Relying on our betters, the road to perdition

I commented to a friend, “with the loosening of the virus restrictions, we are finally being treated like adults.”

Correctly sensing my disapproval of the lockdown rules, he replied, “Well, they have to aim for the lowest common denominator.” He continued, “Some people are just not going to govern themselves properly.”

He is a typical statist who thinks that we need to be governed. We need to be instructed by our betters. He may not apply that to himself. He would not need instruction. But the rest of us would need careful directions.

He assumes that anyone left on their own will be foolish, improvident, and stupid.

Our betters will be able to govern us with wise, dispassionate governance.

But the evidence is now in. In this and every other pandemic for which information is available, people responded immediately with increased vigilance and care and adjusted their behaviours quickly with changing information.  Distancing, handwashing, and use of crowded transit systems were immediate and measurable signs of common sense in the common crowd. Governing by our betters was not necessary. And our so-called betters were late, slow to adjust, and often mistaken.

Relying on our betters is the improvident path.

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