Gan Anam

Is cúis díoma é domsa nach bhfuil fáth agam mo mháitheartheanga a laibhairt níos minice. Rinne mé iarracht píosa gearrscéal a scíóbh roimhe seo, is rud ufásach é nach bhfuil mé in ann mo chuid turaimí a chuir ar páipéir comh fear is a raibh mé cúpla blian ó shin. Cé go bhfuil Gaeilge ag beagnach gach duinne i mo chlann, ní labhraimid lena chéile mar seo go rialta. Tá sé anois ag an pointe go bhfuil sé seaghas amscuí domsa labhairt leo.

Inside looking out

The first case of Covid-19 was recorded in Ireland on the 29th of February. The first two cases had passed through Dublin from the airport. Our current total cases stands at 2,910, with 54 fatalities. For the most part, I spent the first week or so thinking things would have blown over by the end of the month. Ireland was in the position to learn from other countries as to what works, but we were straight out of a divisive election and have yet to form a proper government. When UCD closed for the mid-term break my only thoughts were of the assignments I’d need to get done while I was off. I spent some lovely evenings at home with my girlfriend, which seem all the more lovely now that I’m unsure when I’ll see her again. We were informed part way through the break that we wouldn’t be returning to university until a week later than planned, then we were informed that we wouldn’t be returning at all. It was only a matter of time until the shop closed, but there was an attempt to keep the doors open with restrictions. As of last Saturday (the 28th) we were told that lockdown was in effect until Easter Sunday (12th of April). Since then I have only left the house a single time for some exercise. As a solitary person, I thought I’d be alright with the confinement, but I’m showing signs of strain. The ennui has crept back up and I find it hard to sleep at night, while having trouble getting up before noon.

At least two meters apart

I had originally intended to start this journal at a much earlier date. But, due to college work and ennui I’ve postponed it until just now. I wanted to write about perspective, as I believe it is the main strength (and weakness) of any writer. Perspective is interesting at a conceptual level, as not only is it unique to every person, but it is something that changes and evolves over time. In my current situation, I thought it might serve as a valuable resource to have my own perspective on this major historical event written down as it unfolds. As far as I can see, the Covid-19 virus was completely unknown to the public until around November of last year. This is, as I understand it, the time in which the Chinese government became aware of the virus. This has sparked a series of debates and conspiracy theories relating to the discovery of the virus. It is alleged that China knew full well what this disease was capable of, yet actively suppressed the flow of information surrounding it. This has been most clearly shown through the various doctors and journalists that were silenced (one of which has apparently died of dubious causes since)  when trying to convey the danger the disease posed. The CCP officially told the WHO about the virus in December, it was around that time when I began to see leaked videos from China. Footage of people being taken from their homes or off the street, armed soldiers in hazmat suits, and even entire apartment blocks being welded shut to contain the spread of disease. Despite this, the world looked on in ignorance at the growing crisis. Many people I personally told about the virus at that time and what I had seen online were dismissive, or only passively interested. My experience in political science and history has taught me to always question anything that comes from any potential mouthpiece of the CCP, this situation seemed to warrant this way of thinking even more. I will maintain that the current pandemic is almost entirely the fault of the Chinese government. Whether other countries are at fault for how they dealt with outbreaks in their own territories is secondary. None of us would have had to put such measures in place had we been told of the threat earlier. The Chinese government is a repressive system that aims to keep the weak under the sturdy boot of communism. Anyone who claims otherwise is either blind or intentionally ignorant for political, economic, or ideological gain. This leads me into my next observation, that the WHO is in pocket of XI Jinping. I have seen too many instances of Occidental institutions shilling out to the CCP for a variety of reasons. Twitter and Reddit being the most cited examples. The Chinese owned company Tencent (maker of the Chinese equivalent of WhatsApp) holds significant shares in the two platforms, as well as other companies like Blizzard Entertainment. The WHO has not only congratulated China on their ability to contain the virus (restrictions on travel were only imposed two months after the virus was discovered to be harmful), but they have published articles stating that the virus could not be transferred person-to-person. The stake that China has in occidental groups has given rise to the notion that pointing out that China is responsible for this crisis is now “racist” or “xenophobic”. The CCP have used the rhetoric of Left-leaning media outlets and websites to turn attention on the United States. a clear example of this is how Reddit admins locked (stopping users from upvoting or commenting) a thread of images of Xi Jinping’s face on a visualisation of the Covid-19 virus , while keeping another thread unlocked with virtually the same image, just with Donald Trump’s face in place of Xi’s. Likewise many mainstream media outlets and the WHO have congratulated China for the fact that “no new cases” have originated in Wuhan, despite the fact that the CCP stopped testing potential victims of the virus several weeks ago. Western media has lapped up the rhetoric that China is being unjustly targeted because of this pandemic. While I will admit that there has been something of an increase in casual racism (something I myself have observed at work), that does not absolve the Chinese government of blame for the harm they have caused through inaction and suppression.