What´s Up, Switzerland?
My routine of reading and scanning a bundle of weekly and monthly newspapers and magazines every single morning changed a long time ago and has been substituted by scrolling down several newsletters, then listening to my favorite news podcasts when walking the dog.
And sometimes I listen to another podcast, recommended within a certain newsletter, later that day at another walk with the dog.
Like today - within the newsletter of Switzerland´s finest an most relevant digital magazine republik.ch, you find the talk between two brilliant journalists, Roger de Weck and Daniel Binswanger, and comedian Patti Basler, discussing the strange position of Switzerland within Europe - or even the rest of the world - at handling the pandemic.
We live in the country of security and insurance - but we seem not to care about the risk of infecting others.
We are rich - but we are not willing to support those in need.
We have the hardest numbers compared to all our European neigbours - but we refuse to lock down. Obviously we´d rather accept the deaths of more people than any other Euopean country in relation to our population - to not risk our economy or even our devotion to winter sports. In other words: We risk the colappse of our health care system to keep the Suvretta House open!
As Basler asks: "Are people really blunted - or do they just not want to know?" And de Weck wonders "This country has become a mystery to me." Binswanger assumes, that this behavior is intended to keep the system quiet.
A talk about an estranged country and its most unappealing qualities, so sadly striking in times of a crisis.
The talk is in German - the magazine as well. Both highly recommended.
All pIctures courtesy of republik.ch.
