A few thoughtful media articles have recently cited medieval tales and diaries on the 1664-1665 European bubonic plague pandemic, showing remarkable similarities in society’s behavior then to our current coronavirus pandemic, e.g., distancing, rumors galore, misinformation from governmental authorities and casting blame on the “other.” Daniel Defoe’s “A Journal of the Plague Year,” Samuel Pepys’s “Diary,” or Giovanni Boccaccio’s “Decameron” are the best examples. The similarities to our current condition are remarkable. Literature can have a way of illustrating scenarios that can show us how human nature and behavior haven’t changed much in hundreds of years.

Some us may be familiar from school or elsewhere with Henrik Ibsen’s classic 1882 play, “An Enemy of the People,” adapted by Arthur Miller to a modern version of the play, and seen in several films. This play has incredible similarities of human behavior to our current coronavirus pandemic and some moral lessons as well. Briefly, the play is about a doctor in a small town who discovers a potentially dangerous pollution problem in the town’s waters just prior to the opening of a health spa where tourists are expected to flock to take the waters. The town fathers, and particularly the local businessmen and the town’s mayor, can hardly restrain their enthusiasm for the anticipated great financial boom that will benefit the town as the spa gains popularity. The town doctor, representing objective science in his discovery of the pollution problem, becomes a major threat to the continued operation of the spa, and the local business community, newspaper, politicians and the town in general rise up to refute the doctor and ultimately ruin his reputation. This tale sure rang a bell for me!

The designation “enemy of the people” or “enemy of the state” has been used by authoritarian leaders such as Joseph Stalin, directed at a group in society that is purportedly trying to damage the state and the government or society overall. President Trump has repeatedly used the expression directed at the press. Now try to imagine the discovery of a life-threatening virus that is spreading around the country and the world threatening not only lives, but business conditions, employment, markets and even the outcome of political elections. Well, we don’t have to “imagine” it, that’s for sure! We are living this situation now. Who then is the “enemy of the people” in the context of Ibsen’s play and currently in our pandemic situation here in the United States? In the play, of course, it was the spoiler—the doctor and scientist. And today who might be the spoilers? You guessed, I’m sure. Why, it’s Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr, Rick Bright and any scientists who objectively fly in the face of our president and his Republican cohorts and who dare to face up to the truth for the welfare of lives in this country. For President Trump, rigorous adherence to life-saving practices and enduring the time it takes to discover a palliative medicine or vaccine can result in a poorly performing stock market, a business slow-down and even a very serious recession, all of which threaten his re-election.

In recent days and weeks, we’ve experienced our president’s panic and desperate behavior, poorly informed speculation, threats and name-calling, misleading direction and erratic leadership. This behavior has a remarkable parallel to the self-serving events in “An Enemy of the People” where the doctor and scientist who stood for truth and honesty, with some risk, is subject to being cast out by the government and business community. Even more remarkable is President Trump’s unwitting use of the expression “enemy of the people” without understanding (he doesn’t read!) the implicit connotation that it’s use, historically and in literature, has always been directed at the truth seekers and heroes of society. Fortunately for us, our scientists and medical heroes, like Dr. Fauci, Dr. Bright and their associates, are willing to risk the autocratic vindictiveness of President Trump and continue to give us hope.

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