General Discussion

Last edited Thu Mar 19, 2020, 01:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Although the death rate from this is not as high as the repeated Medieval bouts of Bubonic Plague, or the 1918 flu pandemic, the effects on the world economy, governments, and individual daily lives and behavior are enormous.

In those other pandemics, people also feared contact with loved ones. They did not understand disease vectors, causes, and treatments as well as we do today, but they knew that contact with the sick was risky.

How will society and nations change? Will there be a world shift in the economic status of nations, depending on which ones handle the crisis well, or not well? What will happen to economic globalism? To democratic freedoms as the need to impose restrictions grows? Will people's faith in government institutions crumble, causing reforms or an overhaul?

Will people value personal contact more, after losing it? Or will we be even more adapted to electronic contact? What about the demographic effects on society of losing the most vulnerable? Not just seniors, but vulnerable ethnic groups due to economics, poor health coverage, poor living conditions?

Will we learn to use technology better to assess risks and get on top of them sooner?

Politically, will we learn not to demonize science, facts, and truth? Learn to choose leaders for ability instead of personality?

What are the myriad ways in which our lives are affected now, and will they be temporary or long lasting effects?