Hard To Swallow
it was hard to swallow
each fact
word
was indigestible untruth
at least
that’s what we were told
<>
the facts remained unchanged
but everyone
put them into a different context
to make them believable
acceptable
<>
the whole picture
remained hidden
camouflaged
by the noise
the flurry
of information
that didn’t add to knowledge
<>
facts deemed
to be more important
than seeing the whole picture
the jigsaw of numbers
symptoms
<>
negotiating good for humans
with good for profits
people being
more disposable than dollars
there is more gain
in forcing the undigestible
on the unsuspecting
than providing
them any alternative
This was written during the first covid19 lockdown amidst the constant conflict between which set of facts was most ethically important – keeping the economy growing, our personal freedoms: no one is going to make me wear a bloody mask, understandable statistics, differing medical opinions. Now, years later, these issues are still in the air but with the need to keep the economy moving being the winner. We still have ‘sides’ calling each other deniers.
The numbers have been skewed by renaming – much the same way that the civilians killed in war become ‘collateral damage’ – covid deaths became ‘respiratory failure.’ ‘Vulnerable’ apparently means those already having underlying health issues will catch whatever is going around. The vulnerable become responsible for protecting themselves from those who are invulnerable enough not to wear a bloody mask.
To minimize the discomfort that the statics were causing it was decided not to report them – it created a paranoia that wasn’t good for business. Except of course for the pharmaceutical industry – who, according to one conspiracy, were behind the outbreak. How many drugstores were saved by booster shots?
Add to which we gravitate research that supports our personal biases. Masks are most effective if they are worn properly is evidence enough for some to say ‘masks don’t work’ rather than watch a YouTube video on how wear them. That video is ‘fake news’ while the one supporting their contentions is accurate.
Statistics don’t lie. But like history itself, truth is in the mind of the teller, not in the facts. I’ve read that statically 80% of statistics are made up on the spot.
TOpoet 
Great stuff -very deep