5 Keys, How rhetoric, vitriol, and conspiracy theories made this pandemic worse!

For more than a year, the world has suffered from one of the worst public health crises / threats of all time! However, the United States, with about 4.5% of the world’s population, has suffered, at a dramatically higher rate, with about a quarter (25%) of cases / infections and about a fifth (20 %) of the fatal victims of this horrible virus! A review of how this nation responded, behaved, communicated and its apparent priorities, offers at least 5 clues, of how, the combination of rhetoric / political agenda, vitriol and conspiracy theories, seemed to be the main contributors to this extra suffering. To put this in perspective, 5% of deaths would represent around 110,000 deaths, instead of the more than 440,000 deaths that we have experienced. With that in mind, this article will briefly attempt to consider, examine, review, and discuss 5 keys that made suffering probably worse than it should have been.

1. Delays, rhetoric, vitriol, politics, etc: We now know that the government of this nation ignored, did not believe, or did not take seriously the potential ramifications of this virus. When President Trump often called it a hoax, or referred to it, as the, China virus, or blamed his political opponents, we lost valuable time! Declaring himself, a steady genius, who knew more than the public health experts, seems to have made things worse, much worse than necessary!

two. Calling it a hoax: How often do we hear that president refer to this pandemic, as a hoax, that it would end soon? When we needed a leader, who would unify us, who would sacrifice us and take personal responsibility, especially in terms of wearing a mask, social spacing, avoiding crowds and recognizing the ramifications, we suffered, from what seemed to be, a politician, motivated, schedule!

3. Refusing to set the correct and necessary example: Whether one supports, approves of, or opposes Trump, we must recognize that his leading supporters are among the strongest we have ever witnessed. Therefore, if he had wanted to make a difference, for the better, he would have recognized it, he needed to set the right example to defeat this pandemic! Instead, he seemed to do the opposite / opposite, and his refusal to wear a mask and / or at least acknowledge the need and often ignore / minimize social space etc. seemed to fuel – the – crazy, by enabling their behavior, and not taking personal responsibility!

Four. Trying to equate public health with economics: Everyone should agree, the closure of many areas of our economy, forced by public health recommendations, harmed many, from an economic point of view. Yet when the president appeared to equate the health of the economy with public health, he risked many more lives!

5. Driven by politics, rather than driven by public health experts: Trump seemed to proceed, as if far more concerned, with his personal / political agenda, being reelected, and his own interest than the common good. When public health experts around the world almost unanimously agreed on the risks involved, etc., and this nation’s most powerful political leader continued to articulate a message that seemed to downplay it, how could it be beneficial?

Wake up America and demand that future leaders consistently put their responsibilities and the needs of the nation, first, ahead of their personal / political agenda and / or their own interests! Hopefully, we have learned some important lessons from this horrible pandemic!