Capitalism is not designed to survive a plague.
We keep trying to walk this fine line of admitting we have a worldwide pandemic but working overtime to keep capitalism alive. Capitalism needs workers, needs consumers, needs bodies, needs blood. If this is REALLY a plague the way to beat it is send everyone home. Close schools. Close businesses. Shut everything down. Now of course, the next step is to put a moratorium on EVERYTHING; rent, mortgages, car payments, and anything else that requires citizens paying to survive/maintain.
Food would have to be free. Etc.
Good or bad or indifferent, this would be a complete overhaul of our society as we know it.
But, capitalism needs bodies, so despite claiming we’re in the middle of a plague, NOTHING has actually changed except we wear mask and get vaccinated and boosted and STILL get sick.
We have to pick one. We’re in a plague and we care about lives more than dollars and we’re going to act accordingly…or CASH RULES and y’all MFs are on your own. But this illusory sense of ‘flattening the curve’ to pacify and appease citizens back into consumerism (this includes schools as well that are, in case you didn’t know, big business) is EXHAUSTING!
At this rate, I fully expect to be having my 10th booster shot by next year for the Raz B variant or whatever it will be by then, all while quarantining from members of my family BUT still having to send my kids to school and go to work because rent is due and food isn’t free.
Long story short, hang in there y’all. If it feels confusing and you’re getting exhausted, it’s because things are confusing and exhausting. Let the people you love know that you love them and find a happy place from which to enjoy the shit show!
(Featured image by Tiffany Hobbs)