to address these problems BEFORE they ever happen. That's the key. And the problem is that in the "good" times (read, good for privileged people who don't have to worry about their meds, poverty, etc) we disinvest in the means of prevention. We leave ourselves fundamentally open to this kind of thing happening. We fall prey to normalcy bias which tells us that because something has not or is not happening, that it will never happen. Which, of course, is bull. We ned to decide that this moment changes that--and that means harnessing it and the narrative about it to demonstrate why we can't just let our "normal" be one that leaves us all so vulnerable.
Texas tells us a lot about those thing; I agree Abdul!! And like this pandemic, I think it shines a light on some of the most effed up parts of our culture and politics. I can’t help but think about the ableism of it all to secede the power grid like that and leave citizens without power for days. If people’s medications need to be refrigerated or medical equipment needs to be plugged in!!! (To name a few examples) Not to mention access to medical care is now trickier, especially for some. There are a lot of ways to help out right now in this acute phase, and that’s crucial, but how can we help in the more “chronic phase” of this so stuff like this failed response and no preparedness stops happening?
The key point is that we have to address these problems BEFORE they ever happen. That's the key. And the problem is that in the "good" times (read, good for privileged people who don't have to worry about their meds, poverty, etc) we disinvest in the means of prevention. We leave ourselves fundamentally open to this kind of thing happening. We fall prey to normalcy bias which tells us that because something has not or is not happening, that it will never happen. Which, of course, is bull. We ned to decide that this moment changes that--and that means harnessing it and the narrative about it to demonstrate why we can't just let our "normal" be one that leaves us all so vulnerable.
So well put Abdul - you’re absolutely right!! Thank you for all the work YOU are doing. LFG