For Festivus, Here’s The Airing Of 10 Grievances From 2022
Festivus is a December 23 vacation that was celebrated by the Costanza household on the TV present … [+]
Of us, it’s December 23, time as soon as once more to have a good time Festivus. Should you haven’t heard of Festivus like the remainder of us, it’s the vacation that was touted by the character Frank Costanza on the TV present Seinfeld. One among Costanza’s traditions for the Festivus vacation was the airing of grievances. And to be Frank, many individuals have gotten numerous issues with the 12 months 2022 and now you are gonna hear about it.
Contents
10. Harmful social media developments.
Social media is kind of like an influence drill and a thong. They are often very helpful when used appropriately however when used inappropriately may be very harmful and go away you fairly uncovered. Positive, social media has introduced folks collectively, helped impress optimistic actions, and allowed you to ship poop emoiis to nearly anybody. However, there’s been a darkish aspect. Not a darkish chocolate aspect however a individuals are posting movies of themselves on TikTok doing stuff like cooking rooster in NyQuil or attempting to take sufficient Benadryl in order that they start hallucinating aspect, as I coated for Forbes in September? Or what about these of us on Instagram telling you the way super-thin and even sickly-thin is the look to die for, so to talk, or learn how to dangle your self, as I coated for Forbes final week? Then there’s all of the cyberbullying that’s current on social media, as a result of what may be higher than extra methods to be bullied.
9. The failure to include the monkeypox outbreak.
Yeah, how’d that containment of the 2022 monkeypox outbreak go? Not too too good. In 2022, the U.S. went from not having the monkeypox virus current to the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention (CDC) saying, “Home transmission in the USA is unlikely to be eradicated within the close to future,” as I reported for Forbes on October 4. That’s clearly dangerous information except you occur to be the monkeypox virus or a fluid-filled vesicle.
8. The persevering with shortages of this and that.
An almost empty child components show shelf is seen at a Goal retailer in Orlando. (Picture by Paul … [+]
Within the 12 months 2022, you possibly can all the time get no matter you needed. Properly, aside from child components. And tampons, which I coated for Forbes on June 20. And sriracha. And mustard. And a bunch of different issues that have been briefly provide sooner or later through the 12 months. Yeah, this wasn’t the perfect 12 months to throw a sriracha and tampon celebration. The 12 months 2022 has been kind of a craps sport of shortages the place you aren’t certain what could also be briefly provide subsequent. Talking of craps, the entire roll-the-dice scarcity development started in early 2020 with the bathroom paper scarcity and continued on a roll proper into this 12 months. Perhaps, simply perhaps, the U.S. must take a a lot more durable take a look at how weak its vary of various provide chains could also be. That’s except there’s scarcity of eyeglasses and phone lenses.
7. The failure to actually put money into public well being and alter the way it’s executed.
The present U.S. public well being system is superior, mentioned nobody ever. The general public well being system on this nation has lengthy been underfunded and damaged. And the Covid-19 pandemic has actually sucked, sucked like a big vacuum, that’s, and pulled any remaining covers off of this antiquated system that’s badly in want of reform and rather more sources.
6. The damaged well being care system and the plight of medical doctors and different well being care professionals.
Burnout has been a rising drawback amongst medical doctors and different well being care professionals. (Picture: Getty)
Talking of damaged, the U.S. well being care system has been like somebody sporting very tight low using denims and leaning over. It’s additionally had numerous its cracks uncovered through the Covid-19 pandemic. These cracks have ranged from out-of-control costs to lack of well being care entry for a lot of to common dissatisfaction in how issues are being dealt with. For instance, there are these not more than 15-minutes assembly-line appointments that don’t give medical doctors sufficient time with sufferers. It’s no surprise that George Costanza visited Tor Eckman, the holistic healer in that Seinfeld episode named “The Coronary heart Assault.” Eckman gave George a concoction that turned George’s face eggplant-purple, proper? Oh, that’s proper, that complete present was fictional. Nonetheless, it did seize what many People could also be doing after getting disillusioned by the well being care system.
