Confession: An astounding amount of 2020’s and 2021’s public discussion of virology and epidemiology has struck me as novel. Maybe that’s what made the “novel coronavirus” so novel: the discussion surrounding it was itself novel. People who should know what they are talking about — and by this I mean doctors and scientists and science bureaucrats and writers on the science beat — generally yammered on in ways that defied what I had learned in previous years.

Concession: It has been somewhat disorienting. Not being a scientist, the novelties “felt” wrong, but not being a genius, I often had trouble remembering the precise concepts that were being flouted. My limitations were evident from the beginning.

But one has to follow one’s nose and not just kowtow to the CDC or the quasi-Communists who run China. One has to do a little research.

I confess: I have done as little as possible. As soon as the experts began flip-flopping and engaging in outright lies, I did not bother to dig deep. When bullshitters pile it on, one doesn’t need a shovel, one needs a hose. Spray.

I concede: It has been interesting to watch so many smart people — including doctors — just fall into line and suppressing any acknowledgement of the obvious b.s.

Now, politically this has been fascinating, since the actual rolling out of mitigation to the new disease has been excessively political, driven by politics, guided by politics, and leveraged for politics. This is so obvious I have found it hard to take anyone innocently defending mainstream media narratives about the disease seriously. I now routinely roll my eyes at many of my own odd cohort of libertarians. Conservatives have been as disappointing as usual, and “liberals” (none exist in herds any longer) have doubled down on credulity and deception.

My respect for humanity has gone down about nineteen notches.

But, as compensation — and to offset any late-onset pride — my own personal foibles also have become more evident than ever. I have not cared enough about humanity to do the deep research the situation seems to demand. I could apologize, but to whom? Who deserves it?

twv