Another Little Exchange With a Pro-Trump High School Classmate

A few days ago, I posted something (or reposted from my parents) something about trying to protect yourself from the coronavirus not only to avoid getting sick oneself, but also to think about those who might contract it from us, and not necessarily be able to fight it off, even if we are quite confident that we can survive it.

Basically, it was a post about trying to be less selfish, and more aware of all of the people around us, for all intents and purposes.

And yes, apparently naively, it seemed like a "safe" post to put, one which pretty much everyone could agree with. Hopefully, more of us begin to wake up to the reality that sometimes, we are selfish and petty, and that we should be more aware of others, and be careful not to cause them any harm. Seemed harmless enough.

But I was wrong.

There was a high school classmate of mine who is a big-time Trump supporter. And like many Trump supporters, he sometimes had taken to making little snarky comments about how successful Trump is, and how he personally does not believe the major media sources (just like his hero, Trump, claims not to like or trust them).

He mentioned that this whole thing was greatly overblown, and political.

The way that I took it, seeing as though he seems to be one of those guys who tries to insert how much he admires Trump into many, if not every, conversation, it seemed to me that he was basically implying that this whole fiasco with the coronavirus was just yet another attempt to try and get to Trump, to try and finish off his presidency. In other words, Trump is the victim.

For a little while, I went back and forth, debating over whether I should respond or not. I had not responded to his prior comments on my posts, because he had been a decent, likable guy in high school. But he also seemed a little too eager to try and post his pro-Trump nonsense on my page, and it seemed like the trend would continue, and perhaps grow, if I remained silent. Maybe he would become like a troll, or maybe he thought that I was simply overwhelmed by the power of his pro-Trump thinking. In any case, it was getting annoying, and especially after the glaring failures by Trump, personally, in how he handled this coronavirus, I decided it was time to give him an answer.

It wound up being a long answer. Here is what I said:

Wow, I didn’t know that viruses were politically biased. Listen, (no name revealed), I like you. I remember you being a very decent guy, with a good sense of humor, back in high school. And I do not want to argue. That said, if you want to try and convince me of what I suspect you are trying to convince me of, you have your work cut out for you. First of all, this virus has spread incredibly quickly, and has literally shut down entire cities and even one entire country. That has nothing to do with the United States or Trump. My guess is that, being a Trump guy, you feel that he has unfairly been made to look like a fool? So you echo Trump’s criticisms of Obama. Personally, I am not a fan of Obama. That said, however, let’s call a spade a spade here: Obama did not dismiss the swine flu as a hoax like Trump did with the coronavirus. Nor he did not try to minimize the danger to the American public, and make foolish predictions that within two weeks, the infected would number “close to zero.” He also never encouraged people who are sick (possibly with the coronavirus) to keep going to work. Trump did all of those things, and it’s all on video for everyone to see. Also, Trump got rid of the White House Pandemic Response Team two years ago, something that seems quite obviously foolish and reckless in hindsight, no? It seems that you’re 100% pro-Trump, and in your book, he can do no wrong, so it seems that you lack the objectivity to criticize him, or look at his actions with any measure of scrutiny. But to some of the rest of us who saw this man for the fraud that he has always been, all of that smacks of a con artist who really does not know what he is doing. Now, that put the American people in danger. You once mentioned that you do not believe the major media. I agree that it is good to approach the media with skepticism, and I try and do the same. But it does not follow that you should believe everything that Trump or FOX News says, either. Do you ever question what Trump and/or FOX News, or Breitbart, or conservative radio commentators, or any of the other news sources that you watch or listen tell you? Or do you feel that Trump truly has handled this in an admirable way, even given all of those clear as day lapses – or dare I use the word failures - that I just mentioned? Don’t take my word for it that he did those things, look it up for yourself. Some of the things that I mentioned that he said are on Youtube, so you can watch the video before dismissing it as “Fake news.” They are all readily available for research. So, while I agree that politics seems to have a thumbprint on everything these days, Trump’s own blindness and arrogance finally caught up with him, and he unnecessarily put Americans in danger as a result of his actions. If there is an aspect of politics to this coronavirus here in the United States, it is that. Trump is not being victimized, but rather, accurately called out for transparent and irrefutable incompetence. If you want to convince me otherwise, that this is simply not the case, then you’re going to have to do better than simply reiterating your distrust of major news media (which I actually have in common with you), or how bad Obama or the Clintons were, or any other such standard pro-Trump talking points. No, you’re going to have to explain to me very specifically how Trump has handled this situation, which could now fairly be termed a crisis, from the beginning in a way that actually has made the situation better. Frankly, I just am not seeing it.

He responded by again reiterating how he felt that this whole thing was political, and how the swine flu infected and killed more people than the coronavirus has (so far). 

It felt to me like he was indeed gearing towards praising Trump initially, and when I challenged him, it felt like he was trying to make the argument that it was all political without taking on my points about Trump. So, seeing as though I kind of share in the opinion that a lot of this feels like it is going too far, I decided to just leave it there. 

At the very least, hopefully he will hesitate a bit before trying to push his pro-Trump garbage without any thought to how frankly dumb and blind he can come across. 

