Proceeding along the Path to Pariah 0
The AP reports on the rest of the world’s view of the failure of the United States to deal with these viral times. An excerpt (emphasis added):
But after a strict nationwide 10-week lockdown, vigilant tracing of new clusters and general acceptance of mask mandates and social distancing, Italy has become a model of virus containment.
“Don’t they care about their health?” a mask-clad Patrizia Antonini asked about people in the United States as she walked with friends along the banks of Lake Bracciano, north of Rome. “They need to take our precautions … They need a real lockdown.”
Much of the incredulity in Europe stems from the fact that America had the benefit of time, European experience and medical know-how to treat the virus that the continent itself didn’t have when the first COVID-19 patients started filling intensive care units. Yet, more than four months into a sustained outbreak, the U.S. is about to hit an astonishing milestone of 5 million confirmed infections, easily the highest in the world. Health officials believe the actual number is closer to 50 million, given testing limitations and the fact that as many as 40% of all cases are asymptomatic.
“We Italians always saw America as a model,” said Massimo Franco, columnist with daily Corriere della Sera. “But with this virus we’ve discovered a country that is very fragile, with bad infrastructure and a public health system that is nonexistent.”
Path to Pariah 0
Seth takes stock of where we are in these viral times.
The Path to Pariah 0
Noz thinks that we may have reached the destination.
Picturing the Path to Pariah 0
Meanwhile, the White House plans to throw in the towel on the coronavirus (via Atrios).
The Path to Pariah 0
The Booman documents another step down the road.
Path to Pariah 0
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Global Pariah 0
Almost a year ago, I predicted that, in the time of Trumpery, the U. S. was on its way to becoming a pariah nation.
We’re there.
Path to Pariah 0
Thom and Pap discuss Trump’s exit from the climate accords.
American Taliban, Making America a Pariah One State at a Time 3
The government of the United Kingdom warns LGBT persons to take care when visiting the United States. Here’s the story from The Independent:
“LGBT travellers may be affected by legislations passed recently in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi.”
“Before travelling please read our general travel advice for the LGBT community.
You can read the full warning at the UK government website.
This is the sort of stuff that, when I was a young ‘un back in the olden days, the United States Department of State would say about visiting, say, eastern Europe or Rhodesia.
Jesus.
QOTD 0
Richard Johnson, in the voice of Rex Masters:
I’m not prepared to be the pariah just to keep the hypocrites feeling happily self-righteous.
(Rotten to the) Core Values 0
At the Washington Monthly, David Atkins uses Tucker Carlson’s recent endorsement of “replacement theory” as a springboard to dive into what passes for (as?) “conservatism” in America’s current discourse. Here’s the crux; follow the link for the rest.
Because it is a fact that white men have held and continue to hold the vast majority of wealth and power in America, you must believe one of two things must be true: either you believe that white men are intrinsically more deserving, or you believe that institutional patriarchy and racism have combined to suppress and oppress women and people of color from gaining access to wealth and power on a level playing field. If you believe the latter, you meet the minimum standard for adherence to modern social liberalism and make yourself a pariah among conservatives. If you believe the former, you are by definition a chauvinist and white supremacist. If you claim not to be a chauvinist or white supremacist, but you believe that no actions should be taken to even protest–much less regulate or redistribute resources–to mitigate structural racism and patriarchy, you are inseparable from chauvinists and white supremacists at a social or policy level. One cannot simply declare the problem solved and assume everyone now has the same opportunities to succeed, because the problem is so obviously not solved at either a social or a policy level, and everyone so obviously does not have the same opportunities.
This is yet another reminder that Richard Nixon’s odious Southern Strategy has come full circle and turned the Party of Lincoln into the Party of the Secesh.
International Laughingstock 0
Jesus.
Next stop, Pariah.
