A Year of Extremes: From Medieval Masks to mRNA Vaccines; From Science Denying Flat Earthers to the Prospect of Civil War

(My 2021 New Year's Post)

What a year this has been. Our lives continue to be upended, and in many cases cut short, by this novel virus. And our responses include everything from the most sophisticated new medical technologies to medieval strategies. In fact, French Royal physician DeLorme invented PPE in 1619, all the way from clothing that covered the entire body without gaps to the birdlike face mask that filtered the air that plague doctors were breathing. It is almost mind boggling that over 400 years later, we are doing the exact same thing.

But at the same time, the introduction of the Covid mRNA vaccines is equally remarkable. The first gene sequencing, of the RNA virus called Bacteriophage MS2, happened in 1976, when I was in my second year of medical school. And it took from 1990 to 2003 to complete the sequencing of the human genome.

In this strange era of coexisting medieval and space age technologies, I cannot help thinking about the tension between those who embrace both of these strategies and those who deny both. You would think the tension would be between the new and the old ways, but that isn’t as great as the one between all and nothing.

It is as if we have, in this and many western countries, two incompatible world views, like the flat earthers and the rest of us. But in this case, the size of each camp seems to be frighteningly close to equal. And the fervor that is evident in those who want to do nothing to protect themselves from the virus is truly unsettling.

I imagined that mask wearing would be an inoffensive practice, which at least wouldn’t bother anybody else. But no, people get assaulted and harassed for doing it, for making a personal choice to protect themselves.

Many experts are predicting that the pandemic will become endemic and that continued booster shots will contain its lethality. But there are no signs that the tension between the do-somethings and the do-nothings will go away.

Instead of drawing together to fight the invader, the red and blue White American subpopulations have started to view each other as the adversary. I don’t think the insurrection of 1/6/21 would have happened if we hadn’t been in the middle of this pandemic. We are like dogs who suddenly turn on each other instead of attacking the intruder at our gate.

One of these dogs appears to be more aggressive than the other, perhaps even rabid. Or is it just that much more frightened? Not frightened by the virus, but by the Black Lives Matter, Mee-Too and Environmentalist movements they see as threats to their “Freedom”, which they believe they will lose if others gain theirs.

It seems this virus was a catalyst for a chemical, cultural chain reaction whose end product is as of yet unknown. We are witnessing incompatible progress and regression rapidly reshaping and destabilizing this country.

God bless America. God help America.