When Information Dies
So do we.
The deterioration of valid information on the state of things, from Covid to climate change, will result in the deaths of millions of people.
That may seem hyperbolic, but it’s not.
The recent pause on all public health communications so far is just temporary, but it may very well end up becoming permanent or limited to the ideas of the insane clown posse now in charge of the organizations that are tasked with keeping us informed.
Facts are already getting harder to come by, especially as they relate to issues that we’re supposed to be ignoring.
Imagine if all the news sources that you currently access to keep you aware of disasters, social unrest, and diseases suddenly stopped or were ordered to stop by the government.
Where would that leave you?
It’s hard to make informed choices if there’s no information on which to base those choices.
After testing and reporting of Covid cases was minimized or eliminated, a good percentage of the population began to talk about how glad they were that Covid was finally over, and they could get back to normal. The only information they had to back that up was that no one was wearing masks anymore and since there was no more testing and reporting they could “confidently” state that Covid was a thing of the past.
This is our present and our future.
I’m wondering how long it will be before Meta and Instagram start banning any mention of Covid and close down all the Covid Conscious pages.
Climate change may beat Trump to the punch as extreme weather events begin to dismantle the infrastructure needed to support the source of most of our news.
“This morning’s thread is a bit of a rush-job, I’m afraid. Winds will be hitting 110mph soon – on the cusp of a Cat 3 hurricane. Ireland’s wind speed record has fallen – 114mph. I am very likely to experience a power-cut, but hopefully I’ll be back tomorrow. If not, I’ll try and get a climate thread out on Sunday morning.”
The above quote is from Climate and Economy News, from this morning.
If you have ever tried to get through to someone in a disaster zone, you know how difficult it can be to get news of your family or friends and that’s not going to get better as cell towers and data centers continue to get battered and destroyed by hurricanes, floods, and fires.
It’s not much of a stretch to think that the immediate concerns of food, safe water, and shelter will take priority over restoring internet and cell service. And what if there is too much damage and communications cannot be restored?
The lifeblood of any functioning society, which is on the way out in the U.S., is the ability to communicate and disseminate valid information needed to help preserve life and health and that is being systematically dismantled by Trump and climate change.
Who do you think will get there first?
My money is on climate change.
So true. Trump and company are too busy consolidating power to worry about any weather related disasters right now. But, come spring, when the tornadoes hit, you can bet they will have a lot to say about nothing and FEMA will be useless once again. Probably more so this year than before. The states are going to be left to take care of themselves. So, if you live in a poor, red state, good luck.
Thank you for writing this prescient outline on the effects of our dwindling options for information and communication in the near future. I can see all of what you wrote coming to pass. I know many who are not even close to understanding what is already guaranteed to occur.