occasional reflections on culture & politics
I. When we speak (or write), does our positionality in this world matter? I recently stumbled upon a video in which someone expressed their ire against people starting a variation of a sentence like “I am speaking as an x person.” The position here – if I may simplify it as follows – is instructive:… Continue reading #199: Why Positionality Matters
We all have probably heard people say things like the following: “I don’t know anyone who got sick / died from this.” “As far as I can tell, summers have always been warm.” “I can get anywhere with a bike, I don’t know why people need cars.” “I cannot imagine anyone voting for x.” “I… Continue reading #184: Anecdotal Thinking, Science, Religion, and Policy
If persons who are have chosen to not be vaccinated are wearing a Star of David with the designation "unvaccinated", the following considerations should be made: 1. Is the category "unvaccinated" an identity comparable to the category "Jew" defined by the Nuremberg Racial Laws? No. Everyone is free to be vaccinated or not. This would… Continue reading #141: Is Wearing a Star of David Labeled “Unvaccinated” Anti-Semitic?
In a previous post, I wondered whether vaccine mandates are a possible route to end the pandemic. We need vaccination, but too few people have received their necessary shots (including the “booster”). My earlier argument was based on the idea that we should acknowledge people’s fear of the vaccine, and not enforce vaccination through a… Continue reading #140: We Need Vaccine Mandates After All
Some years ago, I talked with a person about conspiracy theories surrounding the terror attacks of 9/11/2001, during which Al-Quaida terrorists flew airplanes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, with a fourth probably headed for the White House downed by passengers. The person was completely… Continue reading #135: Conspiracy Belief, Science, Ego and Humility
Frequently, we hear the line “we have to learn to live with Covid.” It sounds nice. It sounds like there is a way of coexisting with the spikey bugger. But it is not realistic. We have seen now that countries that used to be able to open up (Denmark, the UK, Sweden, even to some… Continue reading #122: Only a Zero Covid Strategy Will Bring Success
Disclaimer: I am neither a doctor nor a lawyer; this is therefore only my individual opinion, which of course is based on current assessments by experts in the field as far as I can tell. The medical data and opinion regarding Covid-19 vaccinations approved in Europe and the US is clear: They are – statistically… Continue reading #120: Differential Treatment of Vaccination Opponents Is not Discrimination
I am fully vaccinated against Covid-19, including a booster. Moderna. From all of the information I have on hand, it is safer to get vaccinated than to contract the virus. The disease is serious; although it mostly affects the elderly, it also affects some who consider themselves younger than they are, and the long-term consequences… Continue reading #119: Thoughts on Covid Vaccine Mandates
There seems to be a narrative going around in some churches and religious communities that says, directly or indirectly, that we would not need to protect ourselves with masks and vaccines because God would save us. Any measure to protect yourself from the pandemic is thus construed as a sign of a lack of faith.… Continue reading #111: Faith, the Pandemic, and the Drowning Man
Some of the criticism – if you can call it that – put forth by those believing that the Coronavirus pandemic would not be so dangerous, that you could certainly go without the vaccine, that you should stop wearing the mask, that you should stop avoiding unnecessary contact – is that those who do follow… Continue reading #108: Carefulness Is Not Fear
Erratic Attempts 