Keep Calm and Carry On
During the Blitz, in the dark days of early World War II, Nazi bombs rained down on much of England. Millions of children were sent to the relative safety of regions farther north and west. Many Londoners slept in the subway tunnels as bombs exploded above them. In the morning, they emerged to the smoldering ruins of their city. They checked to see if they still had a home and then went on to work manufacturing rifles, ammunition, ships, planes, and other weapons of war. Amazingly, the rates of suicide and drunkenness actually declined.
COVID-19 is a subtype of coronavirus which originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. At first, most of us were worried that this might be an exceptionally deadly pandemic like the influenza A virus subtype H1N1. That subtype, commonly known as the Spanish flu, terrified the world in 1918. COVID-19 is a serious contagion that has killed an estimated 4.5 million worldwide. However, this awful number pales when compared to the estimated fifty million killed by the Spanish flu.
In 2009, the H1N1 subtype struck again. Many wondered if a pandemic similar to the Spanish flu would again ravage the planet. The total number of deaths from what became known as the Swine flu reached an estimated 300,000 worldwide but, that was far less than feared.
If you’re older, you might recall the H3N1 subtype of 1968. That became known as the Hong Kong flu, and it killed about four million people making it almost as deadly as COVID. For most people, the memory of the Hong Kong and Swine flu is a fading, almost forgotten, event. However, most people will never forget COVID-19. Is it merely the lower death toll that makes them so different?
As I thought about these various epidemics, I was reminded of the British during World War II. During the Blitz, in the dark days of early World War II, Nazi bombs rained down on much of England killing as many as any plague. Millions of children were sent to the relative safety of regions farther north and west. Many Londoners slept in the subway tunnels as bombs exploded above them. In the morning, they emerged to the smoldering ruins of their city. They checked to see if they still had a home and then went on to work manufacturing rifles, ammunition, ships, planes, and other weapons of war. Amazingly, the rates of suicide and drunkenness actually declined.
During this time, the British government printed over two million motivational posters with the message, “Keep Calm and Carry On.” Today, you often see these in teenage bedrooms or on shirts—but you didn’t see them during the war. The government decided it would be best to keep them in storage. In the end, they were never distributed and most were pulped.
The people of Britain didn’t need to be told to keep calm. They had heard the truth when their leader, Winston Churchill, said in his first speech as prime minister, “I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. We have before us an ordeal of the most grievous kind. We have before us many, many long months of struggle and of suffering.” Rarely in human history has a politician been so frank and truthful. The British people rallied. They kept calm and carried on and with the help of their allies, they won the war.
There are many differences between The Blitz, earlier pandemics, and today, but one huge difference is the truth. Early on, our leaders minimized the contagion. Dr. Fauci told everyone that “this is not a major threat.” When asked if Americans should be scared, he replied. “I don’t think so.” It can be argued that Dr. Fauci didn’t know, but he wasn’t saying he didn’t know. He wasn’t even saying it might become a pandemic so take precautions.
Then it became clear COVID would spread and kill. Our leaders panicked. They locked down schools, churches, and most businesses. They shut down the economy and then made political decisions about how to open it back up.
Dr. Fauci says masks are necessary. In Michigan, you can’t buy paint or garden seeds.
Dr. Fauci says masks aren’t needed. Salons are closed unless you’re an important politician.
Dr. Fauci thinks everyone should double mask. I could go on but we all remember the draconian and often conflicting directions.
No matter how frightening, as a conservative I want facts. Then like the British of World War II, I’ll decide what to do, but I’ll certainly keep calm and carry on.
In the comment section below let me know what you think about COVID restrictions and how your local officials are handling or have handled the pandemic.
