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I always forget to write these kind of things down. Spellwork is something I definitely need to get better at writing down more because I sometimes have quite forgetful day and can’t remember what spell I casted or if the thing that happened to me had something to do with the spellwork or not. I’ve got a lot on my plate always (I mean, even my posting has reduced) so I can’t always have “what magick did I do” at the forefront of my mind.
I’m sure there are apps that can help keep track of spellwork, just like there are apps that keeps track of periods – because periods are also annoying to keep at the forefront of your mind. Yes, I don’t want to bleed through several layers of clothing but I also don’t feel like doing that much brain work – thanks technology (when not insanely sexist, which is a major problem). Back to spells, I have not looked through any spellwork apps so I have none to recommend but I definitely think that people who engage in spellwork should use something that can help remind them of their practices.
I’m relatively old school when it comes to keeping track of things (outside of periods, I rather reliable new tech – like an app – do the tracking for me) so I use calendars and only recently started using emoji as visual short hand of when I do something. I only started using emojis as visual short hand for when I would be visited during the start of the pandemic so that if I or someone else became infected, I had a handy-dandy reference guide in my phone to pinpoint exactly when I saw them so I could do as accurate a threat assessment as possible. Also, everyone should be getting vaccinated (if possible) and still wearing masks. Thanks to unvaxxed and half vaxxed people who like to play poker with their lives (and others), the Delta variant is really doing some damage. Then there’s the double mutation (when two variants (mutation) kame hame ha together to become one really bad variant – may possibly become variant Epsilon). Back to calendars and emojis, they’re useful. I need to do the same for my spellwork.
Since I don’t do much spellwork regularly (I’m very much the set-and-forget type), it probably wouldn’t be too hard to keep track of what work I have done and for what reason. Spellwork varies by culture, tradition and practitioner, so it is hard to say “Oh by an X amount of days, you will see Z result.” The universe doesn’t work like television shows, sadly. Some changes could be very hard to spot, others are bleedingly obvious. I prefer the bleedingly obvious but the universe prefers trolling. Plus signs can very much differ by culture, tradition and practitioner – oh, and what was casted. For example, I tend to do a lot of candle spells (like I said, I’m very Set-and-Forget) and prefer candles that already have spellwork/intentions casted upon them just so I can light them whenever needed, assuming they are a multi-day candle. That is because they are designed to continually apply themselves until it runs bare, which I then renew by lighting the candle again. It would be helpful to me and my practices if I just wrote down “lit XYZ candle” for whatever day I lit it on, the first day holding the general details of what it was for.
Writing down rituals and spellwork so that you can keep track of it, phenominal idea, I should probably do that more. At least maybe even at all, bare minimum.
Ah, yes, we are all still going through the Great Panini of Death. 17 months in and still no end in sight. There is some end in sight, but y’know, anti-vaxxers and misinformation and all that jazz. Despite there being a free vaccine here in the US (the worst affected nation in the world – as in, no one has more cases or deaths than we do), there are still many who do not wish to be fully vaccinated – or plain vaccinated at all. Due to this, that means that now there are stronger variants floating about. Wear a mask, even if you are vaccinated. Primarily wear masks indoor if you are vaccinated but there is more and more research coming out that you can still be a carrier for the virus, and thus get someone else sick. Covid is still pretty asymptomatic (even more so with each passing variant/mutation), Covid is still deadly (even more so with each passing variant/mutation), Covid is still around (even more so now that people are acting as if the Plague is over).
States in the US are stupidly opening up – mainly for money reasons – and some are dropping sensible measures, such as mask requirements, social distancing requirements and vaccine mandates for events & gatherings. Then you have unvaccinated people taking advantage of the current Honor System we have going on about self reporting if one is vaccinated or not. Since there is no visual difference between a vaccinated person or not, it is hard to make a proper distinction between the two. This makes everyone almost of Schrodinger Vaccination status. Are they lying? Are they not? Either way, it’s better to wear masks and not frolic so much together until the Pandemic is finally done for good.
All this to bring up those who are not solitary practitioners of Paganism and/or witchcraft. There are many temples closed, many practicing places closed, etc. And there are some that are open, way open. And then you have the Special Flavor of Anti-Vaxxer: “Nature will heal us all, we do not need vaccines”.
The stupid, it burns.
Before we get into the meat and potatoes of this post, I would like to remind everyone, Pagan, Witch, and none-of-the-above, that nature, though wonderous and awe-inspiring, is insanely deadly and has zero problems with killing us all. (Given all the polluting and habitat killing we do ourselves, it really wouldn’t be that bad an idea, if you think about it from nature’s perspective.) The same nature that gives us daisies and cinnamon is the exact same nature that gives us viruses and hurricanes. Same entity. The exact same. And we pray to that exact same entity for luck, mercy and hope. So yeah, the acknowledgement of “Nature can be kind but wowsers, can nature destroy you faster than you were made” is kinda built into Pagan faith and witchcraft practices. Getting a vaccine is not rebuking any part of Paganism, magick, nothing. Science can work hand-in hand with nature (except when Science is trying to kill nature or force nature to fit an artificial lens that is incredibly short sighted). Now, most Pagan I come across has this understood through and through, but then there are the fluffy bunnies, the New Age folks and others who pretty much float around us mainly out of effort to boost their own egos and feel big and powerful. And, of course, very dumb and short sighted Pagan and magick practitioners (note earlier I said “most”, not “all”).
Now, into the meat and potatoes of this post.
Good thing we are all still under the same sky and our practices are nature based. It is entirely possible to just simply coordinate a time and do the rituals apart but together. Yes there are those who prefer to feel the close-by energies of your fellow practitioners but try to focus via the sky, not via tech or anything else. Spirit and energy can work like wind and wind is quite global. This can be very useful, regardless the size of groups. I have even seen things done through virtual reality (there is something called The Illuminati Simulator, where there is the purported claim that [quote site] but it’s totally trash, don’t use) but a ) most people do not have a VR headset b ) I would not really rely on tech to not break mid-rituals. I am used to lights flickering and things of the sort during my spellwork, I am not going to run my risks with an expensive headset. Now, the only traditions I see this possibly running into problems are for ceremonial magick practitioners, because every little thing is poignant and important, even the directions and places that people are standing. That leads to the next part.
