The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Wuhan Virus: Is It Time to Panic Yet?

Posted on | March 12, 2020 | 4 Comments

 

Honestly, I am not the least bit frightened, but everybody — from the cable news networks to the World Health Organization — seems to be telling me I should be scared out of my mind:

President Donald Trump set out to steady a rattled nation and a diving economy in a solemn Oval Office address, but instead sowed more confusion and doubts that he is up to handling the fast-worsening coronavirus crisis.
Trump spoke to the nation at a fearful moment, when the rhythms of everyday American life are starting to shut down — with schools closing, the NBA suspended, hospitals on high alert and movie icon Tom Hanks saying he and his wife have the disease.
“The virus will not have a chance against us. No nation is more prepared or more resilient than the United States,” the President said, before painting a rosy picture of an economy that is already taking a beating from the virus fallout. The President unveiled several measures to help on that score, to help workers who lack sick pay but have to self-isolate and are hard-hit by shutdowns, though his call for a payroll tax cut is not popular in Congress.
Trump’s big announcement for keeping the virus at bay — what he said was a 30-day ban on travel to the US by Europeans and restrictions on cargo — was immediately engulfed in confusion.
The President later rushed to clarify on Twitter that he was stopping travel and not trans-Atlantic trade in goods, and officials said his plan did not apply to Americans or US permanent residents — though such travelers would face mandatory quarantines.

I like that phrase, “engulfed in confusion” — the media cause confusion, and then pretend to report objectively on the confusion they caused.

Tom Hanks says he and his wife felt sick while traveling in Australia and got tested, just to be safe. Is he now safer for having been tested? No. The way you treat coronavirus is the same way you treat the flu — get lots of rest, stay hydrated, etc. If you caught coronavirus, you might not even realize it. You’d get sick, and then about 72 hours later, you’d get better. It’s not the Black Death. It’s not typhus or cholera or polio.

So even though I am “at risk” — I covered CPAC, where one of the attendees tested positive for coronavirus — I am not panicked. People act as if I’m irresponsible for not being panicked.

“Stop being sarcastic, McCain — this is serious!”

What’s the antonym of “hypochondriac”? Because that’s my attitude. Stress is bad for your immune system, so don’t stress out. Relax. Have another cup of coffee and think about the irony of people who did all the right things — no smoking, no booze, plenty of exercise, a healthy diet — so that they could live to be 80 years old. And then they died because they got a virus from Wuhan, China. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Or imagine you survive, and sue the bastards:

A couple who was aboard a cruise ship carrying passengers who tested positive for coronavirus has filed a $1 million lawsuit, alleging that the company exposed them to the disease.
Ronald Weissberger, 74, and his wife, Eva Weissberger, 69, of Broward County, Florida, boarded the Grand Princess in San Francisco on Feb. 21 for what was supposed to be a relaxing vacation to Hawaii.
The ship was on its way back to California when it was told on March 4 to anchor off the coast after people on the vessel tested positive for coronavirus.
Vice President Mike Pence said Friday that among the more than 3,500 people aboard the ship, 21 were infected with the disease.
After several days of being anchored off the coast, the ship arrived to a port in Oakland on Monday and passengers were allowed to begin disembarking. Passengers are now being sent to quarantine centers at military bases in California, Texas and Georgia.

You paid for a “relaxing vacation to Hawaii,” and instead you got quarantined on a military base. Congratulations — you’re a survivor!

Enough sarcasm. Let’s hear from America’s Most Serious Politician:

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez claimed many restaurants “are feeling the pain of racism” because people are avoiding Chinese food out of fear of contracting the coronavirus.
“Honestly, it sounds almost so silly to say, but there’s a lot of restaurants that are feeling the pain of racism,” the New York Democrat said Tuesday night on Instagram Live. “People are literally not patroning Chinese restaurants. They’re not patroning Asian restaurants because of just straight-up racism around the coronavirus.”

I’ve never much liked Chinese food, but I love Mexican food. It’s not about favoring one group of people over another. It’s just food.

Am I a racist for enjoying the combination platter at El Ranchero? Does my preference for tacos reflect a secret hatred of Chinese? Aren’t you glad AOC has made you aware of this social justice issue? But now I’m back to my customary sarcasm, which shows that I’m not serious about fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Serious people panic, you know.



 

Category: Health Care

Comments

4 Responses to “Wuhan Virus: Is It Time to Panic Yet?”

  1. If All You See… » Pirate's Cove
    March 12th, 2020 @ 1:00 pm

    […] blog of the day is The Other McCain, with a post on whether it’s time to panic […]

  2. COVID-19, Media Insanity, And Politics | 357 Magnum
    March 13th, 2020 @ 8:39 am

    […] Robert Stacy McCain asks (about the Wuhan Virus) Is It Time to Panic Yet?. […]

  3. Is It Time to Panic? | nebraskaenergyobserver
    March 13th, 2020 @ 10:15 am

    […] Stacy McCain wrote about this the other day as well, saying: […]

  4. Friday hawt chicks & links – It’s the end of the world edition. – Adam Piggott
    March 14th, 2020 @ 5:26 am

    […] up to a volume level of 11 by those who have no other choice but to double down again and again. So if you don’t go to a Chinese restaurant now then that makes you a racist. I think that we are very close to people in general accepting the racist tag with open […]