A tale of cruelty and despair in the UK

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The way dementia patients in British care homes have been treated during this pandemic “should make us sick with shame and pity”. Afflicted by an illness that attacks their memory and sense of self, they draw special comfort from the presence of loved ones. Yet in the name of infection control, the Government has seen to it that this vital human link has been denied them. No longer visited, they feel confused; abandoned. But it’s not the fault of the care homes: it’s the grotesquely inflexible official guidelines, which prohibit those who run the homes from devising sensible precautions while still acting humanely towards those in their charge.

That’s why John’s Campaign, a not-for-profit movement aimed at getting the Government to reform these cruel rules, is so worthy of support. One of its main concerns is to ensure that family carers are no longer seen as “visitors”, but instead treated as a crucial part of the clinical team needing the same protection, testing and status as other key workers. The Government must be made to bring this “avoidable suffering” to an end.  (Nicci Gerrard, The Observer and The Week, 19 September 20)

My comment: I have personal experience of a relative who had severe memory loss.  Along with that she could be violent, owing to extreme frustration.  This was before the pandemic.  It was an extreme test of patience and empathy, and I felt for the nurses who looked after her and knew how to calm her.  She would ask me repeatedly when she was “going home”, and I just as repeatedly changed the subject because she couldn’t go home or look after herself there.  The most wrenching and upsetting period of my life.  But it was right that my sister and I should be part (or part- time) involved with her care.  The staff of the home were saints, bless them

Quote of the day

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“Reputation is what other people know about you. Honour is what you know about yourself. Guard your honour. Let your reputation fall where it will.”
(Novelist Lois McMaster Bujold, quoted in The Times)

My comment: What you know about yourself can give you secret misgivings, e.g you know you lied to someone when you were younger, or were unkind to a girlfriend , or told a tall story at a job interview.

Well, we all make mistakes; we are human.  It is the self-knowledge and the effort to avoid similar or maybe more egregious mistakes in the future that matters.  Otherwise, a decent person could not live with himself.  Some people never improve because they are incapable of self-analysis and their moral compasses are stuck on “Me, me, me”.   I think one’s reputation grows naturally as the urge to lead a kind, truthful, thoughtful and generous life grows with experience and self-knowledge.

Shocking statistics

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More than 25% of Americans are likely to refuse the vaccine, according to an international study

Only 11% of US citizens said they trusted their government to be a reliable source of information on vaccines, compared with 30% in the UK. 

Three out of four Republicans don’t think Joe Biden won the election  legitimately. About 45% even support the storming of the Capitol (The Guardian. 8 Feb 2021)

My comment: We are, indeed, in a shocking mess. The words of one solitary individual can persuade three quarters of a major political party that an election has been stolen, and without a shred of evidence!  I would like to think that a measured, caring, thorough , inclusive and empathetic approach , and a commitment to caring for all citizens, Republican and Democratic, will win out.  It calls to mind the words of the song… “ I’m glad I’m not young anymore”.  But then, it is not Epicurean to be negative and depressed about the world.  so cue  for the words of another song: “Always look on the bright side of life.”

Revisionist history

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An education commission formed by the Trump administration after last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests issued a report this week equating progressive politics with fascism and accusing American educators of brainwashing kids.

The “1776 Report” prepared by the 18-member commission—with no professional historians—called for “patriotic education,” blasting educators for highlighting the nation’s “sins.” The commission decried the notion that George Washington and Thomas Jefferson were hypocrites for owning slaves, saying that slavery “has been more the rule than the exception throughout human history.”

The report, which President Biden plans to rescind, also claimed that the civil rights movement “almost immediately turned to programs that ran counter to the lofty ideals of the Founders.” James Grossman, the executive director of the American Historical Association, called the report “a hack job” and “cynical politics.”

My comment: My MA (or Special Subject) at university concentrated on American history leading up to the civil war.

History in part is an exercise in understanding how we got where we got. It is also a study of human nature and motivations and how to avoid the mistakes of the past. History is constantly mis-used to present simplistic and misleading narratives to justify current actions by politicians. However, nothing is ever simple and straightforward, which helps make twisting the subtle and complex truth tempting for those who wish us ill.  You can do worse than examine the messages of Hitler and Mussolini.  There are – ahem,! – more contemporary examples. Beware of them and seek the truth yourself.

Reining in social media and it’s abusers

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Most would-be reformers of social media want to rewrite Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, which largely exempts social media companies from legal liability for what users post on their sites. But attempts “to ‘fix’” Section 230 would massively backfire, forcing Twitter, Facebook, et al. to heavily censor all controversial posts on all their sites lest they be sued into oblivion.

We often forget, however, that Section 230 doesn’t forbid suing users of social media for libel or holding them accountable. The problem is anonymity.  The nastiest and most irresponsible posters hide behind fake names and handles. Forcing users to register with, say, a credit card or other ID and use their real names might cut the sites’ user bases in half, but “advertisers would rejoice”—and it would limit the need for “tens of thousands of content moderators.” If you post threats or libelous attacks on people, you will risk getting sued. “Post about buying zip ties and invading the Capitol, and the FBI knocks on your door.” Ending anonymity “would put an immediate damper on today’s worst offenders.”.   (Andy Kessler,The Wall Street Journal,  2/3/2021).

My comment:  There should be no “get out of jail” card for anonymous posters.  If you are so frightened of commenting in your own name – then why?   Have the courage of your own convictions, even if you risk conviction.  Cowardice seems to be a rapidly expanding disease, in parallel with covid 19, and we should have a treatment for it –  openness and ownership of views, however disagreeable.

And for the record: this blog expresses many opinions, day by day, that I happen to know are not shared by some readers.  But I have a right to express them, and am willing to defend them  if challenged, without thinking up some stupid bogus handle to hide my identity.