So I think you'll find that the majority of things I write are to some extent, inspired by the New York Times, so kudos to them for being so awesome. Y'all are doing great.
Anyways, I get a bunch of newsletters from the Times, right? Among them is the Morning Briefings, which basically sum up the big headlines for the day. I'm waaaay behind on them and was trying to catch up today, when I came across the following headline: A world without U.S. leadership.
Now, this struck me as interesting, because although I was well aware that the US was (is) doing quite badly in its handling of the pandemic, I didn't consider how that would affect the US's standing in the global community.
The article said the pandemic has exposed "two great weaknesses . .. .. the erratic leadership of Mr. Trump, who has devalued expertise and often refused to follow the advice of his scientific advisers, and the absence of a robust public health care system and social safety net."
And I mean, it's not wrong. We have a president who encourages us to inject disinfectant, take drugs without scientific approval, and expose ourselves to radiation. We also have a system in which thousands of people are going to work without health insurance because that's the only way to feed their families. Hospitals, especially in New York, are being overwhelmed, and COVID testing is still a commodity. And then there are the protesters, the people who are traveling and gathering, despite the fact that there's a freaking pandemic! Like, what part of that do people not understand?
And then we look at other countries, like Germany and China and South Korea. They're all playing to their strength - Germany's public trust, China's authoritarian power (although that's not such a good thing), South Korea's efficiency and foresight. Ironically, the two countries that have best handled their outbreaks have been the two with histories of American influence.
Why is it, though, that the very country that the world looks to for leadership can't keep itself together, let alone the global community?