If you absolutely have to do the ritual together – and I mean, there is literally no other way, even including the abilities of magick – then try to practice safely. Again, some traditions, it is important to be together. But do it safely. Have one person handle one thing. Nix all communal stuff such as drinking from the same goblet, try pouring into individual cups. Yes, drinking from the same source carries deep meaning, different from it being poured into individual cups, but surely the entities shall understand. This isn’t an expression of a lack of faith that the deities and entities around you cannot keep you safe from a virus, but don’t forget, there are deities of plagues and viruses. Do you think they would not like to pass up a royal opportunity to show out? Not all deities are the Respect-The-Invite-List-Please type. Heck, and this is excluding trickster deities, who also like to mess of things, especially when there is a golden opportunity. Respect those deities and play it smart & safe.
Given how covens are usually small and so are practicing groups – I have yet to see a megachurch equivalent of a Pagan worshipping place – please do try to establish social distancing. For some groups, this will be quite easy because they have to stand at several distant points (usually in a square/equal cross, at five points to represent the pentagram, etc) so hooray, social distancing is built in. I have been in relatively big groups (30+ people in a circle) but they would also practice outside since doing ritual indoors would have been terribly cramped. It is important to space out so not to spread viruses but also in general so people can be comfy, everyone can express themselves, so on and so forth.
Masks are important. I understand deeply that for some, the idea of wearing a surgical mask (not a ritual/traditional mask) or a cloth mask can feel restrictive to the ritual/spellwork or as if speaking through a filter. Again, if you have to wear a ritual mask or traditional mask, you can easily slide a regular mask on underneath. If you absolutely must – as in, there is no alternative, not even magickal – then be at least 12 feet away from everyone on all sides and only outdoors. Rituals like these can get shouty and sometimes blustering when in the passion of the moment. Be smart and be safe and most importantly, be respectful to all entities, including the uninvited ones. Tradition is important and the more ceremonial the ritual, the more restrictive it is. Every little thing is important but there is still at least miniscule room for change. Yes, there is also the idea of “won’t this deity/entity we are performing the ritual for be Not Happy that we’re trying to make room for the pandemic and the related plague deities?” Some deities and entities are very Me Only but if that’s the case, throw in an extra “this is why we’re doing all these precautions” part of the ritual. And make sure to include a “if you don’t like it, please don’t blame us – take it up with the other deity/entity that is totally stealing some of your spotlight” snippet. But still, wear a mask if you can.
Things should already be washed thoroughly for ritual, pre-pandemic. Washing and cleansing are important parts of ritual and practice because of the real and symbolic preparations of getting ready to perform ritual. Please do not be yukkers, wash thoroughly everything that will be interacted with. Wash it with soap, sanitize it with rubbing alcohol, do not just use plain water and call it a day. For commonly touched surfaces, such as staves, shawls and wands, make sanitation part of the ritual. If you’re going to create a cleaning solution meant for rituals, make sure that the cleaning content, usually rubbing alcohol, is 60% or greater. Shoot for 70% as the minimum. Even if it is as dopey looking as dressing up a bottle of hand sanitizer and deeming one person as the Sanitizer Person – I feel like chaos magicians are going to have a field day with that – still, have something in place. Rituals and groups already should have a clean up crew but it is important for everyone to do their part.
The pandemic is probably going to be going on until 2022/2023 at the sheer latest. 2024 for things to look pretty regular again. That means planning for adjustments. Vaccine rollout is slowing down, misinformation is rampant and the virus is steadily making its way through the entire Greek alphabet at record pace. Remember, the UK variant was Variant Alpha, we’re now officially at Delta and most likely going to see Epsilon quite soon – all within the span of roughly a year and some change. (I think if things go to Omega, the last of the Greek Alphabet, that’s going to be quite a kicker. In all the bad ways.) It is important to acknowledge this, even in the midst of practicing magick and/or Paganism with others. I am a solitary practitioner so it’s business as usual for me but for others who are used to practicing with each other, I’m quite sure it has put a dent in their practices.
Last but not least, if there is a Social Gathering Prevention mandate going on, respect it. Do not try to hold a ritual of 70 people when you’re only suppose to have a max of 5. The deities and entities around us are long-lived, they have seen adjustments due to war, oppression and previous plagues. A few changes will be fine.
I’d like to share these two visuals. It is from July 27, 2020 & July 27, 2021, respectively.
It was going to be data collected from July 20, 2020 & July 20, 2021 but holy gods, it apparently has gotten worse since then! In literally the span of a week!
Please note that on July 27, 2020, when there was no vaccine and people were still getting used to the pandemic restrictions, the number of confirmed infections (remember, not everyone was getting tested and testing centers were patchy at best) were 59,181. That’s pretty darn bad. Then you look at this year’s number, when there is a vaccine, the pandemic mandates have been in place for over a year, yadda yadda yadda: 108,775 confirmed infections.
That is literally 49,594 more people who had contracted the coronavirus than last year. New cases. And remember! Not everyone gets tested due to inaccessibility reasons (closed down testing locations, usual systemic oppressions) so the number can always be bigger. It is completely staggering to see such a statistic. The vast majority are new people catching Covid, not on their second turn. The vast majority are unvaccinated. 108,775 new people in a day tested positive. There were thousands yesterday and the day before that.
In case anyone was not aware:
Not by a long shot
We are still in a pandemic. We still need to wear masks. We still need to socially distance. We still need to vaccinate.
This is what the vaccination rates in the US looks like as of July 27, 2021:
The part that is most important is the “Fully Vaccinated” number. For Covid-19, the vaccination number has to be at 70% minimum for herd immunity. That number currently stands at 49.8%, as of July 27, 2021. Also, please note that the vaccination curve is flattening. When health officials said “let’s flatten the curve”, this wasn’t the curve they were talking about. There are a lot of people who are half vaccinated, and that’s great, hopefully that will bode good things in the future – but the thing is, half vaxxed is not fully vaxxed. Half means there is roughly a 33% chance of defending against Covid, instead of the upper 80s and 90 percents. Half also means that the coronavirus has a perfect testing ground to learn how to navigate vaccinated bodies, period. That’s how we get variants/mutations.
Speaking of transmission, it was always hypothesized but is definitely becoming clearer and clearer that a vaccinated person can still be Typhoid Mary to everyone unvaccinated or half vaccinated around them. A vaccinated person can still carry Covid to others, they themselves just may not get sick themselves – and should they get sick, it isn’t a promise to be fatal or warrant a trip to the hospital. And this is for a virus that already can exist in a regular, unvaccinated person asymptomatically. So imagine what a virus already known for its asymptomatic nature in unvaccinated people look like in a vaccinated person. Basically a silent killer, almost. Even if you are vaccinated, still wear a mask. Unless you know for fact literally everyone around you is also vaccinated and everyone who interacts with them is also vaccinated, wear a mask. Especially if you are indoors. Don’t test the rigors of your vaccine with the stupid people around you, just wear a mask. The CDC finally updated its standards, now it includes treated vaccinated people almost the same when they weren’t vaccinated.
