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Around the world, the spread of the pandemic has illustrated the existing social patterns in real time.

Here in Tennessee, we are almost last in line. West Virginia was recently declared the 50th state to see an official case.

Watching it take over Reddit, Twitter, and finally YouTube, was like studying a bowling ball from the POV of a pin.

I got to learn which of my friends pay attention to the outside world. Which of my friends, whether on purpose or not, had been absorbing right-wing talking points.

My state was also one of the last places to roll out closure rules, closely following President Trump’s timing. The US’ lack of readiness appears poised to puncture our arrogance. We’re about a week away from getting to see just how bad it might get.

Our outdated, patchwork, overpriced healthcare system is about to be the center of a lot of unwanted attention.

In anticipation of this, some people are freaking out.

“If corona virus affects my top surgery plans I will set something on fire I have been waiting years for this so if a VIRUS fucks it up I am going 2 be so pissed” [sic]

All unnecessary surgeries have been put on hold in cities everywhere. Publicly melting down over waiting a few more months for “gender-affirming” treatment while cancer patients miss their chemo is not a good look.

Meghan Murphy, feminist heroine, has nailed it again. In her article titled, ‘What If Your Identity Doesn’t Matter At All?‘ Ms. Murphy quotes a transwoman senior citizen, “My wondrous weaves need adjusting…. If I can’t get to the salon safely before the end of April, my lovely new ‘do will be flapping around like a tarpaulin….“

Meghan wags her finger squarely in the face of netizens lamenting the frivolous while people are dying. “Now is not the time to complain…. I [would not] fall to pieces if someone failed to recognize, based on my outfit, what my relationship to gender was inside my head.“

The Boomers, in true Boomer fashion, are refusing to “live in fear of some virus.” Not everyone over 60 is behaving like a spoilt teenager, but a predictably large number of older Americans are ignoring any risks to public health, under the banner of noble rebellion.

Every so often, the world takes a sharp left turn and everyone is suddenly struggling just to get by.

War, weather, pandemics, complex situations beyond anyone’s control demand we tip our hat to the fact that we all live on this planet together, whether we like it or not. That we are affected by each other, whether we like it or not.

Moments like this reach into everyone’s life, even here on the edge of Nowhere. Practical demands of Material Reality bang at the window.

If you don’t heed the needs of the day, you might not live to regret it.

Pressure from outside to rely on the collective social contract exposes who is sickest from the self-serving drivel we all live on. The ones who really believe their own hype, in a world where we are encouraged to love ourselves above all others.

A world where Individualism is sold as a progressive ideal – Everyone their Happiest Self – When it’s actually regressively conservative. Rigid personal alienation for the benefit of Capital.

A few years ago, I would have felt like a conspiracy theorist saying this.

But it’s growing increasingly obvious that powerful people have spent years sowing seeds of division and ignorance. We didn’t end up with 1% of the population owning 20% of all wealth because they’re just that much better than the rest of us.

That only happens when someone is cheating.

The United States has fallen from a world leader to a glorified third world country. My fellow Americans, we have been fleeced. They take our money and feed us garbage.

In the coming months as we live through the aftermath of denial, we will see just how effective their divide-and-conquer strategy has been.

Low-wage workers are now being exposed as the most important. Everyone has to self-quarantine, except for the supermarket cashier.

As unemployment soars, it becomes obvious hingeing everything we need to survive on wage labor is fragile, at best.

If you’re unlucky enough to get laid off and hospitalized, you may wish you had died when you see the bill.

As the market dries up, shallow areas will be parched long before the deepest pools. When the 80% of us who were getting by paycheck-to-paycheck suddenly have nothing, the few left standing won’t be able to deny their advantages.

Some of them will step forward, claiming they had no idea. A few will probably even be telling the truth – That’s the nature of privilege, after all.

But the Individualist, Ayn Rand – loving, Doublethink the monied class has written into everything is how they rationalize hoarding wealth like dragons.

Greed is Good.

Merit brings success.

God shows his approval through material wealth.

And, if you’re poor, it means God doesn’t love you.

It’s a philosophy that doesn’t care about us. We are enticed along, promised if we work hard enough, we will be one of the worthy ones. Be sure to remember to ignore how the “worthy ones” have rigged the system in their own favor.

They don’t actually want us in their club, y’all. They make heaps of money off us working ourselves half to death.

And if we decide we don’t care about accumulating wealth, that’s too bad, because you can’t have food, shelter or healthcare without a job. These days, you better find a full-time job.

Pumping ourselves full of affirmations, Manifestation and Hustle Culture is not going to solve our problems. We don’t need to Be A Boss. We need to work together.

And those who can’t get past their need for personal validation, or their fear of group action, should be herded together for the therapy they desperately need. 

Once it’s safe to get together again, of course.