A Skeptic’s Guide to the Coronavirus

Preface: I believe that one of the greatest challenges in the weeks and months ahead will be staying offline and getting actual productive work done (reading, writing, exploring, exercise, learning or improving skills, completing house and art projects, etc.).   The urge is to be constantly following the news, locked into the mainframe and digital information channels, but by doing so people will squander an opportunity to do those things which are truly meaningful – and that would surely be a tragedy and epic fail. 

As Coronavirus cases near 400,000 and the death toll nears 16,000, governments across the world are taking wartime measures to implode economies (destroying small businesses especially), calling out the National Guard to implement martial law, and gouge civil liberties such as the right to travel.  This is all being done to suppress the spread of a virus which has killed less people than car accidents do in the United States each year (roughly 35,000).  While extreme measures (such as quarantine) to curb the spread of Coronavirus seem necessary in order to mitigate the high infection and fatality rates, it’s important to gain some perspective regarding the justification of these measures, the way governments and corporations are capitalizing on the crisis, and the magnitude of this pandemic compared to those of the past.   From colossal bailouts to indefinite detention, from censorship to seizing private property, unprecedented actions are being taken to upend our way of life and transform society – with the possibility that some of these draconian measures will remain in place even after the threat has disappeared (as is the case with the regular renewal of PATRIOT Act – which was supposed to be a temporary measure – or when the Olympics or World Cup come to town and the police and surveillance state apparatus used to clear out the favelas remains in place long after the games are done).  To help examine the multitude of changes taking place, let us turn to some expert contrarians who are wisely challenging the basis for the cornucopia of drivel that is spewing out the mouths of our leaders.  

First, check out Visual Capitalist’s History of Pandemics chart to see how the puny Coronavirus measures up against other plagues that have scourged humanity throughout history. 

Patrick Henningsen examined Coronavirus hysteria on the March 22^nd, 2020 episode of the Sunday Wire.  

Ron Paul and Daniel McAdams, professional contrarians (who may be a little less skeptical now that Rand Paul has tested positive), talk about the government’s exploitation of the pandemic environment in the March 16^th, 2020 episode of the Liberty Report:

Again, Ron Paul dissects the extreme, economically destructive measures fear-mongering officials governments are taking to supposedly counter Coronavirus "hoax":

Paul Joseph Watson attempts to put the threat of Coronavirus into perspective here:

Lastly, Jack Chapple provides an excellent overview of the ramifications of increased unemployment rates to be endured in the impending economic recession or depression.  (A little less skeptical, but I wanted to fit this in somewhere because his video presentations are so informative (see here, and here).