The Disease

The Disease is a pandemic, infecting millions of us around the world.

We are all vulnerable to varying degrees. The Disease is shockingly fatal to human populations, but even those who survive seem to be scarred and damaged in insidious ways that may be chronic. We struggle to find treatments that are effective for those infected.

A vaccine for the Disease would be wonderful, but experts haven’t yet been successful. Others don’t believe that a vaccine for the Disease is even possible. Some don’t believe in vaccines at all, while a surprising portion of us don’t believe there even is a Disease — it’s all a hoax, a conspiracy.

The Disease makes dealing with Covid-19 seem easy.

Unlike Covid-19, the symptoms of the Disease are not physical. Infected people have no fever, chills, or cough. They may even live a normal lifespan, unaware of their status as carriers and spreaders of the Disease. Unable to see the damage they are causing to others, to their entire community, and thus to themselves and their loved ones.

The Disease infects our minds.

The infected lose respect for objective information with which to make rational decisions. Healthy mental processes are overruled and prosocial feelings like empathy are increasingly shoved aside, even seen as weak.

The Disease causes the infected to develop warped perspectives of other people. It causes the vivid belief in fictional conspiracies and demonization of people outside of their political tribes.

Boundaries are drawn and hardened between Us and Them.

The Disease causes racial fear and hatred, inhumane treatment of fellow humans, and in the most extreme cases, mass violence and genocide of members of our own species.

Fear, hate, and kill.

The Disease is not new.

Throughout the history of humankind, there are numerous records and evidence of genocide and other mass atrocities. From perhaps the first recorded genocide in Carthage in 150 BC, to the more than 30 significant acts of genocide and mass violence in the 20th century and the active genocides being inflicted today, history demonstrates the chronic nature of the Disease.

It may be that our predisposition to the Disease is part of our genetic makeup.

Perhaps we have hardwiring that causes an extreme fear-hate-kill reaction when we encounter ‘the other.’ For instance, there may have been as many as six species of humans alive during early prehistoric times (see Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari). Our species, Homo Sapiens, emerged after several other human species, like Homo Neanderthalensis, had become established. Evidently, in a remarkably short period of time in archeological terms, our triumphant species walked the earth alone…

There is evidence that animals other than humans occasionally engage in genocide-like behavior within their own species. For example, some chimpanzees have been documented killing every member of rival bands. But this seems like territorial competition. We humans have taken the nightmare far beyond territory — to the level of ideas.

The modes of transmission of the Disease are different from all other illnesses. Instead of a virus, bacteria, or fungus entering our body, it seems that the Disease is instigated by ideas that trigger reactions of fear and hate, as well as reactions like disgust, grievance, and desire for revenge. The Disease spreads within a group as these charged ideas are shared, enhanced, and reinforced by members of the group.

When malignant ideas reverberate with sufficient volume and frequency, infected humans are primed for horrific acts against other human beings…even fellow citizens of the same society.

Even their neighbors.

Many physical diseases involve vectors, which are third-party organisms that transmit the infection. For example, malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes and the bubonic plague was transmitted by fleas. The vectors of the Disease are the superspreaders of the charged ideas causing fear-hate-kill reactions in the infected. Historically, a charismatic leader often played a key role as a vector of the Disease. In modern history, politically targeted print media, radio, television and online and social media are active sources of infectious spread.

In this Disease of malignant ideas, Fox’s opinion hosts and talk radio stars like Rush Limbaugh are super spreaders.

They are not alone; conspiratorial, fear-mongering voices on YouTube and the dark corners of the Internet amplify and spread the Disease as well.

It is not only the right-wing that is infected; there are those on the left who have closed their eyes to the humanity of others and a rational understanding of the world, as well.

But the Disease is opportunistic. Like any disease, it wants to spread and will find the easiest path to its cruel victory. Right now that easiest path, for a variety of historical reasons, appears to be increasingly through triggering the fear and hate on the right, while co-opting vulnerable people of any persuasion.

And the primary vector of the Disease is our waning president, Donald J. Trump, who is desperately trying to resist being rejected by the collective host, while deepening the infection that affects us all. His mode of instilling the infection is by promoting fear: fear of a loss of our traditional ‘way of life’; fear of a loss of ways to make a living; fear of hordes of brown people illegally breeching our southern border, fear of mobs of angry black people burning and looting our cities; fear of Marxists/socialists/liberals and ultimately democrats in general. Trump began campaigning on fear long before he was an official candidate. Distilling fear has been his primary strategy as President, knowing that when our brains are saturated in fear, our survival wiring overrides rational thought. Donald has been anything but original in using this approach to wield power. Fear has been the primary strategy used by totalitarian and facist rulers throughout history.

Even if he loses his fight to stay in power, Trump and his powerful super spreaders are building an army of resentful, angry voters who will be loyal to them and their cause of defeating “the enemy” — other American human beings — for years to come.

America, it’s time to wake up to the danger within.

I don’t just mean the danger within the country — I mean the danger within ourselves. None of us are immune to the Disease that has ravaged human civilizations for thousands of years, and possibly from the very beginning.

The question is, if we recognize our human propensity to fear, hate, and kill — can we stop it before it’s too late this time?

Wake up America