Finding comfort in a post-truth world
…starting at an anti-vax rally in Vancouver.
Today was supposed to be a “me” day. This week I finally found myself able to relax and spend more time with myself, something long overdue after a hectic and fast-paced 2021 thus far.
They didn’t consider my wellness.
Frankly, they chose not to consider anyone’s wellness — even their own. I wasn’t expecting to play audience to one of B.C.’s largest anti-vaccine protests this afternoon, but here I am, angrily writing, and there they are, cheering. The wave of protestors gathered at Cambie and 12th in Vancouver, right in front of City Hall. Although initially paralyzed by disbelief, I looked over from my balcony and quickly fell into desperate anger. I knew I wanted to head down and get a better look — half expecting it not to be real when I got there, like some distant mirage of ignorance I had only imagined.
Today was supposed to be a “me” day.
I speak only ironically, of course — I don’t believe that a relaxing day to myself takes priority over such a putrid display of disconnectedness. The very concept of being able to take a “me” day is laced in privilege anyway. More interestingly, however, is how today’s happenings enticed my underlying nihilism to rear its ugly head. It is a perfect encapsulation of my angst coming to fruition, as my long-overdue rest time is overtaken by an emotionally draining event (let alone a huge public health risk) completely out of my control. So, like any young and handsome journalist would, I put on my mask and flip flops, puffed my chest, and ventured into the madness.
“Look at the size of this crowd!” they howl into the swarm, greeted with warm, roaring applause. They stand out immediately, despite their muted, slender frame — though perhaps the reflective security vest earns partial credit. Their head glowed a brilliant red under the hot sun — oh, nevermind — that’s just their “Make Abortion Illegal Again” snapback. Charming, isn’t it?
If you think I chose only to capture the worst of it, there’s more compiled later.
Look, I’m no medical professional, and I don’t intend to write about the vaccines. The science is there, the sample size creates evidence on its own, and what it comes down to is that the vaccines are working as expected (and in some ways, better than). If you don’t believe that, I lack the energy and expertise to convince you otherwise, and I direct you elsewhere. If you don’t trust the scientific community, there’s not much I can do to convince you — though I’m willing to beg.
What I’ll write about instead is something I do understand, quite intimately: this long-present emotional exhaustion we’re collectively enduring. A seemingly unavoidable pessimism made stronger through daily echo chambers of misinformation. Though the scale of behaviours can vary, their impact on our collective mental health remains. The question I always return to is one of outlook and hope: what will it take for real, positive change? If we can’t agree on the obvious, transcendent concerns like COVID or climate change, what can we hope to agree on?
What does post-truth mean?
What I describe as post-truth was defined as the Oxford Dictionaries 2016 “word of the year” as relating to circumstances where objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. This reality is present in most mainstream media platforms now, with certain services like Facebook notorious for enabling (and profiting from) the issue.
Scientific communication is extra difficult to achieve. A widespread rise in distrust towards scientific enterprises pairs with an overwhelming incentive to create misleading news sources (increased clicks & revenue), and our unregulated social platforms enable the cycle. Through COVID-19 we’re seeing systems in play that intrude upon our ability to function as a collective, and they are powerful enough to dramatically shift political tides and outcomes (see the 2016 US and 2017 French presidential elections.
“CNRS and EHESS researchers analyzed nearly 60 million political tweets posted during the 2017 presidential election in France. They noted that fake news flagged by the Le Monde Decodex fact-checking website accounted for only 0.1% of all Twitter content, and that 73% of the bogus information was spread by two political communities. Their findings are published in PLOS ONE (September 19, 2018).”
Roping back to the anti-vax protest happening right now, it helps to acknowledge this post-truth reality to understand this blasphemous situation: the irony and shamelessness in protesting hospitals — the ones caring for unvaccinated patients suffering from COVID-19 in beds that could’ve gone to others in need. I choose to blame our post-truth landscape because the alternative is too depressing.
There is a lot of excellent writing about the post-truth world by people far more brilliant than I, so I’ll send you here instead.
What can we do?
A million-dollar question. Some have raised claims that social networks and media conglomerates like TV news stations must be held accountable for the content living within them. Others point to journalists themselves, or various levels of relevant governments in their countries. If I could answer that question, I’d be rich enough to get COVID-19 in the US and pay off my hospital bill!
In other ways, there are things we can do on an individual and day-to-day level. It’s somewhat awkward to offer mental health advice as a response to these issues, but I’m going to anyway: continue to check in with yourself. If you’re finding yourself emotionally affected by the world around you, that’s completely natural, and many others feel the same way. Do not shy away from the mental health resources available to you — they exist for a reason.
Investment in mental health on a broader scale will absolutely prove necessary coming out of the pandemic. We must look at it as nonnegotiable for public health on the tail end of this saga. These issues, if left ignored, only lead to more issues in turn— which is fitting if you reference a city like Vancouver, which has been drowning in an opioid crisis (declared as a public health emergency 5 years ago now). We’re a community vulnerable to mental illness, and waiting until post-pandemic to look at buffing up our mental health resources will render us avoidably late. The mental health sector is already underfunded, and we know that the pandemic has left many worse for wear. To not prepare is to commit a disservice towards public health, and ironically, costs us and our government far more in the long run. Now is the time to get loud and make that demand heard.
If you’re verging towards the wrong side of history, it isn’t too late to wake up. Exercise the same skepticism you’ve been equipped with for the content that is targeted to you. Talk to people from all walks of life. Learn to listen and live with empathy.
As I reflect upon what I’ve written here, I find myself unsure of any concrete point I’m trying to make — which I think is okay. I had to share my experience from today to lift this heavy anger from my chest. I saw some wacky characters at the protest, sure, but I also saw a lot of seemingly normal and happy people. I saw families with children taking photos with signs like they were out hitting the town for a parade. It was chilling.
I also wanted to share some resources for us to continue to learn and to question. Thank you for indulging me.
How funny — today was supposed to be a “me” day.
If you want to learn more about today’s B.C. protests, read below.
If you live in British Columbia, and are interested in mental health services, I highly recommend Foundry. They offer free video counselling sessions of a quality rivaling private counsellors — I speak from experience. There are a ton of local organizations putting in amazing work every day, and I’d be remiss not to mention the Canadian Mental Health Association as well, as they’ve been great not only to our communities in need but to me personally as an event partner.