Updated information for fully vaccinated people given new evidence on the B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant currently circulating in the United States.
Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission.
Added information that fully vaccinated people might choose to wear a mask regardless of the level of transmission, particularly if they are immunocompromised or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, or if they have someone in their household who is immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease or not fully vaccinated.
Added a recommendation for fully vaccinated people who have a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 to be tested 3-5 days after exposure, and to wear a mask in public indoor settings for 14 days or until they receive a negative test result.
CDC recommends universal indoor masking for all teachers, staff, students, and visitors to schools, regardless of vaccination status.
Masks, testing and quarantine are starting to float back in for the vaccinated. All because of the virus getting worse and all the help said virus is getting from the public. By the way, this is very US centric, there are still places in the world where vaccines still haven’t really hit the ground yet. There needs to be a proper global vaccine rollout.
Now, usually I would bring up my favorite nations of virus abatement, South Korea. but they just spirited up to over 3,000 newly infected people a day. So far, it appears the reason why is plain old Pandemic Restrictions Fatigue. Same problem that affects the US and countless other nations. Totally understandable. The restrictions have up-ended a lot of lives and worn many people out. Most want to get back to how their lives were pre-pandemic, assuming such a thing is even possible. All want their lost loved ones back. It is entirely and completely understandable to be tired and fatigued by a looming threat of a virus. Problem is: the coronavirus is not a person and it does not care if you are tired. It does not care how much of your life is gone now. It does not care about how many people it takes away from you. All it wants to do is exist and spread. It is mindless and harmful, plain and simple. Having fatigue is understandable but it is still important to work with the restrictions – and at least get vaccinated. At least as a vaccinated person you can have some of your life back, but only some. Remember, all Covid wants to do is spread and to it, a vaccinated person is simply a person it hasn’t figured out how to infect and spread to yet – but it’s working on it, especially thanks to all the unvaccinated and half vaccinated people around who like to throw caution into the wind.
Why, even Japan is still holding the Olympics – which literally reminded me of the video game Plague Inc (old name, Pandemic). Usually the devs update the Olympic parts to keep the game modern (I remember seeing mentions of London and Rio in the past) but it is a real doozy when it happens in real life also.
I decided to name the virus Covid for a touch of realism. Y’know, art imitates life and all that jazz
In the game, depending on how under or on the radar your plague is, the Olympics will either be canceled or proceed. If it is canceled, you lose a big chance to spread your plague (the point of the game is that you are a plague (bacterial, viral, etc) and you only win by infecting and killing the entire world in the shortest amount of time possible – they also just introduced a Cure version where your job is to stop a plague). If the Olympics happen, then you get boosts like mad because, congrats, you pretty much made your plague go worldwide with very little effort. By the way, the Games have indeed just started and Japan, on July 27, 2021, has had one of its largest infection days yet with almost 8,000 newly infected people in one day. I expect that number to go up after the Olympics. They have the US team there, c’mon. They’re hosting several insanely infected nations, the likelihood is far too great. How many athletes and their coaches are willing to say “oh, it’s allergies/bronchitis/result of sleeping under an air conditioner” in exchange for participating in a such an important event they have trained ever so hard for?
Again, it is a doozy to play the game and look at the news and see the actual thing carry out. Not 100% Japan’s fault. The International Olympic Committee are the ones pushing things forward because “hey, you signed a contract and the world is not dead. Hop to it, thank you very much.” Which is a pretty trash thing to do. They only really stop for wars, and mainly if those wars are big enough to affect hosting nations (such as the two world wars). Remember, even Germany hosted the Olympics in 1936 so there are very few things that the International Olympic Committee would completely cancel the games for.
The pandemic is going to be here for a very long while, everyone. It’s been on this planet since 2019 (hence the “19” in “Covid-19”) and it is currently halfway through 2021. The way things are going, it looks like Covid will be around at least until 2022, 2024 at the latest. Please try to do your part and at least get vaccinated and continue wearing masks. And socially distance. And wash your hands.
Accidental vacation, huzzah. The second one in so few months.
I simply had a lot to do. But now, I’m back (I think).
At least I was half active on my Instagram, where I mainly showed my cat, my 3d printed masks, and my orchids recently. Oh, and my roses. I like scented flowers, what can I say? Especially flowers that smell like candy and/or chocolate – though I don’t really like eating candy and chocolate. I’m complex, it is what it is. I’ll eventually post them to my Tumblr.
I think taking breaks are not that bad, especially when juggling a bunch of things. In the past, I would try to schedule posts so breaks weren’t that obvious but then there are times where you simply just go “Nope” and that’s it.
As of two weeks ago, I’ve gotten both vaccine shots against Covid-19. I am now considered “fully vaccinated”. Still wearing masks. Still socially distancing. Still cleaning things. Now, I have experienced (and seen, and heard from others) that getting the Coronavirus vaccine is immensely difficult – oh, and before we touch on that, let’s touch on bunk for a second.
I’ve also heard from others that people will sometimes go out and about and try to sell to people, usually in poorer neighborhoods that have obscene lack of access to vaccinations – due to terrible hospitals, deeply prejudiced/rude healthcare workers, simply no properly enforced vaccination system, and a long, horrific Western medical history of White medical practitioners using Black and Brown (well, anyone that wasn’t White, really) people as lab rats over and over again – these people will try to hock oils that will “get rid of the coronavirus”. I have zero idea what the oils are made of but I can tell you, it’s a load of bullsh*t. These folks tend to target those standing at bus stops and hock their wares. It has also floated to me that this is also a thing on the internet, including fluffy bunnies and dabblers, who are folks who basically like to play pretend when it comes to magick and occultism. (Having a Killstar bag or a cottage dress doesn’t make someone a witch. Hopefully fashionable but not a witch). This is remarkably dangerous for so, so many reasons.