Let's see if that actually pans out.

Visiting Skylands Park During the Coronavirus Crisis

Yesterday, my son and I got out of the house for a bit and went to get some fresh air at Skylands Botanical Gardens in Ringwood, New Jersey. It was the first full day of spring, and it was a real gem of a day, feeling almost like a summer afternoon, rather than just hours removed from still officially being winter.

We tried to stay away from other people as much as possible, practicing the recommended "social distancing." But it was nice to get out a bit for some fresh air.

Still, there were reminders of the crisis, as all of the buildings on the grounds were closed to the public, including the restrooms.

But it was just nice to get some air and a change of scenery, and soak up some sun, while spending quality time with my kid.

Here are some pictures:

Coronavirus Continues to Dominate World Headlines

This latest slate of news almost always seems to be exclusively bad, does it not?  

First of all, there is this virus that has spread globally, and incredibly quickly. It appears that it began in China, but where it began is hardly important right now. What is important is that this virus is here now, and it is real. Perhaps it should be no surprise by now that some people seem to be denying just how real it is, or how much of a threat it poses. In recent days, we have seen news stories of very crowded beaches in southern Florida, as apparently locals are taking advantage of days off by going somewhere that is crowded with people, even though the whole point of these days off (not all of them are exactly voluntary) is to try and limit interactions with other people, in order to contain, or at least slow, the spread of the virus.  

The economy appears to have taken a very serious hit. The numbers for the stock market are way down from where they were not too long ago. Pretty much all of the gains seen during the past few years under Trump have been wiped out, and with incredible speed.  

More importantly, the virus has sent many people home. Not everyone (including yours truly, who still has to show up to not one, but two jobs, but for which I am thankful), but most people are home now. It is not at all certain for many people what will happen, how long this will last, and if or how much they will be compensated for time taken off involuntarily, for something that is beyond any of our control. There are fears that many people are going to be losing their jobs, that some businesses – perhaps especially small businesses – simply will not be able to weather this particular storm.  

Trump is already claiming that a recession might happen, and perhaps is likely. He is now borrowing from Andrew Yang and Bernie Sanders, in calling for each American to receive $1,000 in order to help deal with financial losses due to Covid-19. Sanders actually was calling for $2,000 per month, which would surely help Americans cope with this.  

It is hard to imagine life simply returning back to normal after all of this is said and done. You never know, maybe it can and will. But for the time being, it sure feels like returning back to what we considered “ normal” before this whole thing broke out is unlikely. Again, some businesses and stores may not be able to survive. There is talk that movie theaters might never be quite the same, and might not survive in the same way that we have known them before, with so many people being stuck at home now exploring their options with streaming to keep entertained and keep cabin fever at bay.

However, this is likely to get worse, not better. On Thursday, California installed a "shelter in place" for all residents, effectively eliminating any non-essential travel or leaving from home. On Friday, President Trump declared New York state to be a disaster zone, due to the obviously huge presence of the coronavirus. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shut down any non-essential business. 

Shelves in supermarkets are getting more empty, rather than restocking, as panic buying just continues. Schools are being shut down for longer. My son here in northern New Jersey initially had scheduled school closures for two weeks, starting this past Monday, the 16th, and stretching to next Friday, the 27th. But that has now been extended to well into April, even the second half of April. Kansas recently became the first state in the country to cancel school outright for the duration of this academic year.

Frankly, it does not look like this is about to end anytime soon.

Jello Biafra Updates "Message From Our Sponsor" For 2020

Jello Biafra has had some iconic pieces, whether with music or spoken word, that have had fans talking ever since he released them. 

One of them was from the early nineties, and was titled "Message From Our Sponsors." It was vintage Jello, and was released on his spoken word album, "No More Coccoons," and there was an impressive version of it for the movie soundtrack for "Terminal City Ricochet."

Well, Jello just updated this particular track, with trace elements of the era of Donald Trump, Joe Biden, and the coronavirus restrictions of movement.

Pretty interesting, and thought it would be worth sharing the link (see below):

Updated  Message From Our Sponsor 2020 by Jello Biafra

https://jellobiafra.bandcamp.com/?mc_cid=c0083cf298&mc_eid=1181ec4328

American Elections These Days Offer No Real Hope Anymore

When I was a kid, I was so naive that I actually looked forward to major (particularly presidential) election years. Admittedly, I was hopeful for another John F. Kennedy and, failing that, in any case, it seemed like a good opportunity for the general public to become more informed about the issues that mattered most. At the time, it was a mystery to me how adults could be so cynical about elections, 

Nowadays, these elections sicken me as well. That has been particularly true since 2000, and especially since 2004, in particular, when this country gave George W. Bush and his failed policies and presidency another four years. It was even worse in 2016, and frankly, 2020 is shaping up to be yet another futile election cycle.

It seems clear to me with each passing election that whatever the problems this country faces, it is not through the absurd election system that we have in place today that we are going to fix our problems.

Why?

Because rigged elections with obscene amounts of shady money are not meant to be in the public interest, and are harming our democracy.

