The Virus is Not Invisible, But It’s
Exposing Who’s Irreplaceable
American Greatness,
by
Victor Davis Hanson
Original Article
Posted By: earlybird,
3/23/2020 11:50:44 AM
In all the gloom and doom, and media-driven nihilism, there is actually an array of good news. (Snip)I think one of the strangest of all sequelae to the virus and the lockdowns might be the millions of high-paid Americans whose absences were hardly missed either by the public or count much in subsequent economic analyses of damage to the economy.
In a sophisticated society under lockdown, is it more existentially valuable to know how to fix a toilet, replace a circuit breaker, or change a tire, or to be a New York fashion designer, a Hollywood actor, or a corporate merger lawyer? At 9 p.m., when you go downtown in need
Reply 1 - Posted by:
john56 3/23/2020 12:00:51 PM (No. 355201)
Best "are our you irreplaceable" story I ever heard was this. Back in the late 60s and early 70s when the Gemini and Apollo space program was in full swing, a guy who worked at NASA in Houston got called for jury duty.
He explained to the wise old judge that he was an important person and needed to be at work at NASA Flight Control. The old judge nodded, and then asked the guy "If you dropped dead today, would NASA postpone the next moon launch?"
The NASA guy said, "well, no." To which the judge said, then you can stay for jury duty.
15 people like this.
Reply 2 - Posted by:
john56 3/23/2020 12:22:02 PM (No. 355227)
Among the gems:
Do we really need to ask such questions of whether the presence of the czar for diversity and inclusion at Yale is missed as much as the often-caricatured cop on patrol at 2 a.m. in New Haven?
13 people like this.
Reply 3 - Posted by:
Historybuff 3/23/2020 12:23:00 PM (No. 355228)
As much as I hate to quote DeGaulle "The cemetery is full of irreplaceable men."
17 people like this.
Reply 4 - Posted by:
Highlander 3/23/2020 12:33:54 PM (No. 355240)
I always maintained that in the ultimate scenario of societal breakdown, the survivors will mostly be the DIY types, the veterans, hunters, farmers, ranchers, and a majority of the “deplorables.” In an every-man-for-himself situation (an un-Christian view), a lot of the elites will perish.
9 people like this.
Reply 5 - Posted by:
MDConservative 3/23/2020 12:58:36 PM (No. 355258)
Let's mix a little hysteria with history and supposition and this is what we get. COVID-19 was hyped, and no crisis is allowed to go to waste. Those who should be most responsible in all this are behaving the least responsible. And when this is all over, and shown to be far from as fatal as originally "projected", they'll grab the credit for saving America. Let's all get in line for a COVID-19 USA STRONG t-shirt. How are the Tom Hanks and Prince Albert deathwatches progressing?
5 people like this.
Reply 6 - Posted by:
cor-vet 3/23/2020 1:17:21 PM (No. 355290)
Not needing replacement are all the public sector 'non-essentials' that are the 1st furloughed. They return to their 'non-essential' jobs when the emergency is over and receive their back pay, unlike the private sector people that are furloughed or laid off.
11 people like this.
Reply 7 - Posted by:
bad-hair 3/23/2020 1:17:30 PM (No. 355291)
Deplorables ? When Hillary's fridge goes south does she even know what room it's in ?
The deplorables" creed … If you can't fix your own stuff, how in the hell can you help your neighbors ?
Creed part two MAGA
8 people like this.
Reply 8 - Posted by:
earlybird 3/23/2020 1:46:12 PM (No. 355323)
I have long been grateful that a fearless Mother and my own curiosity, a spongelike interest in learning things, gave me the ability to fix things. A low income at one point in my life really helped that along. Necessity can be a wonderful teacher. My DH is fascinated with my DIY skills, as was my Dad with Mom’s.
6 people like this.
Reply 9 - Posted by:
Heil Liberals 3/23/2020 1:59:32 PM (No. 355332)
This should be placed at the top of the “Must Reads.”
5 people like this.
Reply 10 - Posted by:
Sandpiper 3/23/2020 2:53:46 PM (No. 355392)
VDH points out in inimitable fashion the difference in value between those in more humble professions that keep society functioning ... and those who don’t.
I learned that lesson immediately after the ‘89 Loma Prieta earthquake. Through a quirk we had power when all around us didn’t, and I heard on the news the urgent calls for elevator repairmen to come and rescue people caught in elevators. That is when I realized that a prestigious job title and high income won’t save me in an Act of God crisis - but basic repair and survival skills will.
1 person likes this.
Reply 11 - Posted by:
Lawsy0 3/23/2020 3:14:44 PM (No. 355410)
Like the man said, ''So who is important and who not?'' The President is important. Dr. Hanson is important. Lucianne.com is very important. And of course, the truckers hauling essential products to us have been nominated for sainthood as have those who produce said goods and services.
2 people like this.
Reply 12 - Posted by:
Rather Read 3/23/2020 3:40:09 PM (No. 355434)
Our public library is closed. I'm a voracious reader and I miss them.
1 person likes this.
Reply 13 - Posted by:
RPool 3/23/2020 3:57:18 PM (No. 355443)
I am a dedicated VDH fan, but Victor, California is not the largest state in the country (LOL). Granted, completely irrelevant to your excellent points.
2 people like this.
Reply 14 - Posted by:
earlybird 3/23/2020 9:26:14 PM (No. 355772)
Re #13, I imagine VDH was referring to population, not land area (that would not have made sense)…and economy. In those categories, California is the largest.
0 people like this.
Reply 15 - Posted by:
judy 3/24/2020 4:08:17 AM (No. 355980)
We can live without Hollywood, athletes, & the media.... but we need our heroes to drive the trucks, stock the shelves, sell us gas, deliver the food...Walmart handled the virus very well. Thanks to the WH news conferences Trumps ratings. went up 12 points...probably for having the patience to deal with the unbearable media who act like children when the teacher leaves the room.
1 person likes this.
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Comments:
VDH covers a lot of ground in this article… Always well worth our time.