CW: mention of one settler-colonial tool of Indigenous genocide-- the spread of disease

"It is really because of Divine Providence that the Indians have diminished because of the continuity of epidemic diseases, for among such a multitude of different characters there are many restless, haughty, and seditious elements." --Spanish Missionary Father Luis Velarde, 1716

This quote leads off chapter 14 of "In Defense of the Sacred" by Klee Benally. This chapter describes COVID-19's impact on Diné peoples, and the ways some came together to provide care.

1716-2026... nothing, at the root, has changed. Just the diseases and the methods may appear different. The words are obscured under euphemism. Turds painted gold are still turds.

#SettlerCulture #COVID19 #KleeBenally #ResourceColonialism #SettlerColonialism #WhiteSupremacyIsViolence #WhitenessIsSupremacy #ThePandemicIsNotOver #MaskUp

You know how everyone is catching the flu? Decided to buck the trend by coming down with my first case of Covid since 2022.

Finally down to normal human temperature levels after three days of abject misery…

#ThePandemicIsNotOver

Holy severe fatigue!

"The PMC model estimates 468,000 to 1,870,000 new cases of #LongCovid per week at current transmission levels"

PER WEEK! 😱

Annnnnnnd........

"Over 1,300,000 Americans are now being infected with #Covid each day"

EACH DAY! 😱

And its back-to-school time...

Tra-la-la nobody cares because "it's endemic now".

They say that like it's a good thing...

#FAFO #ThePandemicIsNotOver

https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/08/13/qmqx-a13.html

"Zoom was one of the pandemic winners it felt like."

What a terrible way to describe a company. The pandemic isn't over, and no one won anything. We all lost so much, some more than others.

https://www.theverge.com/2024/6/3/24168733/zoom-ceo-ai-clones-digital-twins-videoconferencing-decoder-interview

#thepandemicisnotover

Newly available:

"Only the Old and Sick will Die": reproducing 'eugenic visuality' in covid 19 data visualization

COVID-19 illness and death has disproportionately impacted marginalized groups the world over. In the United States, Black and Indigenous people have endured the largest risk of death. Disabled and chronically ill people have continued to isolate as their peers “return to normal”, bearing sole liability for their own safety in a society that deems their lives not worth the “sacrifice” of public health measures. While public and institutional policy makers bare personal responsibility for “survival of the fittest” approaches to public health, data science and visualization has contributed to and legitimized many of these eugenic policy decisions through design tropes I characterize as ‘eugenic visuality’. In this paper, I explore how inadequacies and obscurities in COVID-19 data visualization have contributed to and sustained public narratives that devalue marginalized lives for the comfort of white-supremacist and capitalist social norms. While I focus on visualizations and statements provided by the CDC, the implications extend beyond any individual or institution to our collective preconceptions and values. Namely, unexamined biases and unquestioned norms are embedded in data science and visualization, constraining how data is represented and interpreted. These assumptions limit how data can be leveraged in the pursuit of just social policy. Therefore, I propose guiding principles for a Just Visuality in data science and representation, supported by the work of disabled activists and scholars of color.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10227111

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/373448965_Only_the_Old_and_Sick_Will_Die_-_Reproducing_'Eugenic_Visuality'_in_COVID-19_Data_Visualization

Or find my email.

#COVID19 #CovidIsAirborn #ThePandemicIsNotOver #Eugenics #Metaeugenics

#WFH #ReturnToOffice #OfficeReset

So they finally announced that they want people back in the office.
Before the pandemic, we had 15% of the workers who were "remote" workers. My entire team (which isn't very large) has been remote for at least five years.
When the pandemic started, remote worker numbers jumped to 50%.
Today, they have finally mandated that everybody who was not remote before the pandemic has to plan to be in the office four days a week and managers have to be in the office every day.
They've said that everybody who was hired as "remote" before the pandemic started will still be allowed to work "remote". So I will be fine.

I mean, #ThePandemicIsNotOver, right?
We have offices across the US South so mask mandates are a complete non-starter.
Also, all the talk about "people psychologically need to be around other people" is bullshit because I'm #ActuallyAutisic and I work much better when not surrounded by random sounds, voices, and the danger of unwanted drivebys.

Again, I'm fine. I get to work from home. But I am not the only #ND person who has benefited from working remotely who feels like the "you must be around people" line the exact opposite of what some people "need".

Our company strives for diversity in gender, nationality, and skin color but obviously doesn't feel the same way about #NeuroDiversity or they would have already known this.

My manager doesn't have to go to an office even though he lives within 45 minutes of one and we will still post our jobs as "100% remote" but the fact that the company as a whole is moving away from that is disheartening. It's not surprising in the least. But it is disheartening, nonetheless.

Hello! Here is your semi-regular reminder to a) wear a mask when going into inside pubic spaces (esp if there isn't good air circulation/if it's crowded), b) take an LFT regularly, and (at minimum!) before visiting anyone who's even slightly at risk of getting Covid worse than average.

The pandemic is not over. And it is still worth taking our own steps to reduce transmission.

#Covid19 #ThePandemicIsNotOver