Pandemic could spark unrest among West's urban poor
Social unrest could erupt among the urban poor and marginalised in the West's biggest cities as they lack sources of income amid the COVID-19 crisis, the head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Friday.
Western Civilization draws closer to the void. As a collective we have not experienced such hardship since World War 2. But even then the world made sense, industry still operated and many nations were still functional. It is now, in 2020, that we have paused much of our economic activity. This is a sudden and global shock to the system. It is completely unprecedented in our short history. Any person left behind by aid packages will be reeling as social unrest becomes their only option.
Interesting fact, the aid package Congress has assembled, at $2 trillion is roughly the value of six months worth of Universal Basic Income. A major piece of an economic safety net that would have left everyone in the nation shrugging over this upheaval. Instead, Americans and many other people face great fear and uncertainty as to their future in these trying times.
It has only just begun. Some people look at the virus and fear it. Others look at what we have done to our society and fear that more. To "defeat" the virus will take a couple months of this shutdown. No one really knows how people will afford that, the great individual cost and toll this will take. Fight the virus, but do not underestimate the human element. We can always screw up the best laid plan.