Just STF Up!

I haven’t blogged in awhile, having no memorable moments that I wanted to preserve for posterity. But this COVID-19 pandemic is getting on my nerves, not so much about concerns over illness, death, or the economy, but the constant blather that’s coming out of the guy at the top, and the incessant media coverage. And oh boy, EVERYBODY seems to have their opinions on factors ranging from simple social distancing to the whole thing being a hoax. Why can’t the news just stick to the facts? I wish that the narcissistic idiot at the top would just STFU. The recurring need to walk back completely erroneous pontifications makes it impossible for the public to know what to believe. And yet polls and demonstrations show that a pretty good-sized percentage of people actually support and believe everything our power-hungry leader spouts. And they are very passionate in their display of their opinions. I have two favorite memes right now…

Why the STFU position? We do not need to have what is essentially a campaign speech delivered on a daily basis. It’s disguised as a briefing, albeit not very well disguised. When every speech includes self-congratulatory statements about the response to the virus being “the best” or “incredible,” clearly it’s not true, nor is such a judgmental statement helpful. We need the facts. Just the facts. Repeatedly stating that there were no deaths in January isn’t helpful. The fact that we now have around 50,000 in April is significant, and important to know. All the “maybes” aren’t helpful either. Maybe it will miraculously go away? Maybe hydroxychloroquine will cure it? Maybe injecting disinfectant or sunshine will cure it? Such idiotic blather has no place in our daily news.

Having spent 8 years as a volunteer ombudsman visiting nursing homes and assisted living facilities (which BTW should also be called “homes” since that’s where the people live, duh!), It is very difficult to stop the spread of any communicable illness in such confined settings with significant personal care required. Although the homes should be expected to follow established safety guidelines, the disease WILL spread. And contrary to the outraged response of many, I don’t necessarily blame the homes when illness spreads. If following accepted standards, sometimes there is nothing that can be done to guarantee the people won’t get sick. To start with, there’s a reason the person was there in the first place. Whatever underlying condition caused them to have to move into a care home has left them in a weakened state, thus vulnerable to infection.

I know in my own aging, I’ve noticed that I don’t heal as well as I used to. People who are bedridden don’t have adequate circulation to keep the body healthy. My dad’s mantra was, “Keep moving!” And that’s excellent advice. As a youth he was told that he would never get out of a wheelchair. His response? “Oh yeah? Watch this!” And he ended up being a world traveler and had a long career as a crane operator (operating engineer).  Of course if you can’t breathe, it’s hard to keep moving. My own grandma was living alone at age 99, tripped on a hose, fell and broke her hip, then died of pneumonia. It is not at all uncommon for elderly people to die in that manner. They end up bedridden, get pneumonia and die. Nobody lives forever, so just don’t be surprised when many elderly people die from this virus.

So what’s the point of this diatribe? My husband says it sounds like I’m saying you’re going to die anyway so why bother with social distancing and other measures? NO! That’s not what I’m saying. Social distancing is what is going to save most of us. And there is not much that can be done to save people in dense living conditions. The point of this piece is to pass along my opinion that opinions aren’t helpful!!!