Living the Pandemic - Thinking of You

 I received an interesting little card in the mail the other day (actually addressed to me and my partner).  Apparently I have managed to upset someone with my position that SARS-CoV-2 is a real virus and that the virulence of the virus is something that needs to be taken seriously.  Oh, and also masks.  And probably a vaccine, when one is ready.  This is what the card said:

So I composed a reply to Mr/Ms Anonymous.

Dear Mr or Ms Anonymous:

Thank you for your card.  I am flattered that you have considered my comments (wherever they might have been made) to be so poignant and cogent and consequently threatening to your fantasy world that you felt it necessary to write.  I am sorry, however, that you feel so insecure in your position that you needed to remain anonymous.  I at least have the courage of my convictions and the scientific evidence backing them up that I am quite prepared to associate my real name with anything I say.  I'm also prepared to change my position when new evidence requires such change.  I doubt you would be convinced by anything that could be recognized as real evidence.

To make the statements you made, clearly showing where your "thinking" is on this whole issue, really highlights the temerity of accusing ME of arrogance.  I'm not basing my understanding on fairy tales and conspiracy theories that have not a scintilla of truth to back them up.

You insist that the true fight is against tyranny.  I see the true fight to be against the kind of ignorance and fear that must exist for people like you to make the assertions contained in your note.  Really - "... a flu like virus with a 0.024% chance of dying....  SARS-CoV-2 has never been isolated so tests are meaningless".

I hate to state the obvious, but this is NOT the Middle Ages.  If you were better educated, you might know that viruses can be studied quite easily with modern lab techniques.  Far more is known about them (and this virus as well) than it seems you understand.  And if you had any sense of social responsibility, you would recognize that a very small number of simple practices could make a big difference in the kind of damage this virus could do to our society.

Quite frankly, I would consider uninformed people like you to be a serious threat to the rest of us if not for one thing: everyone with any education, critical thinking skills at all and the ability to understand reliable information, will recognize your babblings for what they are and will ignore them.  Consign them to the trash bin of nonsense where they belong.

If you expect anyone to take you seriously, you need to present your evidence and be prepared to show how it supports what you believe to be true.  Don't hide behind pseudonyms and anonymity like a coward.  And, for the love of god, deal with facts, not fictional twaddle.  (As an aside, you won't find facts on Vaccine Choice Canada's website).

I do hope that perhaps someone who recognizes your writing and your views will reach out and offer the help you so badly need.

One last thing.  Don't EVER make the mistake of dragging my partner into any dispute or discussion that only has to do with my views.  She was quite annoyed that your card was addressed to the both of us because she sees being included the way you did as being just one more example of the kind of patriarchal crap that intelligent, independent women have been fighting for decades.  And I happen to agree with her.  She and I often share similar views on issues like this, but it was MY comments that you had an issue with.  

Sincerely, etc, etc...

I understand that my response was not the kind of kind, calm, understanding missive that our Provincial Health Officer would endorse.  I have to leave that for her.  Frankly, I am increasingly angry, particularly with ignorant, foolish nitwits who insist on confounding every simple, practical effort to control this virus while we wait for better treatments.  And it's not like this hasn't been done before.  HIV/AIDS appeared nearly 40 years ago.  We STILL don't have a vaccine, but we have effective treatments and we have, importantly, excellent and simple ways of avoiding the virus.  By now, surely everyone has heard of "safe sex".  So it CAN be done.  We CAN control this virus using just the knowledge and understanding that we have available right now.  Pretending that this virus doesn't exist, claiming that it hasn't been sequenced, repeating that it's "just the flu", insisting that masks won't help or that taking simple precautions only show how fearful everyone is..... none of those help.  None of them.

What my grandchildren need is the opportunity to go back to school and to play with their friends.  The opportunity to learn science, writing, reading, play sports. For parents to get back to work.  Limiting community spread of this virus can make all of those things possible.  Silly comments from virus-denying clowns will not help.  They either need to get on board or they need to be ignored.