Playing The Role of the Fool

 I find it hard to fathom that a country that was once the leader in technological advances as regressed to the point we are today. Our best minds either created or played a key role in developing many of the technologies of the 20th century. We also created many medical break throughs as well. Much of the research into discovering A.I.D.S. was done in America. Dr. Charles Drew developed one of the methods for extracting blood from plasma. He later developed bloodmobiles based on his work. His discoveries and work in blood plasma would go on to play a role in saving countless lives. Dr. Drew would later go on to be the first African-American to serve on the American Board of Surgery. Much of Dr. Drew's work has become commonplace in treating patients. Dr. Charles Drew was born in Washington D.C.

I can only wonder if he were alive today, how he'd be attacked in the press. I guess a prime reference for that would be Dr. Fauci. For decades, he has been one of the leading experts on infectious diseases. He has multiple degrees, and on top of that, multiple honorary degrees as well. He was at the forefront of A.I.D.S research. Dr. Fauci was tabbed by then President Bush to help develop biodefense drugs in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. Dr. Fauci, who specializes in immunology, has been one of the leading voices as not only America, but the world fights COVID and the variants that mutate forth.

Alas, where his words in other countries are heeded, there is a growing sect here in the states that would rather take the medical advice of a podcast host like Joe Rogan. If not he, they'll listen to the advice of any hack who claims to have developed a miracle cure. Then President Trump made a bizarre statement about injecting bleach that sent scores of people to the hospital. Last time I checked, Joe Rogan did not have any medical degrees, nor a lifetime of service in the medical field.  However, when Rogan suggested that Ivermectin could possibly cure COVID, or at least, keep you vaccinated, scores of people ordered the drug that is not designed for humans. Instead, it's purpose is to help horses deal with stomach viruses, like worms. 

Now when those abroad think of America, they don't think of us as the birthplace of intelligent minds the way they once did. Over the last decade, there has been a movement that grew slow like moss on a tree. It's the anti-intellectual movement. People that scoff at those who have degrees. The same people that scoff figure they are experts because they spent five minutes on google doing "research". They don't know how to vet a source; they just passively accept what they "learned" as being gospel fact. Instead of listening to the actual experts, they listen to Bob up the street. Doesn't matter that Bob dropped out of school in Ninth grade. 

I'm not sure where this need to insult intelligence came about, and why it has ramped up over the last few years. We are at a tipping point. It's bad enough we're coming across as fools to other countries, we're essentially damaging our credibility at an alarming rate. Many other developed countries are finding themselves still dealing with COVID, and its mutations, but have a better grasp on the situation because those that don't know, got out of the way and made way for those that do. While everyone made wearing a mask a political topic, the disease raged on, plucking off people of all ages. I'm sure we've all videos of confessionals of people who didn't take COVID seriously, thought it was a hoax, or tried some treatment that they saw on you tube. Sadly, those folks are taking up beds that are needed for those suffering through the newest variant. Thankfully, we have medical professionals, the very folks those same people mocked, taking care of them so they can go back to their families and their daily lives. One of the truly remarkable traits of those that work in the medical field that they are able to put that past them and treat these people.

Fact is we are playing the role of the fool. Blindly grasping around for anything but what is right in front of us. And what had bene right in front of us all the long was a way out of this nightmare, without needlessly losing lives. However, we played a role in making things much worse than they had to be. For a society that claims to care about the unborn, we sure as hell exposed plenty of children to not only the loss of a parent, but the loss of their lives. Countless children have died, yet we keep playing the fool. We need to stop, we need to wake up, and we need to snap out of this. Lest we doom ourselves to fall to the mercy of this plague while the rest of the world gets one step closer to normal.