Did lockdowns work against COVID? A week ago that question would never have crossed my mind. Of course “lockdowns,” such as they were, helped slow the spread of the virus. Of course anything we did to slow the spread “worked,” right? I mean, I’m here and I’m safe and I never had COVID, nor did my kids or their spouses. I stayed safe at home, wore a mask, did all the right things… why would I even question whether that was smart?

But then I heard someone casually toss out this comment: “They’ve found that lockdowns didn’t work, you know.” So I did what I always do in such situations: I did some research…

Note from the author: I wrote this article in 2008! Tamarack Communication did not exist then, nor was the Speakeasy open. It’s been archived and ignored for years. Today a friend’s reference to Carl Sagan and his warning about “bamboozling” brought it to mind, and I dusted it off and brought it into the Speakeasy. Imagine! We’re still wrangling with the same communication issue that plagued us 13 years ago!Why we “forward” without checking. Please check your facts before forwarding those titillating but inflammatory or prejudicial (or just plain stupid) email messages to unsuspecting voters or impressionable readers who might believe everything you send their way.

Ah, this pandemic. As an elected official, I listen to citizens complain about schools being closed, the affront of being asked to wear a mask in public places, and the frustration of seeing traditional parts of our local economy collapse inward and die. As an officer of my neighborhood association, I witness the frustration of trying to hold meetings for a population that just won’t (or can’t) learn to use Zoom. But, as the communication consultant for a cutting-edge nonprofit whose focus is reading signals and spotting trends in order to actually shape a preferred future, I view this pandemic as a wakeup call.

On my own anniversary of becoming sugar free (7 years today), I am publishing this abstract of the book that started it all for me. In January 2013 I saw Dr. Lustig on TV, touting his new book; I had it downloaded to my Kindle before the end of his interview. I read it carefully. (He’s an endocrinologist; this is not light reading.) Then I bought a paper copy so I could mark it up, and I read it again.