Here’s the thing: while quite a few forms of science has witchcraft DNA (from potions to modern medicine, from alchemy to chemistry, for example), there is absolutely nothing, and I mean not a single thing that can be purchased from Instagram or Facebook that can vaccinate against Covid-19 or remove it from your body. No phony online witch doctor can cure you via DMs. Even in cultures that do have genuine witch doctors and shamans, they will say just about the same thing a person in a lab coat will (in certain places & cultures, they’re also the same people. And they’re still legit). Which is, “It’s the coronavirus. You need to get medicine and/or treatment for Covid. Or best, vaccinated.” If it is being sold (emphasis on the sold part), it is most likely dubious. If it is being sold on the internet, it is definitely dubious. If it is being sold on the internet via social media, it is a 100%, solid gold scam. Social media can provide a lot of things, dependable medicine is not one of them. Especially not ones gears towards a pandemic. If it is being sold on the internet via social media through an influencer – it is not only a super scam but, congrats, you officially seen someone who is willing to kill you for a couple bucks and with a super edited, but glitzy, smile. They should be behind bars and deplatformed quickly.
If you see anyone posting, selling or spreading such information (from oils to spells about Covid, they’re all phony), report them to the social media platform and even to local governments if possible because they are just trying to make money off of scared people, even harm or kill a few. Doesn’t matter if they are famous or fairly unknown, these folks do not need to harm people just to collect a few coins. They don’t care about the population and especially not their communities, just themselves. You’ll be pushing daisies and they’ll dump out a phony apology just to hock the next thing offered to them for a couple more bucks.
Back to the difficulties of getting a vaccine in the community. I have tried to get a vaccine in the community and, wow, is it difficult. There is the option of going to a mass vaccination center, like a football stadium. However, according to those I know who have gone, it can be long, lengthy and nerve wracking – and this is assuming they have appointments. One friend tried to show up a few minutes early for their appointment but wound up soaking two hours away because of how long the lines were. There are pharmacies, like Walgreens and CVS, but they are so inundated that calling on the phone is pointless (it will just direct you to their website, and their website will direct you to their phone, it is an ouroboros of bullsh*t) and should you get a human, they will be a very frazzled and snippy one.
There is also the difficulties of even getting an appointment itself. It should not be easier to buy concert tickets than it is to get an appointment for a Covid-19 vaccine (by the way, in-person concerts should not be happening, they’re just super spreader events just waiting to happen). Just like concert ticket sites will hold your ticket for five minutes or so, it should be the same for an appointment setting. Granted, there can always be logistical problems with that – everyone chunking up the system because of all the five minutes (or so) timers are active on available appointments, good ol’ scalpers (that should be sort of easy to fix with checking ip addresses, names and such, to prevent one person scooping up a bunch of appointments and trying to sell them off) – but these are problems that can be handled. Hopefully. I mean, we’re almost a year and a half in of handling a virus that can be easily defeated with regular dish soap and a mask and look at how badly that is being handled, from the start to now. Totally predictable but definitely still disappointing.
My vaccination came because I work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where they are making a mad dash to vaccinate as many employees as possible. Makes sense, given they are the place that has the core of the vaccine research, that they would have better and easier access to vaccines than the average health clinic in America. No greedy and/or incompetent middle men like what regular health clinics have to deal with, no round-arounds or snippy people, either. There was a line but it moved pretty fast. However, NIH is only vaccinating its employees not the entire country, so a way smaller number of people means a smoother run, I would imagine. Either way, if I didn’t get vaccinated at my job that is literally responsible for the creation of information about covid and the vaccines and treatments, I still would most likely be unvaccinated because of how hard it is to be vaccinated in the communities.
And speaking of government organizations interacting with pandemics – what the CDC said is quite sus. For those not in the know, the CDC said: “… [F]ully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance in any setting, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance”. This sounds really simple on paper, and I would sort of agree, except for several caveats:
A lot of people are unvaccinated and it is quite easy to lie since there is zero obvious difference between a vaccinated and a non-vaccinated person at face value.
Related to above, there is even a black market for buying fake vaccination cards (just like there was and is a black market for buying fake negative covid results), which means a lot of people are willing to risk their lives and the lives of others just to not wear a mask. Oh, and help Covid become new, stronger variants
There still isn’t full documentation on whether a vaxxed person can catch and spread Covid to others in asymptomatic fashion. That is still being worked on
A lot of places did away with their “laws, rules, and regulations”, they’re pretty open now so the unvaccinated and vaccinated don’t really have any pandemic mandates to go by. One place I know of in Virginia is holding a four day rock festival event that is supposed to have 180+ bands and they have indeed claimed to have no restrictions and aim to be filled to full capacity. Please cue Bad Religion’s “Infected”
At NIH, they’re still operating as if the CDC never changed the rules (meaning full masking and social distancing and all the other pandemic protocols are still in effect) because of a lot of the reasons I mentioned above – especially the “can’t tell if you are vaxxed/unvaxxed by looking at you” part. Also, at NIH, they always include the phrase “against current variants”, because it is the truth – the current vaccinations only protect you against the current variants, and to variable degrees per variant. The USA is *miles* from achieving any sort of herd immunity.
The part highlighted is the most important part: the fully vaccinated. There needs to be a population of at least 70% fully vaccinated to count as “herd immunity” against Covid. Herd Immunity is, as explained by Oxford dictionary, “resistance to the spread of an infectious disease within a population that is based on pre-existing immunity of a high proportion of individuals as a result of previous infection or vaccination.” As you can see on the graph above, we are at 38.6% Fully Vaccinated. And less than half of the nation has at least one shot of vaccinations. Some are indeed refusing their second dose because of how bad the effects the first one was for them, others are very “one and done” and thus do not want their second shot. Being half vaccinated in the nation that has the most Covid cases and deaths in the world and wanting to live, frolic and free, is not a great idea. Partial vaccinations can make it easy for the coronavirus to become vaccine resistant as it interacts more and more with half-vaxxed bodies. Plus the immunity wanes a little bit in the body since it is not at full capacity. This is why people who are considered half vaxxed are still told to wear a mask and adhere to pandemic protocols. Yes, it is not common for viruses to out-pace their vaccines but also Covid has proven to be rather uncommon. Also, there’s the people factor that still gets forgotten in super science pieces: the people who still catch and spread Covid are still real and their lives are still impacted. There still research underway about long haul Covid, which affects a lot of people who have caught Covid. Heck, for example, there is zero clue to as how a child that has caught Covid will do in school or in life due to long haul symptoms such as brain fog, weaker vital organs and upped chances for things like stroke before adulthood because of how Covid affects the brain. In other words, if you brought covid home to your kid, congrats, you may have done a superb neuter to their future and quality of life. At least they might not live long enough to really be that upset, perhaps. Wear a mask, social distance and get fully vaccinated. If you are an essential worker, please be careful for yourself and others. If you are not an essential worker (you don’t work in transport/delivery, food or public healthcare), stop being stupid and stay home. The important part is to try to wipe out Covid, not help it get stronger and mutate better.
