this post was submitted on 30 Oct 2023
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Just watched the Boy Boy video on George Bush’s Masterclass, and they made me think about which U.S. President was actually worse.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago (1 children)

You also have to consider that 100% of the war deaths were actively done with intent while spreading COVID was more passive and the result of a lot of idiots ignoring good practice. One is negligence, while the other is malice.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago* (last edited 10 months ago)

spreading COVID was more passive and the result of a lot of idiots ignoring good practice. One is negligence, while the other is malice.

When world leaders like Trump (1) ignore pandemic planning, (2) lie about the seriousness and gravity of the situation during the crucial early days and weeks of the pandemic, (3) turn pandemic precautions and public safety measures into just another pointless item in their culture war, and (4) spend just about every waking moment scapegoating scientists, fomenting conspiracy theories, and intentionally muddying the waters, it's can no longer be considered "negligence".

Right from the guy at the top, the Trump administration made calculated political decisions and came up with talking points that actively made COVID-19 worse, and we are still feeling the effects of it today. The pandemic may be "over" when it comes to public policy, but an incalculable number of people all over the world are still having health problems as a result of the virus (which is now endemic to humanity), and we are still very much in the middle of the economic fallout with still no end in sight.

Whether COVID was worse than the War on Terror is debatable and subjective (I'm not exactly a fan of either, frankly), but there's no doubt in my mind that the effects of COVID on global health and economics were much more wide-spread.