Body Count

Inspired by the article in the New Yorker (5/1/2020) by Kim Stanley Robinson below.

There are many things I agree with here! "To survive the next century, we need to start valuing the planet more, too, since it’s our only home."

The pressure to revert to the old values is immense. I live in the South which has been stuck for better or worse in the past for all of my lifetime. We memorized all the Civil War battles in 6th grade. This made those events seem like just yesterday to us as 1960's students. Yet, the 'American War' as the Vietnamese called it, was in the middle of that time, 1955-1975. We were outraged that 58,220 American soldiers died in that war over 20 years. I remember transferring the feelings of resistance to authority from the Rebel Yell to the Vietnam Protest as I moved into high school and college. The feeling remained with me. 

If I consider the feelings branded in me now, the first is caution, distrust of people who do not wear the mask, wash hands, or follow social distancing. The second is an awareness of privilege, mine, and that of others with more wealth or other elements of privilege. Finally, I am deeply resentful of those who are profiting, those who are greedy. 

To say that 100,000 deaths is OK is an abomination. I feel that deep anger and rebellion stirring. The coronavirus death toll has passed the death toll from the Vietnam War. As one who memorized the number of deaths at Shiloh, Bull Run, and Antietam, I know that in the 8 years of the Civil War, we averaged 62,291 per year. To date, the coronavirus death toll is 64,066 today, since February 28th. Two months. 

As Governor Kemp of Georgia, a state right next door releases his state to open the doors of commerce with unenforced safety measures, that feeling of distrust, resentment, and rebellion is rising. I don't want school children to count death tolls from the mistakes made now. I don't want another Civil War either. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/04/coronavirus-death-toll-vietnam-war-cvd/#close

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/annals-of-inquiry/the-coronavirus-and-our-future?utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=New%20Campaign&utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_medium=email&bxid=5be9fe6b3f92a404693a1390&cndid=49580788&hasha=e6e16a823a1bf30aac11693ca436b0f1&hashb=8e514629975f1dc3e7b5cb81b073d44dccee711d&hashc=141fdc5b8fbf59cbe579762c5da59632b267ad5482d662c67d370e18e7e78f1e&esrc=bounceX&utm_term=TNY_Daily