-1. There are two heroes in this photo taken in Colorado during April 2020, the first full year of the global Covid pandemic.
-2. Calling both heroes however is a speculation. I’ve seen other articles and photos from the event, and the video of this actual incident, but one can never be absolutely sure if an act is heroic or cowardly. Personally, the only certainty I have from the image is a feeling of weltschmerz – deep world weary embarrassment.
-3. One of the people pictured is showing the short term bravery of someone whipped into a mob frenzy, fueled by a virulent xenophobic nationalism. They are protecting their individual rights, without regard for responsibilities to community health. The screaming is citing a questionable national identity, possibly because they believe there will be no personal consequences, that they are not going to cause harm because Covid is not a real threat, making public health measures more costly than the disease itself.
-4. The other person in the picture is displaying the long term courage of protecting the health of a community, of their fellow workers. They are wearing a mask, being silent, taking the risk of being severely injured. However, many health care workers have left the profession due to the continuing stress of continuing Covid and threats.
-5. Both these heroes may have become infected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus at a later date, possibly dying. One because they would not mask, and likely refused to vaccinate. They may have also infected family and friends, either the ideological or pathogenic infections. Some of these contagions may have long term sequela from Covid, and the detrimental cognitive dissonance and ideation needed to maintain beliefs that conflict with validated evidence.
-A. The other may become infected from lack of medical grade personal protective equipment, and being constantly exposed to those who have been infected in both senses, possibly from the same event.
-6. Did they both feel fear for their acts of protest/ counterprotest, protection/ guarding, offense/ defense. Cowards and heroes have fear in common, but maybe one or both did not feel fear. Are they still then heroes, or blind zealots.
-7. One of the heroes is absolutely certain, making a clear choice because of who they choose to believe about what is real and what is fake. The other is making a decision from evolving and therefore uncertain evidence. Both have faith in what they believe. Both are right, but in different ways. Both are scared of the other but express this by bellicose intimidation or unflappable by intimidations.
-A. What is it like knowing what will happen if they don’t stand in the way of the bravado of mob panic, or the intransigence of the Other.
-8. These heroes reflect the groups they identify with, the ones that see them as either a proud hero or an evil loser. They are representative of distinct types of leaders and followers, the ones that want purity, and those that tolerate difference.
-9. Maybe neither thinks of themselves as heroes, just someone that did what needed to be done, irritated at being called heroes when there were real heroes.
-10. It can be argued that there is no such thing as a hero, but individuals who found themselves in the circumstances of a time and place that made them heroes (or obsequious sycophants). As the myths and legends about the CV syndemic develop, history will evolve to decide what these two people were.
-11. Quote: You also had some very fine people on both sides.
-12. The following are related stub notes by key character string, that give the fuller context – and therefor the meaning – of protests during Covid. These character strings do not cover all the available material on a topic collected by parademic and other sources. They are a start for meta analysis and deeper research.
-A. Hero: 201231-CV22, 201226-CV24, 201208-CV30.1B, 201207-CV09, 201115-CV02.1, 201110-CV15, 201005-CV10, 201002-CV18B, 200903-CV27B, 200830-CV23, 200822-CV03.1, 200726-CV33B, 200704-CV12A, 200530-CV04.1 -CV06B, 200528-CV02A, 200527-CV22, 200524-CV23B, -CV12B, 200517-CV12B, 200513-CV23.1, 200511-CV22, 200504-CV29A, 200502-CV23, 200429-CV18, 200411-CV08, 200406-CV4, 200405-CV6B, <CONT 200223-200112-2¶>1P.
