Delmarva Today: 1-15-21
Harold Wilson’s guest is Dr. Karl Maier, a member of the psychology department at Salisbury University in Salisbury. Maryland. This is the third in our series of discussions on the psychological impact of COVID-19 on the general population.
After the events of January 6, however, how is it possible to focus on the pandemic and its psychological impact on society in the face of the threat to our democracy we witnessed in the violent attempt to overthrow our election for President? And what of the human contribution to climate change that carries its own threat to the globe? Political violence fed by an apparent desire for autocratic government, a surging pandemic challenging medical resources, and the almost forgotten issue of environmental degradation are certainly separate issues. But, are they also tied together in a syndemic manner?
In our discussion, Dr. Maier suggests that there is link connecting COVID-19 and climate change that is syndemic in nature; that is, two problems interacting synergistically that increases the impact of each. But is there also a relationship between the pathology of mob violence and these other two afflictions as well?