By Jason Boxman, a fan of used books and used bookstores, New England, four seasons, public transit, and homemade Neapolitan pizza
I’ve been a frequent, near daily visitor to Naked Capitalism ever since I followed a link to the site during the bailout debate in Congress back in 2008.
Please visit the Tip Jar and contribute whatever you can to keep Naked Capitalism running! I’ve given every year that I am able these past 16 years, and I’ll be joining you at the Tip Jar this year. I always look forward to the annual fundraiser because it’s a fantastic opportunity to show your support for the posters, the comment moderators working behind the scenes, and to keep the lights on!
The range of topics covered over the past 16 years I’ve been a participant is vast. I’ll focus the most impactful for me: the ongoing pandemic. In this, I can say without a doubt, Naked Capitalism saved my life. And this is not hyperbole.
Having a middle class background and a college education, and growing up watching the PBS News Hour and marveling at how amazing it was that bright, smart, earnest people from both legacy parties debated the topics of the day, I was secure in my understanding that our elite have the best interests of America at heart. It’s a pleasant fiction. But it is just that: fiction.
While I had given up on that misunderstanding of our elite and our political system, I still had the mistaken belief that when it came to public health, the best interests of the American people are paramount. The response to the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic shattered that fantasy.
The coverage of the novel coronavirus at Naked Capitalism immediately took the risk of a Pandemic seriously:
China Coronavirus Watch: Updated – Another Chinese City Locked Down to Prevent Spread (23 Jan)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/01/china-coronavirus-watch.htmlCoronavirus: Not Looking Good (28 Jan)
https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2020/01/coronavirus-not-looking-good.htmlDr. Victor Shih: Coronavirus MUCH Worse Than SARS (29 Jan)
Given my previous faith in public health, at the onset of the pandemic, I gave airborne transmission not a thought. In the earliest days, I was aghast that I might be required to wear any kind of face covering. The idea seemed absurd to me.
Thankfully, early on Naked Capitalism picked up on the possibility, and later the certainty of airborne transmission. And in March 2020 I learned about the first public case of long-COVID. After that, I wore a cloth mask everywhere I went, which in the early days was virtually nowhere except shopping for groceries, and later upgraded in 2022 to a P100 respirator. I credit avoiding infection thus far solely to the excellent Pandemic coverage here and helpful comments from the commentariat, and certainly not to the CDC, or the Biden or Trump Pandemic responses.
If not for Naked Capitalism, I would have accepted the “vax and relax” messaging on COVID; public health messaging that is completely, shockingly wrong in every aspect, from ignoring and then downplaying airborne transmission, to misrepresenting the severity of infection.
A daily dose of Naked Capitalism is a powerful inoculation against the misinformation, misdirection, and deceit by our political elite. Without Naked Capitalism, I might not be alive and healthy today.
Join me in contributing during this crucial fundraising week! Your contribution supports a site – and a community – that is a champion of critical thinking and independent thought! Today, there aren’t that many spaces left on the Internet, freely available, without a paywall, that offer the kind of reasoned debate and introspection that Naked Capitalism has.
Please contribute today to keep this crucial resource available! Please go to the Tip Jar straight away.