The well being care system has left many well-meaning well being care professionals caught in untenable conditions. For instance, they labored in very dangerous circumstances early on within the pandemic when private protecting tools (PPE) was briefly provide. Lots of them have been battling burnout. These cheers again within the Spring of 2020 have been good, however a quick second of cheers can’t compensate for some main techniques issues.
5. The dearth of motion about rising gun violence.
Hmm, what occurs with a serious drawback whenever you don’t do a lot to truly remedy it? Listed below are your decisions:
- It magically disappears.
- It will get worn out by a big area laser.
- It will get higher with time like cheese or an unintended mullet.
- It preserve getting worse.
Yeah, the reply is quantity 4. This 12 months has already seen method too many mass shootings, as I wrote for Forbes in September, and 43,226 and counting gun violence deaths, in line with the Gun Violence Archive.
4. The politicization of face masks use and different Covid-19 prevention measures.
Hey, what’s the cope with face masks? No, that’s not the start of a Jerry Seinfeld routine. It’s an actual query after numerous politicians and TV personalities have spent a lot of 2022 displaying a lot hostility in direction of face masks use and customers. For instance, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida) not too long ago claimed, “In Florida, in the event you’re nonetheless sporting a masks, we simply assume you’re hideous,” within the following tweet that actor George Takei shared:
From Twitter
Will that the Congressman’s tweet open the “Gaetz” to much more bullying of face masks wearers? Who would have thought {that a} easy, cheap, and scientific evidence-backed method of defending your self and others would convey a lot wrath from politicians and others? In spite of everything, sporting a face masks whereas indoors shouldn’t convey you a lot hurt, aside from depriving others of seeing the gorgeous, stunning backside of your face. In reality, why must you even care if others are sporting face masks, except maybe you might be apprehensive that it’ll remind everybody that the issues haven’t but “returned to regular” and that the Covid-19 pandemic remains to be not over.
3. Political and enterprise leaders appearing as if the Covid-19 pandemic have been over.
Talking of not over, it’s arduous to recover from the truth that many individuals within the U.S. have been appearing as if the Covid-19 pandemic is over, when it’s not. For instance, there was that untimely declaration from President Joe Biden that the pandemic is over, as I coated for Forbes again in September. Yeah, that was a number of Omicron subvariants in the past. Such untimely declarations have led to far an excessive amount of untimely leisure. Now, shock, shock, the U.S. is within the midst of one more Covid-19 surge. Add to that surges within the flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and also you’ve acquired a triple-demic, as I coated for Forbes on December 10.
2. Racism, sexism, and different varieties of hate and discrimination.
Guess what? Racism, sexism, and an entire host of different -isms exist within the U.S. Not solely do they exist, however the previous a number of years have proven simply how rampant such bias, discrimination, and hate proceed to be. The 12 months 2022 has seen persevering with anti-Asian, anti-Semitic, anti-Black, and anti-other-persons-of-color hate and violence. There have additionally been numerous makes an attempt to roll again ladies’s rights. Should you nonetheless query the existence of such issues, simply bounce on Twitter for a short time or check out the dearth of variety within the higher echelons of most industries, together with drugs and well being care.
1. The persevering with unfold of the anti-science motion.
In a recently-released World Well being Group (WHO) video, as Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Dean of the Nationwide College of Tropical Medication and writer of the ebook my ebook Stopping the Subsequent Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science, described “anti-science aggression” as “a serious killing drive globally,” as you possibly can see within the following tweet:
Within the video, Hotez added that “Anti-science now kills extra folks than issues like gun violence, international terrorism, nuclear proliferation, or cyber assaults. And now it’s grow to be a political motion.” He continued by saying that “Within the U.S., it’s linked to far extremism on the far proper.” Whether or not it’s folks claiming stuff like Covid-19 vaccines are mutating people into non-humans, pushing therapies with out sufficient proof, or attacking scientists, anti-science aggression has been getting an increasing number of out of hand in 2023.
One final grievance: 10 slots isn’t sufficient to cowl all the grievances from 2022. There have been definitely numerous others resembling antibiotic overuse, failure to do sufficient to deal with the weight problems epidemic, the rising loneliness epidemic in America, and flatform footwear. Will 2023 see the continuation of those issues? Or will there as a substitute be extra feats of power, which is one other Costanza Festivus custom. Solely time will inform. Pleased Holidays.
