Thankless Giving

My wife and I are fortunate here in Oregon in that all of our loved ones live at least 2,000 miles away, so we won’t be getting together with anyone but ourselves next week for Thanksgiving.  As you’re no doubt aware, others are defying the obvious and planning big to-dos with lots of food and people and the potential for illness and death.

How lovely.

Some are quite demonstrative in their demands for freedom and turkey.  So those of who realize that the first Thanksgiving was also a time for sharing and caring and spreading deadly viruses to the natives need also to be vigilant and just as demonstrative in our pleading – FOR GAWDS SAKE STAY THE FUCK HOME.

If common sense won’t convince you, perhaps this will.  No doubt you’ve seen or heard about the South Dakota nurse who tweeted her experiences with virus doubters…in the hospital…while sick…continuing to believe it’s all a hoax and not real…up to the very moment of death.  Incredible, but true.  She says they, “…don’t believe the virus is real ... while gasping for breath on 100% Vapotherm.”  It’s not just an isolated phenomenon, she says, while adding “And their last, dying words are, ‘This can’t be happening. It’s not real.’ "

Dang.  Talk about a hard sell.

The other thing I’d like to offer in evidence is a thought experiment.  What if I could convince you that if people try to get together for the Thanksgiving holiday (or the upcoming rush of December festivals), that cases are sure to rise?  What if I could SHOW you that this has actually happened?  Sure, the COVID-19 virus wasn’t around for our last Thanksgiving, but did you know we’re not the only country that celebrates such an occasion.  In fact, our neighbors to the north not only have such an event (and they look just like us only more polite), they actually call it “Thanksgiving.”  They do it in October (on the same day we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day aka the Day formerly known as Columbus Day).  Even in Canada where they love hockey and maple syrup and generally do as they’re told, Canadians bucked the good advice and common sense and got together for family gatherings and more for Thanksgiving.

And what happened?

So in the words of my Canadian friend, “FOR GAWDS SAKE STAY THE FUCK HOME, EH?”