Research into language reveals that we’re united in our information processing abilities, whatever language we speak
The pandemic has brought universal harm to humans. But this universalism has been combined with many believing in the exceptionalism of those they live among and the culpability of those they haven’t met.
In March, many in the UK told themselves we couldn’t possibly suffer like Italy, with its “more tactile culture”. Within Britain, we’ve focused on small differences in approach between nations, ignoring the near-identical huge failures in England, Wales and Scotland to lock down earlier or protect lives in care homes. Complaints about rulebreakers fleeing London last week tended to ignore rulebreaking elsewhere.
Continue reading…Research into language reveals that we’re united in our information processing abilities, whatever language we speakThe pandemic has brought universal harm to humans. But this universalism has been combined with many believing in the exceptionalism of those they live among and the culpability of those they haven’t met.In March, many in the UK told themselves we couldn’t possibly suffer like Italy, with its “more tactile culture”. Within Britain, we’ve focused on small differences in approach between nations, ignoring the near-identical huge failures in England, Wales and Scotland to lock down earlier or protect lives in care homes. Complaints about rulebreakers fleeing London last week tended to ignore rulebreaking elsewhere. Continue reading…