Also, here is the graph again, not blocked by the info tidbit:
The US Population is about 330 Million, by the way
There is still the concern of vaccinations in historically marginalized communities. Already racism has shown it’s ugly head time and time again during the pandemic (and before the pandemic, and will again after the pandemic). It is zero surprise that when it comes to scarce supplies and unstable lines like how vaccine rollout has been, prejudice will very obviously show its head. From White people flocking to the historically marginalized communities to suck up available appointments to trying to route vaccines towards richer, historically privileged communities. Then there’s turning hospitals and health centers in the historically marginalized communities with atrocious community histories into vaccination centers. I have already heard of several, such as King hospital up in New York. John Hopkins is in its own class of “holy sh*t, what the f*ck”, stretching from inception to now. This alone can make people turn down the vaccine. If you terrify people from even wanting to walk through your doors or looking in your general direction, you’re probably not going to have a densely vaccinated population. Most people, when it comes to needles and bed-side manners, generally do not want to have Jigsaw from the Saw series come to mind. This is a systemic issue that is heavily danced around by, well, the system that keeps it in place. Even when it was brought up on Global Citizen’s VAX Live online concert event, the distrust, it was never really talked about, just painted as “Oh, those silly Black and Brown people. How dare they not believe in science! They have no reason to fear. Because everything that has ever happened in science was always ethical and above board. Always. What paranoid kooks. Don’tevertalkaboutwhathappened,we’resaviorsandyou’reliars.” People in historically marginalized communities definitely want to be vaccinated, we’re the ones who have been really seeing the decimation, but it is difficult to want a vaccine when there are systemic, physical and psychological barriers put in place. Needles are already scary by themselves, there sincerely is no need to try to make that experience even more terrifying, especially not to the point of driving someone to say, “Ehhhhh, I rather take my chances with Covid. Both these doctors and this virus are trying to kill me but at least the virus is honest about it.” This is something the medical community is extremely aware of and their current methods of handling such issues is, well, things like VAX Live. (I love the Foo Fighters with all my heart but the entire event is still a load of crock when you think about it. The Foo Fighters are amazing though). Yeah, the smart answer would be “to work and diligently root out all systemic issues via hiring better, firing system enablers (as well as the bystanders and inducers, etc), actively listening to the community (which must include ‘hearing the not-fun and the really not-fun parts – and without pulling the classic “speed them up to shut them up” method’), working diligently to improve systems and not in a way that is strictly self serving and out of pandering” but remember, that all requires work and a lot of introspection that will bear very few happy self-realizations. And I mean very few.
Very, very few.
These vaccinations are very important and the mad dash to get them shows the problems that were already here and spoken about at length by the affected. It is very important to get vaccinated, it is very important to get accurate information about the vaccine and the virus, it is extremely important to have trusted individuals in health – especially public health – fields to express this information and not be confusing about it nor allow for wide gaps to be abused out of blatant selfishness. There is still a lot of research and information that needs to be done about how Covid is going to affect all our lives, for the rest of our lives. I lived through a lot of things, such as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the HIV/AIDS pandemic (which is still happening, by the way), 9/11 and more – this is definitely not going to be one of those “things we will eventually forget, maybe even the week after its over”. There are a lot of untold issues, sicknesses and definitely fatalities. At least a vaccine is a good first step but not if it is tagged with countless problems. Otherwise, we’re all going to be right back at square one.
Dating is difficult. Dating while Black and Pagan is even more difficult. Tack a killer virus on top and it makes things way more difficult. Social distancing, mask wearing, lockdowns, it makes finding someone a bit tough, to say the least.
Already there are the usual barriers I face to dating, such as having a small dating pool on the account that I’m Pagan. Some people don’t know what that is so they’ll pass, or think it is a kooky faith because “you really believe in that stuff?” It’s even more ironic when it comes from the Christian crowd – a zombie carpenter is plausible but all other faiths and ideas are considered “out there”. At least I personally fare best with Muslims and Buddhists. Then there’s the fact that though I’m hetero-romantic, I’m demisexual, which reduces my pool further. Throw in anti-Black racism/good ol’ misogynoir and it shrinks even further.
Dating apps have spiked in use since the pandemic started, I’ve used them before myself. They’re great for those who are introverted and rather connect digitally than go out into the world and meet lots of people you sincerely wish you never had. At least in a dating app, I can screen bad choices and wary folks to the point that they can’t talk to me (or even see me) if I don’t want them to. And I never want them to. In the physical world, that doesn’t exists. But cat-calling and street harassment does and I am not interested at all in experiencing that while trying to date. So, dating apps it is.
The app usage is roughly the same as it would be in non-pandemic times. Some have taken a bit of a greedy advantage of the pandemic by piling on “Buy this, buy that, and get seen more/get better matches”. And the prices can be staggering, usually teetering around $80-100 for maybe three months of “Premium” access. For many, especially during a pandemic, that can be annoying, if not frustrating. Many people have lost their jobs or are bumbling down the dismal pipe of losing their job so shelling out any money to a dating app when there are stacking bills to pay seems like bad personal economics.
There are dating apps like Nuit (an astrology/natal chart based dating app), Coffee Meets Bagel, Hinge, Bumble and more which varies in taking pandemic concerns into account. All ping you for money (Hinge, OkCupid and Tinder being the worst, their services practically become unusable unless you shell out lots and lots of money) but some take into consideration that we’re all in a pandemic and jabbing pockets just to be functional isn’t that great an idea. Coffee Meets Bagel is a good example of that. Nuit is still starting out so they haven’t gotten into pocket-jousting yet.
Once upon meeting someone, there is the dating part. For those who grew up on the internet, this isn’t that tough because relationships blossom over the internet all the time. For others who are not super accustomed to exchanging digital interactions, it can be a weird and jarring experience because you’re talking through screens and avatars, not face to face. There were always places like IMVU, Second Life, etc etc. for more digitally apt folks to interact with each other and develop a bond. For example, in IMVU, you can sit in a winter cafe and talk to each other using floating chat bubbles via personalized avatars. Even hold hands, hug or kiss. Then there’s the upgraded version: Virtual Reality.
