The Social Benefits of Lock Down Policies

Getting people comfortable with defying government dictates

There is an understanding among political science nerds one can demand whatever they like, but it doesn’t mean people will obey it. You need to enforce it, too.

Washington State Governor Jay Inslee will learn this shortly, if he somehow has not yet managed to discover it already. In March, as part of his efforts to flatten the curve he issued a series of lock down orders which began the decline of the local economy here. Unemployment skyrocketed, businesses shuttered, and the whole thing didn’t really come to an end until it was determined in order to protest police brutality, you had to go outside.

Still, those supportive of these lock down orders managed to argue this all away in between slamming jello-shots distilled from boot polish. The fact these supporters were, for the most part, retirees and upper-middle class income earners was not lost on the rest of us who have to work. Those who could afford time off work, or work remotely, or living off retirement, found themselves quite comfortable with these lock downs.

This is of course the bourgeoisie, as a proper Marxist would call them, supporting the suppression of the proletariat in solidarity with the ruling class. I don’t want to say Marx got it right, because he didn’t. But there are some instances where his historical materialism makes a certain sense.

The summer came and went, the United States finding itself glued to the circus of another Presidential Election. The various lock downs remained somewhat in place, but cases continued to rise, and the question of whether lock downs had mitigated this or not was not really asked. Anytime someone questioned it, the response was always, “Of course they do! They wouldn’t order them if they didn’t work! Quit hating science!” Etc, etc. The usual argumentum ad verecundiam used throughout history to keep people from questioning things the prevailing authorities would rather they not question.

So let’s just assume these lock downs work, since no one can get a fair hearing questioning them in the first place. It is important to be charitable. This also is a fallacious approach, of course. But hey, argumentum ad ignorantiam is perfectly scientific, I’m told.

So what next?

In Washington State, the Governor has extended a series of draconian regulations regarding our social lives. As always, the justification for doing so is a public health concern, trying to flatten curves and other appeals regarding statistical understandings of society. These regulations include the following, which were put in place prior to Thanksgiving and were recently extended out beyond New Years.

There are more, but these are those affecting private citizens, not even considering those engaged in commerce, which is still everyone. Others involve movie theaters, gyms, indoor dining, etc. Businesses being told how to operate, when they can operate, etc. The usual gutting of local businesses unable to survive while massive, corporate businesses capable of taking the economic hit continue. You can feel free to take a look yourself and in appropriate democratic fashion, determine for yourself whether they seem a draconian expansion of the state’s power over you or a perfectly acceptable abuse of power.

What one cannot do is follow these guidelines without canceling Christmas gatherings and somehow keeping a job. Quarantining for two weeks is not possible for the lowly prole, it is only possible for the comfortable bourgeoisie. Quarantining for even one week is not possible, either. The working class will have no choice but to break these prohibitions if they want to see their families in person or go to work. I emphasize prohibitions here because there is in fact the strange idea going around the bourgeoisie of Washington that their favorite Governor has not, in fact, prohibited social gatherings in a practical sense.

I don’t know what about the term prohibited implies voluntary compliance, personally.

So, in reality, the vast majority of the people of Washington State will simply ignore these prohibitions. They won’t have any other choice. Their options currently are either canceling Christmas or ignoring the dictates of the Governor of Washington State. To me, this isn’t causing alarm at all. I tend to find individuals ignoring government dictates to be a perfectly noble behavior on its own. When those dictates attempt to prevent you from close contact with your own family, however, it takes on even more prestige. The state becomes downright villainous, at that point.

While the Governor would love to be seen as a loving father to us all, saving us from ourselves in a fit of paternal instinct, in the end, he’s really just one of those stereotypical, evil stepmothers attempting to break up your family. I doubt he does this intentionally, of course. It is just an example of iatrogenics, something your science-loving, lockdown enthusiast friends won’t even know the definition of. It is a side-effect of the treatment and it often causes death. We won’t be able to have a meaningful conversation or hearing regarding lockdowns until the side-effects of lock downs are properly recognized.

So, we’ll just ignore the lockdowns.

Myself, I make an attempt to see and derive benefit from events I have very little to no control over; such as lockdowns dictated by the state. Over the last year, I’ve published two books, for example. I’ve read about a hundred this year alone. I had some downtime, you could say.

But for the rest of society, what is the benefit?

Considering the sheer volume of people who have already ignored the Governor’s dictates regarding Thanksgiving, myself included, who have suffered no ill effects for doing so, it seems unlikely people will bow to them during Christmas. In fact, it seems unlikely private people will care about them at all beyond perhaps rationalizing the dictates into somehow being voluntary and/or for our benefit. As a democrat, I generally support ignoring dictates which are not approved specifically by the people themselves, or at least by an elected assembly. The Governor is not an elected assembly. So far as I know, our legislature has not voted on these policies.

Those who understand the meaning of the term prohibited, however, will understand spending time around the Christmas tree with family, sipping Irish coffees and eggnog, is a crime. Perhaps it will make Christmas that much more enjoyable? I know an element of danger always spices a thing up for me. It just seems unlikely that danger will be COVID-19, rather than agents of the state. At a minimum, I think, people will become much more accustomed to the idea of simply ignoring their Governor. It is all an individual can do, short of submitting to the state; a wholly unsavory outcome.

To be sure, the Governor has mentioned he will not be directing state troopers to kick indoors. Golly, thanks, Governor! What a wonderful thing for the Governor of Washington State to have felt compelled to say. I feel better already.

Perhaps we should celebrate with a round of eggnog?

Like what you read? That’s weird and you should know psychologists are always available, but you can find the author’s wine-soaked ruminations on History and Change on sale here if you’re interested in more.