Our successor to This Week in the Guardian, This Week in the New Normal is our weekly chart of the progress of autocracy, authoritarianism and economic restructuring around the world.
1. Epstein Barr – the next big vaccine push?
Epstein-Barr is the virus which causes glandular fever (mono, for our American readers). It is one of the most common viruses in the world, almost never fatal, and the vast majority of infections are asymptomatic.
Word on the street is that Spotify is removing Neil Young’s music after he made them choose between him and Joe Rogan.
Choosing freedom of speech over censorship. Well done Spotify!
A Trip Down the Misinformation Memory Lane, brought to you by Joe Biden:
“I wouldn’t demand it (the vaccine) to be mandatory but I would do everything in my power. It’s like I don’t think masks have to be made mandatory nationwide.” (Pres. Candidate Biden, 2020)
“I feel confident by summer we’ll be well on our way towards herd immunity and increasing access.” (Early 2021)
“You’re not going to get COVID if you have these vaccinations,” (July 21, 2021)
“For the unvaccinated, you’re looking at a winter of severe illness and death for yourselves, your families, and the hospitals you may soon overwhelm.” (Fall, 2021)
“I was in DC this weekend to support bodily sovereignty while Canadian truckers were rallying for their cross-country, peaceful convoy in support of the same thing,” Lilly said. “I believe nobody should ever be forced to inject their body with anything, against their will, under threat of: violent attack, arrest or detention without trial, loss of employment, homelessness, starvation, loss of education, alienation from loved ones, excommunication from society … under any threat whatsoever.”
“This is not the way,” the “Ant-Man” actress continued. “This is not safe. This is not healthy. This is not love. I understand the world is in fear, but I don’t believe that answering fear with force will fix our problems.”
