COVID-19 is an Exercise in Government Control

When this novel coronavirus first emerged, various conspiracy theories soon followed. Some began claiming that the virus was manufactured. Perhaps it escaped from a Chinese lab near Wuhan. Or perhaps the Chinese government even released it into the population themselves!

If that's the case, the people who made it were pretty stupid, considering they didn't create a way for themselves to be kept safe from it. Moreover, releasing a deadly pathogen that goes on to disrupt economic stability seems more like punching oneself in the nuts than a reasonable geopolitical action.

A Natural Origin

No. There is no reason to believe that this pathogen was created in a lab. Genetic analysis indicates that it is a close relative to a number of other naturally occurring coronaviruses, including the first SARS coronavirus. Andersen et al. 2020 identifies two evolutionary leaps that turned a pathogen that was harmless to humans, into the pain in the neck disease that it is now. The first

Beyond Conspiracy

The real problem with conspiracy theories isn't that they're always wrong. It's that they're not reasonable. They take absurd positions and ignore science. However, that doesn't mean that government is kind or trustworthy. It doesn't mean that government hasn't done terrible things, or taken advantage of horrible situations. With everything that is happening because of COVID-19, I have to be reminded of a quote by Rahm Emanuel

You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before.

Various governments of the world, including the United States government, have done terrible things during crises. They have taken advantage of horrible situations to grow in power and wealth. Consider World War II. Certainly if I said "the United States government is throwing its citizens into prisons in order to steal their land and sell it off" people would laugh. But that is exactly what happened in the United States during World War II.

The Coronavirus Experiment

Social distancing orders have shown that the government can utilize a disaster to take unprecedented measures to control the economy. It can, if it uses the right tools, completely change human behavior, with very little force. But perhaps it can do even more.

The idea of an "immunity card" has been floated around for a while. And recently Politico reported that Dr. Fauci, a key medical figure in this whole discussion, has suggested that they are a real possibility. These cards would "prove" that an individual is not a threat.

There are a number of questions about these cards that would need to be answered. Would these cards be mandatory? Is our ability to express basic rights dependent on having these cards? Who would be responsible for assigning them, and would it cost anything?

The Road to Hell

While it's important for a person to know whether they're immune or not, for their own safety and for the safety of others, these kinds of practices can be very disturbing. And even if there are no ill intentions, the road to hell, as it is said, is paved with good intentions. If such identification is in any way required, they have to be easily accessible to all people.

If it costs money or if it is difficult to obtain a test for any other reason, a lot of people may be in trouble. I am especially concerned about poor and underprivileged communities. The elites will have no problem getting tested. Many of the elites around the world have already shown that they have access to rapid testing for COVID-19 infection, while many others sit and wonder if they're infected.

Caution and Scrutiny

Far too often the promise of safety has been used to restrict our freedoms. While it is important to do our part to keep others safe, it must always be a voluntary effort. We shouldn't become conspiracy theorists. But we should recognize that governments around the world have, again and again, used disasters to gain power, and to hurt us. Moreover, there doesn't need to be a vast conspiracy in order for the government to hurt us. Shear incompetence is sufficient.