dr.ricky online

Month: July 2020

  • On feeling safe

    On feeling safe

    On feeling safe

    Recently, I saw an advertisement for a beach volleyball tournament in Texas, a state that is at the moment undergoing a major COVID-19 outbreak. The advertisement made specific mention about keeping participants safe, so I inquired about what specific measures were being taken. The reply I received included the mention that players sign a waiver ostensibly absolving the tournament sponsor from liability — a measure that I noted is the exact opposite of assuring player safety. Paraphrasing the response: “If you don’t feel safe, you don’t have to participate.”

    This has become a standard answer to a lot of activities that are potential infection points – the idea that people need to feel safe. Safety (more accurately, risk) can be objectively measured and quantitated. Feeling safe is a subjective perception that can affect judgment. That answer appealing to the feeling of safety means that the author does not consider the pandemic more than a subjective concern – a figment of imagination.

    The COVID-19 death rate in Texas has doubled: in the last week, on average the virus has killed more than a hundred people every day. The responsible thing to do as proprietors is not just to appeal to a feeling of safety but to actually engage in practices that limit infection. Those are not difficult: air circulation, distancing, frequent hand washing, and masking, and a culture that take them seriously. Community practice is what makes them effective. Then you wouldn’t need the safety net of the waiver.

  • The blue finger of democracy

    Blue finger of democracy

    In 2005, when elections were restored to Iraq, voters marked their participation by dipping their index finger in blue ink. Texas forbade the use of mail-in ballots for elections beyond a certain set of strictures, so most are forced to vote in person at a time when COVID–19 cases are increasing at an alarming rate in the state. Poll workers heroically dressed in PPE to allow citizens to practice their fundamental right to vote. Physical contact is limited, and each voter is provided a finger condom, and an alcohol wipe to sterilize surfaces. At the very least, one only needs one finger to interact with the voting machine (I’ll note that the machine isn’t easy to reach from a wheelchair).

    Election Day is July 14, 2020 but to avoid the potential crowds spreading the virus, early voting is advisable. Early voting should be accessible from just about any of the precincts. Go vote.