Virtual Reality allows you to interact with someone as if they are beside you. You can talk to them, play cooperative video games together, even hang out with them in your own personal private spaces. You can both be on a vast sun planet that has stars for flowers, you can be on a swaying pirate ship rampaged with little, cute chibis. You can create an entire movie theatre for you both to sit and be together in. Depending on your VR setup, there are even haptic vests and gloves which can easily simulate touch. Full body trackers that can simulate full body movement. For example, pair a Valve Index with Vive body trackers and your entire body, even individual fingers, will move. Pair that with a haptic vest and you can feel a hug. I own only a VR headset but that’s enough for virtual reality dates, even if whoever I date doesn’t have one. This brings back closeness during a time where we are all supposed to be apart. Granted VR can be a bit steep for some, the cheapest headset is an Oculus Quest 2, which is in the $200s range and a Facebook product, which brings in problems of privacy. It is also the only cheapest and best noted stand-alone VR headset so far on the market. All other VR headsets need a computer, which has to be “VR ready” because VR can be very intense on a computer system. I have a gaming laptop. Though it is not slated to be “VR Ready” like its more expensive counterparts, it does meet and exceed the requirements to run my VR headset, which is a Windows Mixed Reality VR headset. The only bonus with that is because I use Windows already, Windows Mixed Reality is already built into the computer or is super easy to get. But I’m not sure I would be able to run a Valve Index or the latest Vive, which is fine for me, I already can do enough with my current headset.
As said prior, dating is tough. Throw in a nasty virus and it gets even tougher. Thankfully, it is not the 90s and there are a bevy of ways of still connecting, even over a distance. The remaining hard part is finding those connections.
Woo, today is day one of 2021. (Ne ga chae chala ga – dang, writing Korean 2ne1 lyrics in English looks off)
We’re still in a very fatal pandemic.
Things still suck.
Covid-19 is still here (by the way, everyone, the “19” in “Covid-19” is because the virus was found in 2019. It is officially 2021.)
There’s a vaccine, which is great. It is going to take a remarkably long time to pump it out to everyone, which is not so great.
Viruses naturally mutate, this one is no different. A new, variant has been discovered in the UK and it’s already in America. (If it was in Korea, you know for fact it is in the US). Woooo, that mean there’s a potential the vaccines may or may not work on everyone and for all forms of Covid-19. Because usually vaccines are for one kind of an ailment, not if the ailment’s genetic strand takes a souped up turn (by the way, the new Covid variant’s name is “B.1.1.7”, “VUI-202012/21” or, my personal fav, “London’s Bridge is Falling Down, These Guys Have a History of Plague” or “Bloody Rats!” for short. “British Flu” is a nice runner up. So is just plain singing “Posies”). This might turn out just fine and the current Covid vaccines can knock it out. Things might turn out not so fine and everybody has to go back to the drawing board to make another vaccine, just for the variant.
We are in our tenth month here in the US of Covid 19 lockdown and it has officially been a whole single year that the Coronavirus has been on this planet.
Can’t say that I’m thrilled.
The US is the worst stricken nation on the planet for Covid-19. (China is also quite possibly nasty-struck based on their ratchet human-rights & human welfare track record buuuuuut they cook the books too much to make that solid determination. Bad enough one can’t even search about the coronavirus online without heavy censorship over there). America is doing poorly for the same reason China didn’t kick off to an amazing start: Terrible government leadership, misinformed populace, and more terrible government failures that were and are due to being image-conscious instead of pandemic-conscious. No one cares about your reputation if everyone is dead all around you, including you. That and both nations seriously should not kid themselves over image: Both America and modern China have a solid reputation of being awful, from rampant human rights violations (from police black sites in America to concentration/death (read: organ harvesting) camps in China of Falun Gong and Uyghur (Xinjiang) people) to invasive technology (Project Prism, Homeland Security & the NSA in the USA and literally the entire Chinese tech infrastructure). Maybe it would be better to worry about reality and not fantasy.
Off that little soap box, there is an old phrase: “An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure”. Meaning: it is better to do a little to prevent a problem than need to do a lot to fix it once it strikes. I always prefer preventative measures over reactive measures for any and everything, simply because it is usually easier to prevent problems than it is to fix them. In this situation, it is much, much easier to prevent getting the coronavirus than actually dealing with it. At least the prevention measures won’t kill you. Covid can.Â
Here is an overview from Osmosis about the current treatments of Covid-19:
These treatments are also, by the way, very potentially costly. Plus, you sincerely have no idea if you are getting “bed rest” covid or “death bed” covid. That is one wheel of fortune you do not want to spin.Â
Also, even though I am a Pagan/witch blog, I’m not going to recommend any herbs, oils or spells – because absolutely none are necessary. Anyone who says different is trying to make you spend money and there are definitely a lot of nefarious opportunists who only care about “collecting their coin” and taking advantage of a scary situation. Those folks deserve to catch the coronavirus, no one needs greedy people in a pandemic and it isn’t like they deserve the air they breathe. If you contract the Coronavirus, you need actual doctors, not snake oil charlatans out trying to make a buck.Â
Oh, and full disclaimer: I work at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the library. Woo, information.
Let’s start with the basics:
Wear a Mask
Keep Your Hands Clean
Social Distance (6ft/2m, no closer)
Stay at Home, when/if possible
It is remarkably stupid that the idea of mask wearing in the US is “political” but hey, Americans tend to be stupid, why battle that stereotype now?
Wear a Mask – a cloth mask, a disposable mask (put in a trash can, not on the ground). Anything made of cotton weave or better. The reason masks were touted as “not necessary by the general public” at the start was because not a whole lot was known about Covid-19 in the beginning and our data was coming from a national government that literally edits out whole history-changing massacres that happened on live television if it doesn’t make them happy – even to the point of banning the candleemoji when the anniversary rolls around. So, that means a good chunk of the data was quite a bit misleading. That and the US was (and still is) quite unprepared for the virus, as it pertains to masks and proper equipment for actual doctors and nurses so public health officials wanted to prevent a bank run on masks that would leave medical professionals super S.O.L. – now medical professionals are just plain really S.O.L., which is not much better. Wear a mask, plain and simple. It won’t kill you but the coronavirus certainly can. Also, handle your masks by the loops, not the front. The front has what is called a “viral load”, meaning if you were exposed to the virus, it is on the mask and not in you. That is also why it is important to wash your masks regularly, so you don’t risk transferring the virus to yourself while handling your mask.Â
Keep Your Hands Clean – Wash your hands with soap and water. Soap pops the lipid (fatty) defense layer of the coronavirus, killing it on contact. Thoroughly wash your hands, front and back and frequently. If you are somewhere where you genuinely can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer with an alcohol content of 60% or above. I personally never go under 70-75%, frankly. But wash your hands, first and foremost.
