SOCIALISM, LIES, AND CORONAVIRUS
It’s ironic when a government is applauded for telling people that a potentially fatal virus is being passed around. Shouldn’t this kind of disclosure be the default? It’s not. To its credit, China is certainly treating the outbreak seriously, by locking down around 60 million people, imposing draconian travel restrictions, extending the Lunar New Year holiday, and implementing a wide range of other measures to try to restrict the transmission of the virus. Chinese president Xi Jinping acknowledged that the country is facing a “grave situation.”
The latest from the Financial Times ... Beijing has warned that the spread of the deadly coronavirus is expected to accelerate, heightening concerns about an outbreak that has killed at least 80 people in China and reached a dozen other countries... China confirmed on Monday that 80 people had died from the respiratory disease, up from 56 a day earlier, while 2,744 people were infected. But there’s a big problem with this information – especially the China-sourced parts of it. Is it true? And how much worse could it be – really? It’s easy to trust what the government tells us. For many of us who predate the era of “fake news,” our natural default is to trust others, particularly those in a position of authority. And it’s especially easy to fall into the default of trust when you want to trust... because the truth might be far worse than anything you can imagine. Right now, a lot of people are assuming that China is telling the truth about just how bad the 2019-nCoV virus is, how far it has spread, and how many people have died. For example... last month, CNBC reported: “China’s response and candor [relating to the virus] – in contrast to how it handled the 2002-03 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) epidemic – helped reassure investors concerned about the possible global fallout.” Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that “the United States greatly appreciates [China’s] efforts and transparency” to contain the virus.
There’s a big problem with this information – especially the China- sourced parts of it. Is it true? And howmuch worse could it be – really?
But there are (at least) two problems here... First, this is China we’re talking about. It values control above all else... And let’s not forget that authoritarian socialist systems aren’t typically transparent. Second, remember the joke about how you can tell when a politician is lying – by watching for when his lips move? That’s true in China, too. China doesn’t have a great track record with being straightforward about epidemics. As political-risk analysis company GZERO Media explained...
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February 2020
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