Nothing about any of this, from the very beginning, has seemed as though we were heading in a direction that led to a point at which our lives would be given back to us. Nothing about it has ever felt temporary. None of the logic, the moral justification, 'the science' has made
any sense unless it represents a permanent and radical overturning of the way we have lived previously. The idea that the advent of a vaccine would herald a return to normal has kept a lot of people going. But what have you actually heard, since the announcement, to suggest
that's what's going to happen? I've heard nothing but indications that the vaccine is simply going to mark the final nail in the coffin of our civil liberties. Even if the rules are lifted, it won't make a lot of difference if people's psychology has been permanently altered.
If people no longer feel able to live with risk. If people think of their basic freedom as a kind of occasional treat, awarded for good behaviour. If the sight of other people's faces evokes feelings of fear and disgust. If the meaning of life has become preventing the deaths of
the elderly at any and all cost. People either carry on thinking that way forever or they are made to understand that it's wrong. On every level. In every circumstance. It is no way to live. It's not enough to hope that governments declare an end to all this and lift the
restrictions. We are going to have make everyone understand just how wrong it has been. We need to help everyone regain a sense of perspective, context, balance and meaning.
The idea that this is some regrettable episode that we will just move on from is dangerously naive.
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I'm extremely grateful for all the support I'm receiving regarding my being excluded from taking part in this year's cartoon awards. I think it's important that people understand the situation so I will try to explain...
Firstly, @EllwoodAtfield have sponsored the event for several years now and have transformed it into quite a grand affair. However, they do not have any involvement in which cartoonists are included or how the awards are decided. All of that is controlled by one man, Tim Benson.
Benson, @Cartoon4sale, runs the Political Cartoon Gallery in Putney and started these awards many years ago. I have known him for more than ten years. A lot of people find him extremely difficult and I have often found myself defending him to others in the past. We always seemed
It's increasingly difficult for me NOT to be convinced that this is what has happened:
There was a new strain of cold. Because it was new, it spread quickly. However, it was so similar to pre-existing types of cold that at least 50% of people were already immune. Like many other cold viruses, it led to some old and vulnerable people getting pneumonia and dying.
THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME. It's a shame. It's very difficult to prevent, particularly in hospitals. But there's nothing new about it. Alas, somebody, somewhere, realised that if they renamed pneumonia as 'Covid-19' & described it as a new & deadly disease, everyone would go mad.
The science surrounding Covid-19 & Sars-CoV-2 is all over the place. There is no consensus. The more we learn, the more confused we become.
Is the virus seasonal? Do lockdowns work? Are face coverings effective? Are PCR tests reliable?
I have informed opinions on the science...
But that's all they are. Opinions. And I accept that they might be wrong.
However, even if I am wrong about all of it - let's say the measures are working in preventing the virus from getting out of control & killing millions of people around the world...
We are still left with a huge moral issue.
There is no doubt that the 'new normal' is killing people.
There is no doubt that it is ruining people's access to work & love & happiness.
Many of the responses to this are fascinatingly revealing about how ignorant many people are as to how incredibly tiny the 'risk' in question actually is.
But also, just what an awful view of life so many people have.
As always, very encouraged that they are the minority.
Many people are still totally devoted to the idea that 'the science' proves that masks are effective. They relentlessly share reports, research, data & pictures of people urinating on one another to prove their point. Let's pretend they're right.
Let's imagine that it's true. Masks help to prevent the spread of respiratory viruses and help to save lives. The 40 years of research prior to 2020 was entirely inaccurate and once this 'pandemic' started, scientists decided to do SERIOUS research on the subject.
Given the nature of this virus, the number of people it has supposedly killed and the average age of those who have died, then putting that in the context of other respiratory viruses & past death tolls, how can there possibly ever be a time when masks are not necessary?