Murder by Proxy Through COVID-19

The coronavirus that emerged in Wuhan, China, is reshaping the world into a new order. In politics, diplomatic disputes between the United States and China have grown even more intense, and in daily life, we now face a reality in which going outside is impossible without wearing a mask. But just as people view COVID differently, countries also differ in how they respond to it. Some countries began blocking entry from infected nations from the outset, some started restrictions midway through, and others did not attempt such restrictions at all, instead adopting the approach of herd immunity.

Among them, Sweden’s response, well known to us as a Nordic welfare state, is particularly noteworthy. Sweden is dealing with COVID in a completely different way from other countries. Its so-called “herd immunity” strategy aims to have the entire population contract COVID so that eventually no one will be left to infect. This may sound like sophistry—like saying that because people die in traffic accidents, we should simply abolish cars, or like income-led growth—but perhaps because of its unusual nature, it has attracted a great deal of attention.

In the famous Chinese classic The Art of War, the third stratagem is “jiedao sharen” (借刀殺人). It means “killing a person with another’s knife,” and refers to bringing about an enemy’s ruin through schemes or tricks by making use of someone else.

This may depend on one’s perspective, but the moment I saw Sweden’s herd immunity strategy, the first word that came to mind was “Goryeojang.” That was because it had already been made clear from the early stages that COVID was far more deadly to the elderly and infirm. I cannot say whether Goryeojang actually existed, but I can say with certainty what the story signifies. Whether in a family or a nation, when economic conditions grow difficult, the weakest link is cut off so that the rest may survive. I believe the fundamental lesson of the Goryeojang story is to beware of poverty, because anyone can become a sacrifice at the hands of those closest to them and those they trusted most.

Not only in Sweden but in every country, the elderly had the highest death rate from COVID. And the welfare costs associated with those elderly people are generally the highest as well. I am not saying that the Swedish government deliberately exposed the elderly to infection because of the welfare costs paid to them. Rather, my point is that welfare states are always exposed to such temptation, and because they cannot do such things openly on their own, when an opportunity like this COVID outbreak arises, they can fall into that temptation.

I believe every government calculated what it stood to gain from this COVID outbreak and what it would have to give up. The same is true in our case. Our economy had been steadily worsening, and criticism of wrong economic policies such as income-led growth had been continuing, but because of COVID, all of those mistaken policies were covered over at once.

A welfare state does not protect the lives of its people at decisive moments. Once welfare spending accumulates, citizens who consume welfare resources are no longer seen as people but as costs. When a crisis in governing the state arrives, the state erases such welfare costs and the people associated with them as if deleting numbers from a bill. The principle of life is simple. Just as only I can control my own body, only I can fully protect my own life.

When citizens want a country where welfare comes first, it becomes a dangerous country. Once the state sustains the people through welfare, that same state comes to hold power over their life and death. This is also why liberals stake their lives on guaranteeing private property rights. My life can never be entrusted entirely to someone else’s hands.

For some countries, this COVID outbreak may prove to be both “killing with a borrowed knife” and Goryeojang. Just as the story of Goryeojang offers us a lesson, I hope people will also learn from this COVID crisis about the harmful effects of the welfare state.

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Original title: 코로나로 차도살인(借刀殺人)

Author: Gyeong-mo Son

Date: 2020-06-03

Source: https://www.cfe.org/bbs/bbsDetail.php?cid=free_opinion&pn=14&idx=22794