Dangerous persons in dangerous times
these are the characteristics of the most dangerous persons on the planet. And by persons, I include governments, institutions, and private companies.
The first is, that person has nothing to lose. For example: You might have seen a video of some old guy being harassed or accosted by some young punk, then the old guy turns on that punk and beats the “arrogance” out of him. From the end of March: “Elderly Asian Woman in San Francisco Beats Attacker with Walking Stick.” The “grandmother” is a cancer survivor and also has had diabetes for over 10 years. She is 75 years old.
You can come to your own conclusions about the pandemic lockdowns, the effectiveness and safety of the vaccines, and the financial response of governments to the economic damage from the lockdowns. But at this point in the game, the past year has been a catastrophe of biblical proportions. At least the Pharaoh knew when to change course and give Moses and the Israelites their freedom.
Then again, the Pharaoh went “full stupid” and decided to chase after the fleeing Israelites and ended up with another plague of having his troops drown. More than hating making wrong decisions, governments hate admitting their mistakes. Therefore, it is much easier to continue on the same course much as the Titanic sailing at full speed into iceberg-infested waters.
Many if not most national governments around the world have acted like a spoiled, stubborn child that continues to misbehave because he/ she knows that the parents will not send him/her to an orphanage.
Boris Johnson of the United Kingdom allowed the economy to be destroyed with the same hardheaded approach as Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro. The Brazilian economy is twice as strong as the UK, but its per capita death toll is 11 percent higher.
The world is now experiencing a massive wave of new infections even as “US risks third Covid wave as cases surge across nation—fauci issues urgent warning.” And then, “Dr. Fauci Says You Could Get Covid After Your Vaccine.”
The point is that, at this time, governments have nothing to lose by continuing to do whatever they have been doing, and that is dangerous.
The second dangerous person is someone who is weak, seeking to show strength. New Zealand author Jocelyn Murray in her book The English Pirate wrote, “Weak men cannot handle power. It will either crush them, or they will use it to crush others.”
No free, democratically elected government ever gets crushed. Note: Myanmar was never free.
The second characteristic might be found in the ongoing confrontation between China and the US. China treads a thin line between too little and too much aggression because it has everything to lose. China cannot afford, either economically or politically, a negative result in the situation with the US. By negative, I mean any sort of a genuine US military response that forces China to back down. Further, domestically, it cannot appear to cave in to US demands.
The Obama/biden administration was weak with China in every respect, from economics to human rights. Biden needs to be “strong” for both domestic and geopolitical purposes. The danger is two-fold.
President Biden has nothing to lose by pushing China because he gains pogi points at home. Wanting to appear “strong” may move him to unnecessary actions if he felt that he had nothing to prove.
Dangerous persons and dangerous times are a bad combination. World Wars One and Two proved that to us.