Up to now

Up to now, I have,  I hope, kept this a safe space, free of politics. I don’t want to know yours, and you don’t need to know mine. I’ve never, for example, wanted to know the political allegiances of actors. When they insist on telling us, I find it hard to unhear and to see them in the same way as before. I try though, if I respect their work. I realize talent has little to do with anything but talent – certainly not morality, civility or decorum. Genius seems to have even less to do with such matters. One has only to think of Wagner or Leni Riefenstahl.

Now, however, a point has been reached where I feel that even I, who abhor confrontation, must speak out. People have sickened, have died, and more will do so needlessly because of the failure, the inability of our president to take seriously the threat of pandemic while there was still ample time to act. Instead, he denied and trivialized what was already ravaging China, South Korea, and Italy, each of whom have taken decisive steps to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Don’t misunderstand me. It would be as absurd to blame Trump for the disease as it is for him to blame the Chinese. It is not absurd, however to blame him for a failure of imagination, a reluctance to make use of our vast medical resources early on, and an attempt to silence those around him who had vital, factual information. That, of course, would require a belief in science, a belief in something beyond one’s own omnipotence. “Bully pulpit” takes on a sinister note when it is used to try to sedate an anxious public with repeated doses of “everything’s fine.”

This was a betrayal from the top, and a humiliating one. Where our country would normally have led the world in preparedness, in the availability of resources, tests, respirators, and equally important – truthful information, we are shamefully behind. Instead of leadership that inspires calm, we have, if not panic, the kind of unease which begets hoarding, empty shelves, and fights in the aisles over hand sanitizers.

We are also in economic free-fall. I don’t lay all the blame for the market plunges at Trump’s door. He’s not that powerful, though his missteps are a contributing factor. Given that he claimed all credit for its rise, it’s tempting to say, “You broke it, you bought it.”  But he’d have none of that. Responsibility isn’t his forte. He’s too good at that dance from The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the “Sidestep.”

In admirable contrast are the counsels of Dr. Sanjay Gupta. In even, measured tones, he has sought to put the problem in a realistic, helpful perspective, urging calm, but not sugar coating. I assumed, for example, that I knew the safest method of washing my hands. I didn’t. Work the fingers of each hand between those of the other, and don’t forget your thumbs. His advice on other aspects of the virus is clear, succinct, and practical. I urge you to explore almost any of the videos of his recent appearances.

I also urge you to do what I’m doing. Contact those you care about who are alone and at particular risk (the elderly and those with compromised immune systems), even if it’s only to be company on the phone for a bit. It could be more if they are in need of groceries and should stay out of crowds (I waited in line at Stracks for an hour yesterday).

We are experiencing the ancient Chinese curse: “May you live in interesting times.” Day by day, one after another, our outlets and diversions, our pressure valves, are cut off like a series of slamming doors. Travel, sporting events, movies, theater, concerts, my beloved opera, all suddenly no-nos or impossibilities. Schools are closing, parades are cancelled and even weddings are in jeopardy. We’ll survive, as our forbears did. We’re in this together. Just don’t stand too close to me.

Up to now, despite the stench of Trump’s crude, obscene venality and non-stop self aggrandizement, I’ve held my nose and my peace. That I can no longer do. His ignorance and cosmic incompetence have put us all in harm’s way. If my saying so offends, I can only say, God help you. Your leader won’t.