Written by Jason Boxman, a fan of used and antiquarian books, New England, the seasons, public transportation, and homemade Neapolitan pizza.
I’ve been a frequent, almost daily visitor to Naked Capitalism since I followed a link to the site in 2008 while Congress was debating the bailout package.
Check out the tip jar Please help keep Naked Capitalism running. I’ve donated whatever I can every year for the past 16 years. I will also be participating in the tip jar. I’m looking forward to our annual fundraiser this year as it’s a great opportunity to show support for our posters and comment moderators working behind the scenes to keep the lights on.
The range of topics that I have covered in the past 16 years of my participation is broad. I would like to focus on the one that has had the most impact on me: the ongoing pandemic. In this regard, I can safely say that Naked Capitalism saved my life. This is no exaggeration.
I was born into a middle-class family, college educated, and grew up watching the PBS News Hour and marveling at how smart, intelligent, serious people from both parties debated the topics of the day, so I was convinced that our elites had America’s interests at heart. It’s a fun fiction. But it’s just that: a fiction.
Although I had let go of my misconceptions about our nation’s elites and political system, I still harbored the mistaken belief that the interests of the American people come first when it comes to public health. The response to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has shattered that illusion.
Naked Capitalism’s coverage of COVID-19 immediately took the risks of the pandemic seriously.
China Coronavirus Watch: Latest Update – Another Chinese city goes into lockdown to prevent spread of infection (Jan. 23)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/01/china-coronavirus-watch.htmlCoronavirus: Things aren’t looking good (January 28)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/01/coronavirus-not-looking-good.htmlDr. Victor Shih: Coronavirus is much worse than SARS (Jan 29)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/01/dr-victor-shih-coronavirus-much-worse-than-sars.htmlMy faith in public health meant that airborne transmission never occurred to me at the start of the pandemic, and I was initially aghast that any form of face covering might be required. The idea seemed absurd to me.
Thankfully, Naked Capitalism covered the possibility early on, and later the certainty of airborne transmission. And in March 2020, I learned about the first public case of Long COVID. Since then, I’ve worn a cloth mask everywhere I go, rarely except for grocery shopping in the early days, then upgraded to a P100 respirator in 2022. I owe it all to the excellent pandemic coverage here and the helpful comments of our commentators that I’ve avoided infection thus far, not to the CDC or Biden or Trump’s pandemic response.
If it weren’t for naked capitalism, I would have embraced the “vaccinate and relax” messaging around COVID — a public health message that is completely and spectacularly wrong on every front, from ignoring and downplaying airborne transmission to misrepresenting the seriousness of infection.
Reading Naked Capitalism every day is a powerful defense against misinformation, misdirection, and deception by the political elite. Without Naked Capitalism, I may not be alive or healthy today.
Donate with me during this important fundraising week. Your donation supports a site and a community that is a champion of critical thinking and independent thought. There aren’t many spaces left on the Internet today that offer rational debate and reflection like Naked Capitalism, and that are freely available with no paywalls.
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