The Prime Minister of Canada called Covid-19 an “opportunity”, hence giving credence to L.H. Mencken’s quote: “The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” (1)
With this in mind, consider the alarmist media coverage broadcasting to the masses, contrasted with the carefree movements and attitude of elites freely travelling around the country and across continents. What double-standard allowed both scenarios to exist simultaneously? The likelihood is that the elites had information that the media did not convey to the general public. Take the following excerpts from Statistics Canada for 2020 into consideration:
- “Covid-19 deaths also disproportionately occurred in older populations during the March-to-early-June period”. “Approximately 94% of the deaths caused by Covid-19 involved individuals aged 65 and older” (2)
2, “..about 95% of the deaths directly caused by Covid-19 during the Fall involved people aged 65 and older.” “Dementia or Alzheimer’s are the most common comorbidities associated with Covid-19 deaths” (2) ie: the patients were predominately geriatric.
- “There were fewer than fifty Covid-involved deaths among those under the age of 45. Pneumonia, and symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified, were the most common comorbidities among this age group.” (2)
- “100% of the Covid-involved deaths of Canadians under the age of 45 as of July 31 had at least one other disease or condition certified on the medical certificate of death.” (2)
- “In the [WHO] international guidelines for certifying Covid-19 as a cause of death, certifiers are instructed to record Covid-19 on the medical certificate of cause of death for all decedents where the disease caused, or assumed to have caused, or contributed to death.” (2)
- “when a pre-existing condition is suspected of putting a person at higher risk of a severe course of Covid-19 resulting in death, the death is counted as a death due to Covid-19 rather than a death due to pre-existing condition. It is also possible that the death may have been influenced by Covid-19 but caused by another disease or an unintentional injury event.” (2) In effect, inflating death-by-covid numbers.
Yes, Covid-19 is real, and a serious threat to health-compromised individuals (whom should have been identified and properly sequestered from the outset). However, the overall facts do not support the level of media hype that transpired. And calling the situation an “opportunity” by Canada’s own leader is inexcusable – if not downright disgusting.
Ultimately, it appears the double-standard of the elites arose because of their apparent privilege to the facts in real time, which suggested they were not personally at risk, while the average citizen relied solely on the prescribed message delivered through the media, and an administration seemingly preoccupied with exploiting an “opportunity”.
(1) H.L. Mencken, In Defense of Woman
(2) www150.statcan.gc.ca, Statistics Canada, O’Brien, St-Jean, Wood, Willbond, Phillips, Currie, and Turcotte.