US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Donald Trump announced the relaxation of quarantine measures and presented a plan to restore the economy. According to the American president, the peak of the coronavirus is passed. Meanwhile, new restrictions are being introduced in Russia.
It is believed that the new tightening of measures to control the movement of citizens is not a fight against COVID-19, but an excuse to introduce a monitoring system that is unlikely to be turned off after the crisis has been overcome. The Russians suddenly remembered Orwell, predicting harsh totalitarianism and forgetting that freedom in the era of information technology cannot be defined.
In general, by the way the leadership of a country responds to a pandemic, one can judge the policies of states. Once, a friend of mine, an anti-Soviet, said that the Russians won the space race only because, unlike the Americans, they didn’t put human life on anything. Judging by the latest data on the number of coronavirus victims and statements by the head of the White House, the priority of Russia’s main opponent is not human lives, but the economy.
Not so long ago, Trump said that if less than two hundred thousand people die as a result of a pandemic, this is already a good indicator. The cynicism of the American leader is amazing. Yes, the opinion that even more people will suffer from a collapsed economy also takes place. More than twenty million Americans have applied for unemployment benefits, and the economic consequences of a pandemic could be disastrous for the whole world.
Residents of several states marched against self-isolation. They are also protesting in Russia. Participants in a rally in Vladikavkaz do not believe in a pandemic, calling the coronavirus “a world conspiracy against the working people.” Whether the Kremlin will heed the call of unemployed conspiracy theorists will become known at the end of the month. However, the rhetoric in the Russian media is changing, and the thesis “we all die” is less and less popular in talk shows on federal channels.
Before all these events, I recorded an interview with a famous psychic. It was an easy New Year’s review with a loud headline – “What awaits Russia in 2020”. Now – this is the most popular video on my channel. People want to know what awaits them, and are ready to believe anyone.
It was fear of the unknown that caused the rally in North Ossetia. Unrest in Vladikavkaz can be a trigger – an example for other regions of Russia. Yes, not enough time has passed for starving riots across the country, but the loss of a single source of income is a good reason to claim your rights.
In the Kremlin, the protest was called illegal, but on the basis of what laws people were imprisoned in their own homes without a penny of money, they did not explain. The mistake of the Russian authorities is that people were forbidden to work without damages. Compensation could cool the ardor of the unemployed for some time, but the authorities are in no hurry to take any measures other than prohibitive.
Once I asked one famous politician: who would he save if there was a choice between a cancer patient and a person who broke his leg, if there was only one ambulance. Like, a patient with a deadly disease will no longer benefit the state, but one who injured his leg can be saved. I explained my question to the fact that a big politician needs to be able to make such a choice. He replied that everyone should be helped. Hitler also remembered the health care system in the USA, telling about the story of death on the air when the woman was not helped due to lack of insurance.
Whether my interlocutor cunningly answering this question is unknown. But one thing is certain for sure – now the heads of state have to make such a choice. It is necessary to put human sacrifices on the scales now and even more victims after some time. The leader of a big power must be able to be a cynic. Business experience has made Trump so. And we live in an era when this is the only sure way out of the crisis. Putin, in turn, has only two ways: to continue to keep people locked up, but to make up for all financial losses at the expense of the budget, or more far-sighted – to give an opportunity to earn money. This is the only way to avoid mass protests throughout the country. Yes, Russia and the United States are completely different in terms of economy and mentality, but before the threat of coronavirus and a collapse of the economy, everyone is equal.
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