To that end, I thought that this was worth sharing:

Chris Hedges & Abby Martin: No Way Out Through Elections

Spring Equinox Today is Earliest in Well Over a Century

Today is the spring equinox. To be precise, it will happen tonight at precisely 11:49 p.m., eastern standard time. 

I thought it seemed kind of early this year and, in fact, that is right.

This is the first time since 1896 that the spring equinox fell so early in the calendar. Of course, this also happens to be a Leap Year, which may (or may not) have something to do with it. Safe to say that we will not see one fall this early in the calendar again during most of our lifetimes.

It was back in the late winter/early spring of 1993 that I first really began to pay attention to the seasonal equinoxes. I was a skinny young kid of 18 years old, not far removed from high school, when I began my college career at Bergen Community College in Paramus, New Jersey. One thing that I wanted to do was be a part of something that meant something to me, that might help make the world a better place in some small way. I also wanted to make new friends at college. Joining the Environmental Club allowed me to do both at the same time.

One of the thing that I personally learned was to try and start paying attention to, and enjoying, the small things in life. In particular, things like marking the changing of the season, and celebrating the natural changes, which obviously includes the equinoxes. It is a lesson that sucked me in slowly, but which, somehow, stayed with me through my life. 

So today, as another break from the onslaught of horrible news, particularly concerning Covid-19, I wanted to acknowledge the spring equinox. 

It was a mild winter, one of the mildest in memory. Now, spring is here, the season of renewal, of new life and new hope. 

That sounds like something that we can all use a little more of these days, does it not?

Learning to Talk to People With Anxieties Regarding Covid-19

Last night, something kind of strange happened.              

I was at work (yes, I am still going to work, for which I feel blessed), and there was a call from someone.              

There were other guys (only guys) there, but it was me who picked up. There was a woman who works for the company, but who called because she had just closed her location. She said that it was a big deal, and she sounded uncertain and, frankly scared.              

So, I tried my best to comfort her, despite the obvious limitations for my being able to do so. I told her that hopefully, things will return back to normal within a couple of weeks, that hopefully this will boil over before we know it. I sympathized with her fears and her feelings of being sad and overwhelmed, because that seems like something that we should all be relating to right about now. Unless you are living in a cave, this is an entirely new experience for all of us, and not something that we necessarily can feel any comfort in.              

We just spoke like that for a few minutes. I offered what help I could, even though what she really wanted, most likely, was just to talk to someone and vent. To share her fears, her uncertainty, her sadness. Here she is, basically just having been told that her workplace will now be closed until the end of the month. The normal routine that she – and most likely all of us – had taken for granted is now over, and most likely, we will never have the same level of security about our normal jobs and lives again, truth be told.              

Of course she just wanted to be able to talk, to hear a friendly, sympathetic voice. It’s only natural. It’s only human.              

We did not know one another. To my knowledge, we had never spoken before. But for a few moments, we shared a human connection at a time when human connections are literally being discouraged. We expressed frustration about events that are well beyond our control, and which have reshaped this world, and our lives along with it.              

Afterward, we hung up. The other guys in the office asked me what that was all about, and so I told them.              

It was a woman who had just called us because she was feeling uncertain about everything. She had just wanted to talk, was just feeling fearful and uncertain about things that were beyond control, and so she wanted to talk about it. She had mentioned to me that this was a big deal, and I agreed with her.              

The other guys kind of shrugged. Said that they would have cut the conversation short. Would have hung up way earlier than I did. That’s not what we’re paid for, seemed to be the consensus.              

Maybe not. But listen: we are all human beings. Those guys are supertough guys, very macho. Into hot cars and trucks and such. That they could hold their own in any conversation about cool cars or trucks and such.              

The coronavirus is something very different. Again, life stops on many levels from what it was before. Things are likely not to just return to normal ever again, frankly. The economy is tanking, and there are reports that many people are going to lose their jobs. Even for those who are going to maintain their jobs and/or financial stability, life will probably never return quite back to what we considered normal before all of this. Once this has happened, it is no longer unthinkable that it could happen again. In fact, many people – myself included – are almost surprised that something like this had not happened earlier.  

But it has happened now.  

And we have to learn how to deal with it, which also means being able to talk about it with other people.  

Dismissing such a call, and suggesting that they may have made a point of hanging up much earlier, just is not the kind of talk that any of us should engage in. Frankly, I do not believe that they were fully joking.  

We need to be able to relate to other people, and to understand and appreciate the fears and uncertainties that other people are facing, and we need to learn to listen when it comes to other people simply expressing themselves: their frustrations, their sadness. Yes, even if it does not directly impact us, personally. Just listen to people. Talk to them.  

I am not a trained psychiatrist. This woman, a stranger, called, and so we talked. I did not have any more answers about any of this than anyone else. How could I possibly know what is going to happen? This whole thing took me by surprise, just like it did everyone else. All that I could do was listen to her concerns, and express my empathy. Lend her my ear, and commiserate with what she was going through and, to some degree, share our sense of grieving for what we all have lost with all of this.  

We need to learn to communicate better.