The real story is that ‘developing’ nations have done remarkably better at fighting COVID-19 than the rich and white. The real story starts precisely where the western map ends. Here be dragons. We be dragons.
The real story is that places like Vietnam and Mongolia have completely kicked COVID-19’s ass. The real story is that places like Rwanda and Ghana have innovated and survived. There are countless stories like this — from Sri Lanka to Trinidad & Tobago, but you wouldn’t know because we’re not rich or white. But you should know. Because we’re right. This information could save your life.
https://medium.com/indica/the-overwhelming-racism-of-covid-coverage-78e37e4ce6e8
(But please keep posting about a vaccine, eating like normal, and relying on your institutions to save you. It'll all work out for you I'm sure.)
@emsenn I think anyone who doesn't have a 2-3 year perspective and plan for this is going to be sorry down the line. I really hope these nations can keep the good work up, especially once NA and EU start travelling globally again considering how badly we're doing with this (as the article points out).
I'm fairly angry at the short memories of everyone here. There was much outcry in March about the lack of stockpiles wrt. PPE, yet is anything done about it now? (No, it's not)
@emsenn the EU is in really bad shape too at the moment. Nations around the Mediterranean have been propped up by tourism, which is now not happening to the same extent, and they're also struggling with refugees from the Middle East (not a recent issue, just exacerbated in current circumstances) that the rest of the EU are happy to consider a Mediterranean problem rather than a European problem.
A major cause for the refugee crisis is EU legislation surrounding asylum seekers. 1/
@emsenn if an asylum seeker travels from Syria to Sweden on Whatever Airline and is denied asylum, Whatever Airline is beholden to return the asylum seeker to his point of origin.
This means airlines will not accept any asylum seekers at all, forcing them to travel illegally via sea and land, where they're parked in camps in order to determine their refugee status. A process which takes longer because they are travelling illegally. 2/n
@emsenn it's also not a question of money. The airfare is considerably less than what they're spending to be snuggled here, not to mention the very real cost in human lives and suffering.
We put up impossible hoops to jump through and then we still penalize those who make the jump, and never once stop to think why they want to make that trip to come here.
This ain't paradise, so they must be in hell over there.
@kungtotte Sorry, I meant to say:
"Stop fucking centering white people, stop looking at you and your imperial society as synonymous, and start questioning what you can do to make things better for yourself."
Good job waxing poetic about potential waves of US refugees, but that's only relevant if you continue to adhere to your death-cult of a culture.
@kungtotte I see ads for one-way flights to nigeria for just 12 monthly payments of $60 and it's like holy fuck.
I can't really see the US getting its shit together enough at this point to coerce South American countries into letting our tourists in, at this point: I think it's time within these cultures start asking themselves tough questions about the viability of that culture, and what they can personally do to plan for the future.