2/ There’s a tendency in moments of crisis to believe: this changes everything, and I’ve heard and read some sweeping claims from the fall of capitalism to a rewilding of the world, but I would suggest this will change nothing.

3/ Any student of history is repeatedly face with humanity’s stubborn inability to learn lessons. Look at how the mistakes of the Korean War were repeated almost exactly during the Vietnam War.

4/ Or note how financial crisis after crisis has led to a brief anger at bankers followed by a slashing and more lasting attack on welfare provisions.

5/ The pandemic is already becoming partisan with the right interpreting the success of social distancing as showing that social distancing wasn’t needed in the first place.

6/ People who have lost their jobs armed with a a skepticism of science that has been formented for years will make a ready audience for such narratives. Even anti-vaxers with their usual brand of lunacy proving unpopular have moved to blaming 5G for the neverending conspiracy

7/ ... of everything that’s shit having been decided in a room. Of course there will be some changes. We’ll probably wash our hands more and shake them less just as AIDS made people practice safe sex.

8/But anyone waiting for a reinvention of capitalism or a revolution even are going to be sorely disappointed especially as they assume it naturally will occur and let their guard down. As Yeats said the best lack all conviction and the worst are always on Fox and Facebook. //END