Alfred Dawes | Remember to wear your masks

The Russians have defeated ‘Covidistan’ in a little over a week. The fearmongers who were warning about the deadliness of Omicron are now refugees even as they warn of a fifth invasion wave. Those who had amassed fortunes and consolidated power over the last two years now find themselves ordinary citizens again, albeit wealthier and more famous. What becomes of them is to be seen as the media and attentions are centred around the Ukrainian War. COVID-19 has all but disappeared.

The truth is we were already at the end of the pandemic and entering the endemic phase where we would simply have had to learn to live with the disease. But the gravy train had to be squeezed a bit more. New vaccines had to be made to guard against Omicron, boosters had to be given every six months and children from age zero to 12 vaccinated to prevent serious illness, even though serious illness was hardly a threat anyway. The warnings to continue to be wary of COVID-19 and to surrender our logic and freedoms to those who refused to accept that Omicron was God’s way of saying time to move on, have faded against the cacophony of Russian tanks. The news media has quickly relegated COVID-19 to a nine-day wonder as they feed us with threats of uncertainties over nuclear reactors in Russian hands and the possibility of World War III.

FEAR SELLS

Fear and anxiety sells. People are more likely to surrender their personal and collective liberties if they believe it will make them safer. All one has to do is to get them to believe that they are in danger and the solution will make everything better. It matters not if it is illogical. We ignore the rationale if we already believe in the conclusion. That is human nature. He who controls that narrative rules the world.

It was easy to invade and destroy Iraq without sanctions or protests. Saddam Hussein was portrayed as the architect of terrorism and linking 9/11 to him was a masterstroke. Invading Iraq was bringing freedom and democracy to the Iraqis. It was bringing peace and security to the world. Nobody challenged the specious arguments about weapons of mass destruction. Nobody protested at the United Nations even when it was apparent that the invasion was illegal according to international law. Once you dehumanise your enemies you can do anything to them.

Had Putin played his hand better at home where he had greater control of the Russian media, he would have had less protests. Which well-thinking Russian would have protested the deployment of a peacekeeping force to protect ethnic Russians at the mercy of a corrupt regime, intent on placing missiles within 100km of the graves of the fallen heroes of WWII Stalingrad? Instead the narrative that Putin is trying to rebuild the Russian empire has taken hold.

Convincing the people to believe in the conclusion is not difficult. One only needs to have the right experts in the right spotlights. Thereafter, the message will be carried by sycophants and those earning a small reward, but enough to incentivise them to proselytise. Especially in the age of social media where content is as good as digital currency, providing influencers with topical talking points and media is an extremely efficient way of spreading propaganda.

MAINSTREAM MEDIA IN TROUBLE

Mainstream media is in trouble. With the overhead costs of paying journalists, support staff and content creators, they are heavily dependent on shrinking advertising revenue to stay afloat. Large social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and TikTok do not have these costs associated with content creation. Their users create and share the content necessary to keep each other glued to their screens. With usage in the hundreds of millions and billions, the advertising revenue normally flowing to traditional media outlets has found itself channelled more and more to social media platforms. As such, traditional media houses must find more titillating stories to drive traffic to their own platforms. Otherwise, advertisers will disappear.

The necessity of creating stories to capture a news-hungry audience has led to mainstream media being the consummate allies in promoting agendas. The spin on any story is dependent on the writers. Protesters become a mob. Civilians defending their homeland become heroes or insurgents, depending on whether they are in Ukraine or Iraq. A war is a noble effort to spread democracy or a quest for world domination.

I for one am glad Putin has destroyed the media’s focus on COVID-19. The weaponisation of misinformation and the sacrifice of truth and noble careers on the altars of profit and power has become nauseating. Many articles penned are confined to a folder for posthumous publication. One crusader told me he was okay bucking the establishment because he had terminal cancer and he would not recommend his approach for anyone with a longer life expectancy. This is the world we live in. Beyond Orwellian. Where the truth is as dynamic as the utility of wearing a mask. At first, we should not wear them because they were useless against viral particles. Then they should be mandatory because of their effectiveness against droplets containing viruses. Now the issue is deliberated not along the lines of scientific evidence, but between liberals and conservatives.

As for vaccine mandates, vax-only events, the development of variants in the unvaccinated making them a danger to us all, I will share my thoughts when the doomsday clock inches closer to midnight. Until then, wear your mask.

Dr Alfred Dawes is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons, CEO of Windsor Wellness Centre, and medical spokesman for Lifespan Spring Water. Follow him on Twitter @dr_aldawes. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and adawes@ilapmedical.com