An odd side effect of the covid… phenomenon…. is that while it was fueled by globalized processes national responses have shown countries being more like themselves and less like other countries.
Some examples:
The US: No national response, but rather chaotic localized responses reflecting local concerns and political leanings.
Canada: Meek and polite people becoming ever meeker and more polite in the face of government overreach, perhaps silently hoping that compliance will show how futile the policy posturing is.
Japan: A society based on the concept of in-groups and out-groups drew up the drawbridge becoming one big in-group against the rest of the world.
Germany: Paternalistic condescension toward the citizenry becoming ever more strict and disciplinary as the considered and rational and logical policies fail.
Israel: Unrealistic collective action mobilized in a pseudo-war effort.
Russia: The government covers up large numbers of civilian deaths (due to government incompetence and/or malfeasance) and the serfs just…. take it as they always have.
UK: Devolved local responses as the national (English) government improvizes throwing anything it can at the wall to see what sticks (most people don’t realize how ad hoc and spontaneous much of British politics are) and then getting stuck in a dysfunctional tradition (more jabs that don’t work because… it’s what one does).
France: Imperious pronouncements on policy by an out-of-touch government that ignores popular discontent.
Sweden: Mårching to the beät of their öwn drummer and finding a third way (which is actually pretty traditional and conventional).
China: News blackout with increased centralized despotism with no concern at all for the citizenry.
Poland: Surface compliance covering mass levels of civilian disobedience (often joined by lower level authorities as well).
I’m sure there are more examples…
The Worked Shoot 