Today’s passage, is an excerpt taken from an interview with Dr. Gabor Mate, on Russell Brand’s podcast, “Under the skin”. Dr. Gabor Maté  is a physician, leading expert in childhood development and trauma. He spoke briefly on the topic of Covid-19 and the swiftness in which scientist developed a vaccine, at one point during this conversation he noted, 

“In an astonishing short period of time the scientists have developed a vaccine that is saving a lot of lives.” He makes the point that many more people die from air pollution than Covid-19, yet the same sense of urgency to fix air pollution to save lives doesn’t exist. Dr. Maté  theorizes an explanation for this, stating, “The difference was Covid-19 threatens the economy whereas air pollution or tobacco use does not. Covid-19 threatens the economy and tobacco does not, smoking makes profits. So the driving motive is not human suffering but profit or loss, which is the value of this society, which is why I call this a toxic culture.”

What others times in our culture has human suffering been ignored?

Take NRA and number of people who lose their lives to gun violence and the rise of mass shootings in America. Congress hasn’t historically taken action because certain members profit from the NRA, it’s a special interest lobbying group that uses their substantial budget to influence members of Congress to be lenient on gun policies.

It took Shannon Watts, a regular Mom, posting on Facebook on December 15th 2012 to create a movement that would help take down the NRA’s power over legislature. In 2012, on Facebook she wrote, “As a Mom I can no longer sit on the sidelines. I am too angry.  Women were a hugely impactful force in the 2012 election, and we can do that again on this issue. Let’s march in DC in 2013 and demand the reinstitution of an assault weapons ban, and other practical laws that will limit access to guns in America. Don’t let anyone tell you we can’t talk about this tragedy now. They’ve said the same after Virginia Tech, Gabby Giffords, Aurora.  The time is now, please share this link”.  Shannon Watt’s group, “Moms Demand Action” became a national movement.  And, on January 15, 2021 the Associated Press reported that the NRA had declared bankruptcy. And a side note, in order to evade accountability the NRA had planned to incorporate in Texas – a move New York’s Attorney General Letitia James has since successfully blocked. 

Another example of human suffering ignored is police brutality. After weeks of consistent marching for police reform in the name and memory of George Floyd, Governor Cuomo signed  repeal for the ‘50-a’ bill, a decades old bill that had allowed N.Y. police disciplinary records be kept secret from the public even in the face of reported police brutality. Governor Cuomo stated, “The truth is this: Police reform is long overdue, and Mr. Floyd’s murder is just the most recent murder," Cuomo said. “It’s about being here before — many, many times before.” So in understanding that this is the case, why didn’t Governor Cuomo act sooner? Why wasn’t this measure taken when Eric Garner lost his life in 2014 to a police chokehold saying, “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe” which sparked the Black Lives Matter movement. 

One can only deduce that in this toxic culture, the only way to stop human suffering, is for the people to take massive amounts of action.

For Russell Brand's full interview: http://luminary.link/Russell
For Dr. Gabor's website: https://drgabormate.com
Connect with me: Instagram.com/megan_nycmom