Stay at Home – Some can’t do this because they work essential jobs such as in grocery stores (who should be receiving hazard pay) or are at risk of losing their homes because of terrible American social care infrastructure that shouldn’t exist but if you can stay home – stay home. It is insidiously moronic to tell one another “stay safe” but not “stay home”. If people aren’t being social butterflies, Covid-19 can’t take flight in the communities. Do not booze up and especially stay away from drugs – you don’t need anything marring your judgement and chemically suppressing your immune system. Putting yourself at better risk of catching the Coronavirus isn’t going to help your situation much. If you live with others, try to wear a mask around them.Â
Social Distance – Keep 6ft away from each other. This is to prevent the spread of droplets that come from your nose and mouth, especially if you are not wearing a mask (you should) or if your mask is not as protective as you thought it was. The Coronavirus spreads through the air, mainly through the nose and mouth. Stay away from each other. If you can’t (you should), at minimum wear a mask. But seriously, stay away from each other. If you have to go somewhere, use this handy dandy site to figure out what your risk is, Safer Covid – My Risk. And make sure you fill it all the way out. It covers everything from pumping gas to going to events. There is even a “custom” section for places and events not covered.Â
Always a convenient reminder
And let’s crack out the Social Distance Bingo Board!
What I have gotten on mine:
Woo, fun for everyone.Â
Dealing with the Coronavirus is tough but mainly because not everyone is doing their part. If people simply wore masks more, cases would drop almost overnight instead of spike to the moon. These measures certainly are not a violation of any human rights, civil rights or constitutional rights. Being told to stay home and wear a mask is lightyears away from being at Masanjia, Auschwitz or Manzanar. It is a major concern, public health-wise, that as many people should participate as much as possible. It is going to be a remarkable long time before a safe vaccine comes out and there is enough public trust to use it. There is already concerns of a “Trust Gap” from Black Americans, Latin Americans and other groups of Americans that were inhumanely treated like guinea pigs for the past two to four centuries by the American medical system and still face prejudice in medical care to this very day. Huh, it’s almost like treating whole groups of people like Jigsaw from the Saw series for several generations has a weird knock-on effect during times where trust is most crucial. Odd.Â
Wear a mask and don’t simply “stay safe”, practice social distancing and clean your hands.
I’m a little late on The Arts! but I had to beat the rest of Rhythm Heaven and then Contagion finally released on Steam (I am considering a feature on them, as well, it’s a really good game).
“Ro-Na”
An Outkast “Hey Ya” parody about the current viral plague. It is humorous as it is very accurate.
Wear a mask, stay home, maintain social distance if you have to go outside.
“How Cop Orientations Must Be Like”
I thought this was humorous but what I liked most was how straightforward it was
– How concepts of being okay with brutality and oppression is passed down from seasoned officers to newer officers, pretty much indoctrinating hatred instead of actual law enforcement
– How when newer officers try to do the right thing (and basically their jobs and proper training), it is “corrected” by more seasoned officers because “this is how things are done” and if any make a fuss or correction, shamed and off the force they go. Guess what happens when you fire good cops for being good and keep (as well as laud/promote) bad cops for being bad? Not a decent police force, that’s for sure. And a lot of dead minorities. Oh, and ensuing protests and even a police department that gets torched like a Guy Fawkes wet dream. By the way, did you know you can make a s’more nacho dish? Just take some graham crackers, marshmallows, candies or chocolate, arrange nachos style, place on heat and done. Hard to eat with a mask on but quite delightful. Also available at Target. lol.
– The difference between how non-Black & belligerent individuals are treated (waved off and let go) and Black & reasonable individuals are treated (with great risk of being pretty dead)
We are in month *stares at calendar* five of this viral plague of the Coronavirus. The United States is performing the worst in the world right now for Covid everything.
The day prior (July 8) was over 62,000 new cases in a day. Oh, and we are still in our first curve. Update: July 10th, the day this post came out, showed a record breaker of 66,786 new cases in a day
But, wow, do we try to paint a picture that other nations are suffering worse than us or just as bad.
Distraction at its finest
Here is what Sweden’s Covid numbers look like:
Jumpy but looks nothing like a horror tale of “How Not to Handle Covid”. That would be the graph above
Yeah, I wouldn’t start queuing Blindside’s “Bring Out Your Dead” or “We’re All Going to Die” just yet as Sweden’s farewell songs. The United States is doing far, far worse. And the worst part: we are not even testing everyone. For one, in the US, Covid tests cost money, between $100 and $400 dollars. And that’s the test, not the treatment, which is pretty much “Suicide is much cheaper” expensive.
And then you have the desire from the White House that they think “if we test more people, it could make us look really bad”. Basically, the “Hey, China did it, so should we” method. Speaking of China, let’s bring up the good ol’ middle kingdom.
Unfortunately, there is major reason to believe that China has been doctoring their Covid numbers and cooking the books to make the pandemic seem a lot less worse than it actually is. There are countless reasons to assume that millions upon millions are affected in China. For one, America’s Covid numbers and the stark fact we literally are making several of the same mistakes China did.
A) China did not fly to the presses, or anyone for that matter, about the fact Covid was spotted. Actually, how the Chinese govt found out about Covid was from reading private messages from a group of doctors, one of them being Dr. Li Wenliang. The Chinese government saw a conversation that basically went, “hey, something weird is floating about, stay away from this particular market in Wuhan, it could be from there.” Major human rights violation aside (inb4, “Man, the US is better” – Google “Project Prism”, “Patriot Act” and “Civil Rights Movement/BLM Activists tracked by the FBI”), instead of the Chinese government going “Wow, this is bad, we should hop on it”, they knocked on Dr. Li’s door four days later and made him sign a document of charges that stated he was making things up in attempt to cause social discord. He tried to point out to them, “Nope, not making things up, this is pretty serious-” but they weren’t trying to hear it. Instead, the Chinese government worked to discredit Dr. Li, and said nothing at all or “The US did it”. This severe mishandling – which I only glossed over, a lot more happened than that – bought the coronavirus priceless time to really settle its roots and make a worldwide bang.
