The Great Divorce: COVID-19 and the Absolution of the Social Contract
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By William Clements
April 8, 2020
It is the hope of the author that you show patience in reading this piece, as I am sure that for some, it may seem as though I am taking an exaggerated position regarding the negative impact that this pandemic will have on the United States and throughout the world. First, I send apologies to those readers who would, understandably, appreciate a more academic approach in their daily reads. However, given this situation, I have encountered extreme difficulty in approaching such a topic solely utilizing empirical measures and purely inductive and deductive logical calculations and formations. Therefore, I will rely mostly on compassion, empathy, and yes, to a degree, a healthy dose of fear.
Before we arrive at a proper destination regarding the divorce that I seek to introduce, we must first address the union of which the country was supposedly composed and view the hardships which fractured the wholeness of the union which I examine in this piece. The “marriage” or bond discussed is much like those between two faithful partners; however, this union bound an individual with his or her culture within the United States of America. The union was introduced to us by the great philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract. As he eloquently prescribed in 1762, “As soon as any woman or man says of the affairs of the state what does it matter to me? The State may be given up for lost.” This identifies a very ideological position shared by conservatives and liberals alike of all age groups, races and socioeconomic classes, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these widely ignored sentiments are being drawn to the forefront of society.
Those like me and my wife, a biologist, have watched with a high degree of alarm at the hordes of individuals who are being pained by this awful illness. Nonetheless, in the midst of this unbelievably contagious virus that is festering and has taken the lives of nearly 10,000 Americans to-date, it is appalling to see the even more vast number of individuals who are not abiding by governmental mandates, neglecting social distancing and good hygiene and ignoring even the slightest concern for infecting the most vulnerable amongst us. This represents one of the signs of the oncoming divorce: apathy. For those of us who take medications regularly, we must interact with our pharmacists for various reasons while others must interact with tellers at the grocery store and with the friendly neighborhood gas station clerk. Terrifyingly, many of the participants within this union are influenced by the power of selective television stations that detrimentally produce two polarized versions of the same truth and simply produce a degree of delusion which sets apathy in motion. The partisanship derived from the hills of Washington has far exceeded compassion for those within our communities and neighborhoods. This is representative of the second sign of the oncoming divorce: an extreme lack of compassion.
Due to an almost dogmatic attitude which many of us have towards a political party and figures therein, we are experiencing a tremendous degree of communication shortfalls. As with any union, either societal or personal, there must remain an avenue of open, honest and empathetic modes of communication. Unfortunately, it seems as if there are no attempts even made by any network to deliver the information without spin which is either positive or negative. To be honest, it is simply appalling.
In many “domestic” marriages, finances play a huge role in the maintenance and sustainability. Unfortunately, this pandemic is indiscriminate and unforgiving. If we are to view the American populace as being subject to a shared social contract, we are forced to acknowledge that financial hardships are unavoidable obstacles from which we are only beginning to experience the current birth pangs. There have been a growing number of journalists who have begun to focus on a serious problem that so many of our neighbors face. How do you stay home if you’re homeless? This leads to our third and possibly the strongest sign of the brewing divorce: financial woes. For years, it was easy for many of us to rise in the morning, have breakfast with our families, grab a to-go cup of coffee or cappuccino, and then turn off our concern for the less fortunate among us such as those who were sitting under the bypass or requesting spare change at the stoplight. However, as we spend more time with our families, we may experience these treasured moments within our homes with a degree of guilt, shame and even injustice. If we do not feel these feelings, is it possible that it is “we” who have agreed to the terms of this Great Divorce?
Author: William Clements, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Psychology at higher education institutions. He possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies, a Master of Science degree in Forensic Psychology (concentration in Legal Systems), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Policy and Administration (concentration in Public Management and Leadership). He is also a research fellow at the Institute for Polarities of Democracy. He has served in the field of public service for 12 plus years and is a well-read enthusiast for topics of economics, politics, homeland security, and most of all, public policy. Email: [email protected]
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The Great Divorce: COVID-19 and the Absolution of the Social Contract
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ASPA as an organization.
