There's a concept in anthropology called "Ultimal vs. Proximal Cause " Ultimal meaning "if you keep doing that, ultimately this will happen". Proximal meaning, close enough to see and experience for yourself.
The average caveman will say "Cha, whatev" if you tell him that a week from now, a lion will be chasing him, and he better prepare for that now.
However, when a lion is actually chasing the caveman, he does alright at doing something about it, like running, rather than arguing with you about whether a lion is actually chasing him.
I was going to say Humans, in general, are historically pretty bad at responding to Ultimal causes, and then remembered that indigenous societies were actually pretty good at it, through generations of transmission of knowledge and ritual- that is, until European colonizers came along. Since White, European culture dominates the world right now, it's fair to say that most of the world is also really bad at responding to Ultimal cause, or even believing threats that they can't SEE exist. This is why we're so bad at dealing with global warming.
I say this because our responses to a threat don't necessarily have anything to do with intelligence. Your response has more to do with your experience. If you've been through a hard time or catastrophe before, and survived, you've probably taken steps to make sure that particular hardship never happens again- at least the parts that are within your control. If you don't, you likely won't survive the next catastrophe. That simple.
And I say this because I've seen a lot of dumb/lazy shaming on the interwebs lately, about how certain people aren't preparing enough or whatever, and that makes them stupid. Dudes. We're all stupid. If White civilization (and I use the term loosely) hadn't smashed up indigenous cultures worldwide and replaced honest-to-God lifesaving information with ads for Playstation and cosmetics, we would all be as "smart" as the First Ones.
In this theoretical framework, (which just might be real) as soon as the Deniers (of climate change, pandemics, poverty, this fucked up system, etc) actually experience the Ultimal cause as Proximal cause, they will do something about it.
Previous to now, the Elites have been able to live in this fantasy-world bubble of Everything Is Awesome and if not it's Your Fault.
But guess what? Mother Nature is a stone-cold genius, and instead of killing everyone in one fell swoop (which she was seriously considering, believe me) she let loose this little virus that won't necessarily kill you, but if/when you do catch it, you will definitely Experience things that you've never experienced before- especially if you're an elite.
Speaking for our country, here's a list of things that a critical mass of people will experience for the first time, that which they've been denying for at least 40 years.
*The reality that our "health-care system" is really just a lottery. Yes, even if you work full-time, have "good" insurance, and a treatable condition, the odds are not in your favor.
*The reality that our education system is broken, and teachers do a heroic job on a daily basis. It is not their fault that your kid is a little shit, it's yours. Homeschooling isn't all petting zoos and poetry, is it?
* The reality that "careers" are just fancified slavery. That people have been bought and paid for, just like the janitor down the hall. Actually, probably more than him or her, because she has no illusions about what a "job" is. People will start to question what work & labor means, what is worth their time and what is not, what they are worth.
There's more, but please comment below if you can think of some things that many people will experience for the first time and hence, GROK.
Daaaaaayyyyyyyuuuuuuummmmm Mother Nature, you are brilliant! I would kiss you, but that's not allowed rn.
😍
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