Richard V. Rupp

July 5, 2021

Hope you had a great July 4th.

 

It was like a war zone here in Burbank (LA Area), with locals firing off illegal fireworks most of Sunday night. The Rose Bowl, located just 15 minutes down the road from me, had a great fireworks show, but that's not enough for the locals. Fireworks are illegal for personal use in all of California -- primarily because of wildfire concerns. But on July 4th, no one seems to care. Fortunately, we made it through the 4th with no additional wildfires.

 

To mask or not to mask. That is the question.

 

You've got me. It appears to me, the answer has moved from science to politics or tribalism.

 

Why are those of us who are fully vaccinated being penalized because of the unvaccinated population?

 

I watched dozens of people interviewed on TV who are not vaccinated, and they had no interest in getting vaccinated. According to a Gallup poll, 78% of unvaccinated people have no intention of ever getting vaccinated. There seemed to be no reasonable explanation as to why. As Arnold Schwarzeneger would say -  Hasta la vista, baby! 

 

As an author, I noted that a fellow author Amanda Hunt, 30, has avoided getting vaccinated in Alaska. She has a phobia of medical facilities, which arose when a dog bit her as a young child, resulting in extensive surgery. Shots for Hunt in the past have not gone well. When she tried to get a flu shot several years ago, she started to hyperventilate and ended up declining the shot. She was worried the same thing would happen with the Covid-19 shot.

 

I also understand another reason for hesitancy. I shut my eyes when the TV promotions or news stories show a needle being put into someone's arm muscle. I never watch when I get vaccinated. Why do they have to show over and over again the needles going into the arm? I suspect many people like Serrano, 19, who lives in Yakim, Washington, don't like needles, and for this reason, are avoiding getting vaccinated.

 

Besides being afraid of needles, the other main objection appears to be suspicion over how quickly the vaccine was developed and whether it will cause long-term health problems. Over time this objection should disappear.

 

There is a noticeable change in the use of words and tones. What effect will it have on novel writers?

I was about to use the old term "whitewash" in the manuscript for my novel SKYWARD.

 

Just on a hunch, I look up the term because of the word "white." Yes, it still does mean "to conceal or gloss over. But, it appears it also has another meaning these days according to one of the Internet dictionaries – "In its simplest form, whitewashing refers to the tendency of media to be dominated by white characters, played by white actors, navigating their way through a story that will likely resonate most deeply with white audiences, based on their experiences and worldviews."

 

I'm still going to use the term, but it does get a writer thinking. Further proof of this concern comes from Disney. On Wednesday, Disney World's Magic Kingdom in Florida hosted a preview of its latest "Happily Ever After" fireworks show with one notable difference: a new greeting for visitors. For years, they heard, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls" before the show began. Now they'll hear, "Good evening, dreamers of all ages."

 

A Disney spokesperson told the LOS ANGELES TIMES, "We don't have an official statement, but the bottom line is the greeting has changed. It's part of a broader effort around diversity and inclusion."

 

I'm kind of sorry to see "ladies," "gentlemen," "boys," and "girls" eliminated from our planet. I know that's not exactly what is happening. Come to think about it, that's kind of what SKYWARD is about.

 

Being politically correct has been expanded to being diversity and inclusion correct.

 

Thank God I'm a novelist. We just write what we want and blame it on our characters.

 

Safe travels.

 

Cheers,

 

Richard V. Rupp, Author

Website – www.richardvrupp.com

Email – rupprisk@gmail.com

Copyright©2021 by Richard V. Rupp