B ) Though outfitted with technology that makes Big Brother in 1984 literally look like it came out of the actual year of 1984, China bumbled the virus badly with their own civilians because, just like the US, they wanted to save face. And thought the best ways were by censoring discussions of Covid on Chinese internet such as WeChat, Weibo, QQ and Baidu, wielding doors to family homes shut and tying individuals spotted without masks to pillars … still without a mask on. They tried to show that their harsh, human-rights-violation-multipliers methods work well but … they don’t. Consider this: if you only had 83,000 people infected with Covid in a nation filled with 1.4 billion people (thus holding 1/5th of the world’s population), isn’t tying people to pillars and wielding homes shut a bit much? Unless the numbers are far, far worse. Which is more like what is actually happening. Modern China has a long, well marked history of cooking numbers and editing history to spin whatever story that benefits the Chinese government – not necessarily the people of China – to either look like they are doing the best job in the world or to present itself as a feeble nation ill-equipped to defend itself from the evil, imperialist West. Though the West has definitely put a wallop on China out of White supremacist-filled imperialism, this does not change the fact that China is currently a superpower nation with the 2nd strongest economy in the world. And one that is fumbling the virus like mad. Just like their geo-political, superpower nation rival, the United States of America.
C) Chinese social media doesn’t bounce the same party lines of the Chinese government, especially in the Wuhan area. I know Chinese, I have access to Chinese social media and friends in China (Wuhan, included). They’re not exactly bubbling with joy over the cover up and doctored stories. When Dr. Li died of the Coronavirus, there was quite the uproar from the Chinese citizens at their government because that was a boiling point. You can’t tell people “We care about what is best for you” and silence anyone who goes “No they don’t and I can prove it” and expect that to hold up forever. They have had protests (both violent and peaceful) in the Hubei province, where Wuhan is, over this and the draconian methods that, frankly, are not working to help stem the virus. The only “China is Amazing And That Is All” I have heard from Chinese social media comes from state media and their nationalists. Just like White Nationalists, Chinese nationalists are just as idiotic and insidiously allergic to actual facts. Everything is “fake news” unless it is bullsh*t they like – then it is somehow very real.
China has the same faults and failings as the USA. Both countries suck at dealing with Covid – the only nation that has been doing an outstanding job is literally South Korea. North Korea has unfortunately been struggle-busing because of a multiplex of problems but North Korean news is quite the humdinger right around now about Covid. I also know Korean so I have been glimpsing at North and South Korean news livestreams. If there is one thing that Covid is revealing, it is how nations handle their social problems. Some actually try to handle the issue, and others go for spin because actual hard work is, well, hard.
Let’s bring up South Korea, actually.
S. Korea is presently going through their second wave, which is also their second curve. This is what the curve is supposed to look like when actual efforts are made. Testing (with no price tag), contact tracing, not wielding family houses shut, closing potential hot spot businesses like karaoke cafes, wearing masks, these are what kept the numbers comparatively low. Granted, Korean news and some civilians feel that not enough is being done. Still some people ignore masks and forgo social distancing, which is indeed a problem, but they still have some glorious numbers. If the US or China had these numbers, then those nations would be justified in playing “Look at [random nation], they are one wrong turn away from turning into World War Z” stories … but they don’t.
Korea is trying to open up as slowly as they can. Just like other people in the world, the civilians are anxious to return back to normal life. But we still do not have a vaccine anywhere (and if politics nonsense continues, it could tack on more time than anyone would like to admit). However, they are still trying to open up. It’s been an experience, with its own wacktacular moments. Such as allowing students to go to school physically and then find they cause cluster infections. And so do beaches and houses of worship. And this is in the nation that has been performing best with Covid. If anything, it shows how anxious the world is as a whole to get back to normal. And how pervasive the coronavirus is when even given a sliver of a chance.
So, what now? As this is a US blog and the US is the hardest hit nation by Covid, it is remarkably obvious that something viciously needs to be done to help with the issues of dealing with Covid. People are out trying to enjoy the summer and that is causing major spikes in the Covid numbers – and, remember this about the numbers: these are the people who can afford to be tested, millions of Americans lost their jobs and thus their health insurance. These party people need to wear a mask. There are people out there forced to protest because White supremacy is far deadlier and with a bigger death toll than what Corona could aspire to accomplish. However, these people also need to wear a mask (I will always say this – if you don’t like tear gas, wear a mask. Please be smart in how you protest. Covid is not the only danger out here). Long story short, there are people are out here, giving Covid countless opportunities to spread. Please participate in social distancing, please wear a mask, and don’t murder Black people because you’re a homicidal racist. (I mean, if you are racist, please catch Covid. Dead racists do tend to equal alive Black people and improved quality of life for Black people. Even if your racism is of the lighter “I’m not racist, I vote blue/listen to Jay Z/etc” variety. Still a walking problem.) Covid is definitely something to worry about, no matter your age. It isn’t just an “old person disease”.
To sum it up, there is still a nasty plague out here. Spin and propaganda does not help stifle the virus. Murdering minorities out of bias does not limit the virus – actually, due to the murderer’s behavior and, in extension, a justice system that hardly works, it puts more people at risk because they have to go out an protest this just to get anything cohesive to happen. If there were less racist murders, that would mean less protests and more people home, which would halt the spread. People need to distance themselves socially, wash their hands, and take the impact of plague seriously. Both viral plagues and plagues of racism.
I have some free space for Ask Black Witch, I’ve gotten nothing but dumb questions recently. But as for current protests against the usual plague, anti-Blackness, some free tips: No matter what, wear a mask.
A) Black Blocs are useful because the usual historical reasons
B ) There is still a viral plague outside, you don’t need the coronavirus on top of the usual plague. Not all racists wear badges, some wear scrubs and white coats.
C) Masks can be modified or specialized against tear gas, the internet is packed with tons of resources, as well as historical information
D) Don’t wear glaringly unique masks if possible. You’ll get targeted first.
Social distancing is still important
A) Again, you don’t want to catch a viral plague on top of dealing with the usual plague. Again, not all racists wear badges, some wear scrubs and white coats
B ) Bigger looking crowd, less dashing into each other when riot cops dart into the crowd, and harder to corral – you definitely want to stay out of holding cells and jails, especially during a viral plague
C) Easier to stay relatively safe when you have at minimum a 6 ft bubble to make quick decisions in, and see around you
Gloves are nice
A) You will be touching countless surfaces, not just your sign. Riot shields are probably not sanitized so in efforts of not getting binked by one, gloves are useful in case you have to grab or stop one
B) Better grip is always great
C) Easier to clean up and take off when need be. You can’t take off your skin but you can take off gloves
Alcohol in a med kit
I’m never going to suggest drinking – drinking is bad for you, especially in a plague (that one-two punch of suppressing your immune system and your sense of judgement is not a good idea). But it is useful for wounds and quick sanitation, among other historical protest uses.
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