By William Clements
April 8, 2020
It is the hope of the author that you show patience in reading this piece, as I am sure that for some, it may seem as though I am taking an exaggerated position regarding the negative impact that this pandemic will have on the United States and throughout the world. First, I send apologies to those readers who would, understandably, appreciate a more academic approach in their daily reads. However, given this situation, I have encountered extreme difficulty in approaching such a topic solely utilizing empirical measures and purely inductive and deductive logical calculations and formations. Therefore, I will rely mostly on compassion, empathy, and yes, to a degree, a healthy dose of fear.
Before we arrive at a proper destination regarding the divorce that I seek to introduce, we must first address the union of which the country was supposedly composed and view the hardships which fractured the wholeness of the union which I examine in this piece. The “marriage” or bond discussed is much like those between two faithful partners; however, this union bound an individual with his or her culture within the United States of America. The union was introduced to us by the great philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Social Contract. As he eloquently prescribed in 1762, “As soon as any woman or man says of the affairs of the state what does it matter to me? The State may be given up for lost.” This identifies a very ideological position shared by conservatives and liberals alike of all age groups, races and socioeconomic classes, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these widely ignored sentiments are being drawn to the forefront of society.
Those like me and my wife, a biologist, have watched with a high degree of alarm at the hordes of individuals who are being pained by this awful illness. Nonetheless, in the midst of this unbelievably contagious virus that is festering and has taken the lives of nearly 10,000 Americans to-date, it is appalling to see the even more vast number of individuals who are not abiding by governmental mandates, neglecting social distancing and good hygiene and ignoring even the slightest concern for infecting the most vulnerable amongst us. This represents one of the signs of the oncoming divorce: apathy. For those of us who take medications regularly, we must interact with our pharmacists for various reasons while others must interact with tellers at the grocery store and with the friendly neighborhood gas station clerk. Terrifyingly, many of the participants within this union are influenced by the power of selective television stations that detrimentally produce two polarized versions of the same truth and simply produce a degree of delusion which sets apathy in motion. The partisanship derived from the hills of Washington has far exceeded compassion for those within our communities and neighborhoods. This is representative of the second sign of the oncoming divorce: an extreme lack of compassion.
Due to an almost dogmatic attitude which many of us have towards a political party and figures therein, we are experiencing a tremendous degree of communication shortfalls. As with any union, either societal or personal, there must remain an avenue of open, honest and empathetic modes of communication. Unfortunately, it seems as if there are no attempts even made by any network to deliver the information without spin which is either positive or negative. To be honest, it is simply appalling.
In many “domestic” marriages, finances play a huge role in the maintenance and sustainability. Unfortunately, this pandemic is indiscriminate and unforgiving. If we are to view the American populace as being subject to a shared social contract, we are forced to acknowledge that financial hardships are unavoidable obstacles from which we are only beginning to experience the current birth pangs. There have been a growing number of journalists who have begun to focus on a serious problem that so many of our neighbors face. How do you stay home if you’re homeless? This leads to our third and possibly the strongest sign of the brewing divorce: financial woes. For years, it was easy for many of us to rise in the morning, have breakfast with our families, grab a to-go cup of coffee or cappuccino, and then turn off our concern for the less fortunate among us such as those who were sitting under the bypass or requesting spare change at the stoplight. However, as we spend more time with our families, we may experience these treasured moments within our homes with a degree of guilt, shame and even injustice. If we do not feel these feelings, is it possible that it is “we” who have agreed to the terms of this Great Divorce?
Author: William Clements, Ph.D., is a Professor of Criminal Justice and Psychology at higher education institutions. He possesses a Bachelor of Science degree in Justice Studies, a Master of Science degree in Forensic Psychology (concentration in Legal Systems), and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Public Policy and Administration (concentration in Public Management and Leadership). He is also a research fellow at the Institute for Polarities of Democracy. He has served in the field of public service for 12 plus years and is a well-read enthusiast for topics of economics, politics, homeland security, and most of all, public policy. Email: [email protected]
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