Commentary By Samuel Strait – January 2, 2022

I recently received Christmas Greetings from my sister in law, who is
native to South Africa.  She is currently back in her native country
visiting relatives and had the following to say about the recent surge
of the Omicron Variant of Covid.  “I am not sure what everyone is
worried about as the Omicron Variant has created little in the way of
problems here.  A lot of people are testing positive for it, but it
seems to be no more than a mild cold if anything.  Beside, I not sure
why anyone in the United States should worry as we have very little
access to the kind of healthcare available in the United States and are
managing quite nicely.”

After considering her words carefully, it comes to mind that a fairly
large segment of the population here in the US and Europe are in full
panic mode over this latest wrinkle in the Covid saga.  Mass media has
been whipping up the hysteria, social media is in a frenzy, and a
majority of our citizens are consumed by fear.  Seems they have locked
in on the idea that Covid represents “death” with an almost manic
terror, that they might be the next ones to greet the grim reaper.  No
amount of data or information will convince them otherwise.  Science,
logic, correctness, or the truth has no space in this world created by
national or global health officials.  Announcements can change daily
with no science, data, even outright lies which contradict all that was
said before, make any impression on Mass Formation Psychosis afflicted.

So what exactly is MFP, or Mass Formation Psychosis?  In layman’s terms
it simply means that a person has an unyielding belief that disaster is
at their personal doorstep that will lead to their demise.  There is no
reasoning with the person as they have been convinced completely that
this is their fate.  There are four conditions which are necessary for
society to be subject to mass psychosis.  The first is lack of societal
bonding.  It is easily pointed out that Western nations have struggled
with loneliness long before the pandemic, and government lockdowns,
isolation, and the stoking of fear of infection from the virus has made
lack of community involvement more dangerous.

The second element of MFP is growing numbers of people who find no
purpose in their lives.  Dead end jobs that do not stimulate the
employee,  frustrations with the pointlessness of the task at hand, and
mindless rote and repetitive employment with no end in sight.  It
becomes difficult for particularly young people or even adults that
still behave like children to find some sense of purpose, further
alienating them form societal contact.

The third element is increasing anxiety found in all age groups in a
society.  I suspect that constant references by media and health
officials to the increasing and already high levels of people who
structure their day around the ingestion of some form of anxiety/
depression medication.  Couple that with regular anxiety induced
encounters with hostile experiences when out in public or even driving
furthers isolates people.

The fourth and final sign of MFP is the high levels of frustration and
out right aggression found with no clear cause. Temper tantrums from
adults over lack of masking that occasionally include physical
confrontation.  Social media outbursts of the vulgar and crude variety
have become common place.  Further signs of it being the product of all
three of the conditions described above.  This might be considered
childish behavior as it is most often found in young people, yet in
today’s world it can just as readily be displayed by people of all ages.

As I have said many times before on this platform, it is hard to
understand how mass induced hysteria can become so utterly in possession
of someone’s head that science, critical thinking, and common sense are
jettisoned for a narrative about the pandemic that changes by the day. 
As the narrative breaks down from new data, facts, and science, one
would think that it would begin to penetrate the minds that have become
so zombie like.  Yet the answer is NO, as enough of the mass remains
addicted to the narrative by their fear that no reason or rational can
penetrate the current Mass Formation Psychosis over fear of negative
consequences from Covid that inhabits this Country.  One only can hope
that enough people suffer some form of tragedy to wake them from this
psychosis before it is too late.