-B. Protest – Anti Mask, Anti Vaccine, Anti Lockdown, Counter Protests, Police, Mass Gatherings, Political, Black Lives Matter, Floyd, Climate Change, Churches, Business: 210103-CV23 all, 201228-CV29A, 201221-CV23, 201218-CV28A, 201216-CV01C, 201215-CV12A, 201214-CV23.1, 201213-CV30, 201202-CV29C, 201128-CV07, 201126-CV33A, 201118-CV17, 201115-CV18, 201106-CV23.1, 201104-CV24, 201102-CV23, 201101-CV05 -CV29, 201031-CV01A, 201025-CV23A, 201020-CV23, 201016-CV03C, 201013-CV01, 201011-CV23A, 201008-CV26, 201003-CV33.1, 200929-CV33, 200924-CV01, 200919-CV17, 200917-CV09, 200909-CV08A, 200907-CV23.2 -A, 200905-CV01, 200829-CV18, 200828-CV01B -C, 200827-CV27A, 200825-CV33 -A, 200823-1H, 200822-CV22, 200809-CV27A, 200802-CV23A, 200801-CV06.1, 200731-CV33 -C, 200729-CV27, 200728-CV03.1C -D, 200726-CV10, 200725-CV23.1, 200724-CV27.1, 200722-CV29, 200719-CV33B, 200717-CV01.1, 200714-CV17A, 200713-CV27.2B -C, 200712-2, 200711-CV30 -A, 200708-CV04, 200706-CV18, 200703-CV01, 200702-CV22E, 200630-CV04 -A, 200627-CV16C, 200626-CV22B, 200625-CV24, 200624-CV04 -CV07 -B -CV28.1 -CV29.1B, 200620-CV18A, 200615-CV04B -CV17A, 200614-4A, 200613-CV20, 200612-CV01 -CV19, 200611-CV07 -CV23, 200610-CV15A -CV23 -A, 200607-CV02, 200606-CV06 -CV16B -CV21 -CV22A, 200605-CV01, 200604-CV23, 200603-CV06 -CV18 -CV23 -CV23.1 -CV30, 200602-CV01 -CV02 -CV04 -CV06, 200601-CV23 -A -B -CV23.2, 200531-CV04 -CV23 -A, 200530-CV18, 200529-CV23.1, 200522-CV04A, 200518-CV22.1, 200515-CV23 -CV23.1, 200514-CV18, 200511-CV13, 200510-CV03, 200509-CV18, 200508-CV01.1A, 200507-CV02 -CV15, 200506-CV04 -CV04.1 -CV18, 200504-CV29, 200503-CV11 -CV32.1, 200501-CV24.1 -CV08.1A -CV24.1 -A, 200429-CV04B -CV23.1, 200426-CV15B, 200425-CV24, 200424-CV16A**, 200423-CV22 -A -B, 200422-CV20, 200421-CV6, 200420-CV4 (the Denver CO protest) -CV7 -CV23, 200419 -CV24A, 200418-CV6 -CV17 -CV23, 200417-CV4A -CV20 -CV24A, 200416-CV3B -CV25, 200415-CV5A, 200414-CV9 -CV25A, 200412-CV28A, 200407-CV1A, 200329-CV3.6, 200322-2B -D, -<CONT 200315-200112-2¶>2G, <CONT 200308-200112-2¶>6. <CONT 200301-200112-2¶>4, <CONT 200216-191201-6>1B, <CONT 200202-200112-2¶>1C, <CONT 200126-200112-2¶>1E, 200119-1C.
-C. Attacks on Medical – Quit, Fired, Public Health, Officials, Harassment, Cyber, Stressing Systems: 201231-CV31B, 201223-CV15A, 201218-CV03A, 201215-CV12 -CV31 -CV27A, 201211-CV05A, 201210-CV01B, 201208-CV33 All, 201206-CV12, 201204-CV23.1, 201203-CV23 -A -B, 201123-CV01 -A, 201120-CV23 -A, 201115-CV23, 201113-CV18, 201109-CV20B, 201106-CV23.1 -A, 201103-CV20, 201101-CV29A, 201026-CV23.1, 201025-CV23, 201021-CV29, 201019-CV03 -A, 201014-CV01 -CV33, 201008-CV23 -A, 210103-23B -C, 200930-CV04, 200929-CV18, 200928-CV23, 200925-CV15D, 200920-CV04A, 200917-CV20A, 200908-CV26, 200903-CV03B -CV27B, 200902-CV28.1B, 200830-CV23 -A, 200829-CV23A, 200827-CV27, 200824-CV16.1, 200820-CV27, 200819-CV33A, 200818-CV22 -CV33, 200817-CV04 -C, 200816-CV27B -CV29, 200815-CV01, 200812-CV33A, 200810-CV04A -CV33A, 200809-1B, 200803-CV05.1A, 200731-CV11.1 -CV30C, 200730-CV01B, 200726-CV01F -N, 200725-CV23A, 200723-CV26, 200722-CV03A, 200720-CV27, 200719-1E, 200719-CV04B, 200716-CV25A, 200713-CV01.1 -B -C -D, 200706-CV23.1, 200705-1D -3.1A, 200705-CV16A, 200703-CV18, 200702-CV22C, 200701-CV16 -A, 200629-CV23, 200627-CV23.1, 200626-CV01.1, 200624-CV28.1 -A -CV29A, 200623-CV24, 200620-CV32, 200619-CV16A, 200615-CV16A, 200614-1C, \fs24cf2 200613-CV08 -CV20A -CV23, 200612-CV03A, CV24A -CV29A -CV33A, 200610-CV15A -CV23 All, 200609-CV03, 200606-CV23A, 200603-CV23.2A, 200602-CV21, 200529-CV04 -CV23.1, 200528-CV03.2, 200522-CV29.1, 200520-CV31, 200519-CV04, 200518-CV23.1, 200515-CV23A, 200514-CV30 -CV33, 200513-CV23, 200512-CV19.1A, 200511-CV18, 200510-CV17 -CV31A, 200507-CV01, 200506-CV11 -CV23, 200505-CV23 All -CV23.1 -CV29, 200504-CV06, 200426-1.2A -2.2 -CV24A, 200424-CV16 -A -CV23, 200423-CV22, 200422-CV23 -CV29, 200421-CV1A -CV12A, 200420-CV23A, 200418-CV1A, 200417-CV18, 200416-CV4 -A -B, 200413-CV2, 200411-CV23, 200410-CV22A, 200407-CV19A, 200405-5 -6C -9A, 200403-CV21, 200332 (0401)-CV1, 200329-3.2 -3.6, -3.9, 200329-CV20, 200327-CV8 -CV10 -CV12A -CV17A, 200322-2B -CV2C, <CONT 200315-200112-2¶>2 -200112-2¶>5A, <CONT 200301-200112-2¶>6E1, <CONT 200223-200112-2¶>1D -L -N, 200216-1B, 200119-1B -2.1A.
-D. Public (Community) Health: Public Health as a frequent parademic search string during 2020-21. Too many to list all the stub locations here.