Editorial


Trump, a Pandemic and the Chernobyl disaster, three things I thought I’d never correlate with each other. 

Throughout history, we’ve often seen regimes that strive to appear all-powerful and all-wise, incapable of making a mistake. Narcissism, and an inability to reflect inward and admit these mistakes are an identifiable trait among history’s most power-hungry groups. The Nazi Party, the North Korean dictatorship, the Soviet Union and now, apparently, the Trump administration. 

Don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to compare the United States to murderous, human rights-violating entities like those mentioned above, but in terms of their egregious lies and appalling dismissal of the truth, they are one and the same. Recently, the Trump administration has been fabricating lie after lie about the coronavirus and has been focusing anger towards China while Covid runs rampant in their country.

Trump’s desire to have the nation’s economy and people “opened up and just raring to go by easter” as the number of infected soars has been noted by CNN. He has also been spreading misinformation about the virus at a rate of knots.

“When we get into April, in the warmer weather, that has a very negative effect on that, and that type of a virus” and “It’s going to disappear. One day it’s like a miracle, it will disappear”

These lies are an attempt to cloud any perceptions of weakness and ill-preparedness from himself in order to keep the saviour-like status perceptions of him alive. 

According to “Emergency Medicine, reviews and perspective”, over half the US is expected to become infected. If Covid’s 1-2% mortality remains true in the coming months the US can expect over 1 million deaths. Hardly a miraculous disappearance more of a major fuck up.

So what does this have to do with the Chernobyl disaster?

Chernobyl, the most largest and most magnificent fuck up of all time, was one massive, thermonuclear fuck up. Essentially, it was the explosion of a Soviet nuclear reactor in the mid 80’s. This event was met with government denial, a refusal to accept the science and a corruptive spread of misinformation. It was a major catastrophe which resulted in the death of thousands. The Soviet Union, a regime with an incapability of accepting any responsibility, an inability to admit mistakes and an ambition to appear all-powerful. A regime that made lying the standard. 

Sound familiar?

I’ve always been fascinated with the American political landscape. I swear they’re the only country on the face of the Earth that loves their elected leaders. The rest of us in the democratic world are of the opinion that politicians are all a bunch of wankers. 

This may seem funny, and it is, but I think it represents something much more sinister. This lack of “my-local-politician-is-a-prick mentality” inhibits a constituents ability to poke holes in and question their leaders. This blind following we see in America has resulted in a public incompetence to rationally consider their democratic options. If you blindly vote for a leader out of loyalty rather than independent thought that’s not actually democracy, that’s you being a fuckwit.

This misinformation stemming from the commander-in-chief combined with his supporter’s blind devotion has resulted in a cascade of detrimental effects. The proper practices for dealing with this virus aren’t in place, people are dying and America now has the highest amount of infections globally. A part of the American public has been misinformed, an act comparable to the inaction and lack of responsibility seen in the Chernobyl disaster.

Stay safe out there, make the right choices, stay inside.