Quarantine Day 2 in South Korea: Stop #Loserthink, Join Together
In the cold, dark, night I said goodbye to my family a dozen feet away. No goodbye hugs, no goodbye kisses, a very sad farewell. I hurriedly walked away so they wouldn’t have to see me cry. Social distancing is the right choice. I know. Its easy when you know you can see them again when it all blows over. Its hard when you won’t see them again… for another year or two. My family fears the worst about my returning to Korea, but with confidence I can say that its the safest place in the world to be at the moment. Just like you, I too, desperately wish for a better system of health care in USA. We aren’t there yet, but someday we will.
I am sure by now you have read a dozen or so articles about what USA could learn from South Korea. In crisis, learning from others is imperative. And I bet you’ve all read many tweets angrily asking why we (USA) cant function like S. Korea. With all the frustration and anxiety I think its quite reasonable to question why things can’t be better. My favorite example comes from Barbra Streisand. I had just finished watching Hello Dolly with my girlfriend and grandma, fabulous musical, Barbra was riveting. Checking her twitter moments after the movie ended I saw a tweet that I think captures a problem with comparison that you will see every day in the news.
The simple answer, USA isn’t S. Korea. We simply can’t compare two completely different contexts, methods, systems. Its unhelpful to simplify a complex issue down to one variable. The comparison is impossible. The USA system is a bloated, impenetrable, festering, uncoordinated, barely functioning health care system. This was pre-corona virus USA.
So why was Korea more prepared? Korea suffered a traumatic MERS outbreak in 2015, with 186 confirmed cases and 38 deaths. We witnessed disorganization, pandemonium, paralyzing fear, and a serious lack of preparation. This was coupled with deep political conflict at the time.
However, from that difficult learning experience, Korea started changing its systems for dealing with contagious diseases by implementing laws, policies, safeguards, protocols, and other systems so that they could successfully handle any future outbreak. In addition, Korea has a functioning, fairly transparent, accessible, affordable, and from my perspective, commendable system of health care. So whenever I see these comparisons used to criticize or blame someone, it feels very unproductive. I stumbled upon the idea of #loserthink when I read Scott Adams’ new book “Loserthink”, where he states, “Loserthink isn’t about being dumb, and it isn’t about being under-informed. Loserthink is about unproductive ways of thinking.” Some may say it is the height of unproductive thinking to use this faulty comparison to blame one team or another instead of searching for solutions within the context we exist in.
As a resident of Korea for the past 12 years and as a Lyme disease survivor who spent more time in Korean hospitals than a Korean will spend in their entire life, I kind of know the system. There are flaws, there is room for improvement, and if you casually scan the comments in Naver (Korea’s main internet platform) you will find many people demanding change. But as a whole it is a system that literally saved my life and helped me get treatment for Lyme disease, which I never could have afforded in my home country, the good ol’ U. S. of A.
Without knowing the Korean context, the history of its health care evolution, the flaws and the growth opportunities, its very frustrating to hear people compare their system to Korea’s system. They are simply incomparable. It is unproductive.
However, what I hear in the many tweets, blogs, podcasts, and Facebook comments is a deep desire for a better system of health care. I think we all can agree that America needs a functioning health care system.The corona virus has stripped bare the facade of functionality. Its left the system gasping for breath like a fish out of water. It has completely destroyed America’s faith in the health care system and its government. Its #loserthink if you point your finger at the republicans or democrats, and blame them for the faulty system. Blame can happen later, change needs to happen now.
For the first time in America’s history we are faced with a crippling pandemic where we coincidentally have the public will, technological power, and opportunities for change. Without blame, ask what can be better. Without taking a political side, lets come together to change the system of health care. Without poisonous hate and hostility, let us embrace the other team, join hands, and finally take the first step to revolutionizing health care. Let us find a productive way forward and America will change. Will you change with it?
