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COVID-19 Has Blown Away the Myth About 'First' and 'Third' World Competence:
One of the planet's – and Africa's – deepest prejudices is being demolished by the way countries handle COVID-19.
For as long as any of us remember, everyone "knew" that "First World" countries – in effect, Western Europe and North America – were much better at providing their citizens with a good life than the poor and incapable states of the "Third World". "First World" has become shorthand for competence, sophistication and the highest political and economic standards.
[...] So we should have expected the state-of-the-art health systems of the "First World", spurred on by their aware and empowered citizens, to handle COVID-19 with relative ease, leaving the rest of the planet to endure the horror of buckling health systems and mass graves.
We have seen precisely the opposite.
[...] [Britain and the US] have ignored the threat. When they were forced to act, they sent mixed signals to citizens which encouraged many to act in ways which spread the infection. Neither did anything like the testing needed to control the virus. Both failed to equip their hospitals and health workers with the equipment they needed, triggering many avoidable deaths.
The failure was political. The US is the only rich country with no national health system. An attempt by former president Barack Obama to extend affordable care was watered down by right-wing resistance, then further gutted by the current president and his party. Britain's much-loved National Health Service has been weakened by spending cuts. Both governments failed to fight the virus in time because they had other priorities.
And yet, in Britain, the government's popularity ratings are sky high and it is expected to win the next election comfortably. The US president is behind in the polls but the contest is close enough to make his re-election a real possibility. Can there be anything more typically "Third World" than citizens supporting a government whose actions cost thousands of lives?
(Score: 2) by progo on Monday May 18 2020, @12:51PM (3 children)
IMO feeling that Trump winning against the democratic party's candidate is merely a "real possibility" seems out of touch with reality. I'd list my evidence here, but it's not worth it to get into a US-politics bar-fight in a forum like this.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 18 2020, @02:04PM (1 child)
I'm not sure what you're saying here. Are you saying that, in your opinion, Trump's reelection is almost a given, or are you saying that he has no chance in hell ?
(Score: 2) by deimtee on Tuesday May 19 2020, @12:31PM
The only chance of Trump not winning is if either Biden or Trump drops dead before early October.
If the democrats had put up a decent candidate it would have been a reasonable fight, and difficult to pick the winner. But they didn't. They put up Sleepy Creepy Joe, who is very obviously showing age-related mental decline. For some reason the democrats would rather lose to Trump than pick a candidate who could win.
Their base will convince themselves that no reasonable person could vote for Trump, no matter how bad the alternative, and will once again be appalled on election night. Cue up some more youtube videos of crying leftists, and The Young Turks being "Shocked! Shocked I tell you! How Could America Let This Happen?"
If you cough while drinking cheap red wine it really cleans out your sinuses.
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday May 18 2020, @03:27PM
If Trump is re-elected, I won't be shocked. Not even surprised.
The first year of Trump made everyone numb to any further lowering of the bar.
I would have thought that by this point people would regret having voted for Trump. Reading this board just makes me realize otherwise.
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