Finished reading this yesterday, here’s my reaction:
The book focuses mainly on the behavioural manipulation of the UK population by the State in order to “encourage” compliance with coronavirus precautions. The reader is very likely to come to this text with a set of opinions and beliefs.
I’d suggest three classes of readers: one, those who are broadly speaking convinced that covid was/is highly dangerous and that the State has their interests at heart. As Dodsworth puts it “we don’t normally think the person we are going to shake hands with could kill us” but have been habituated to think otherwise. Possibly some of this class of readers might read this text and reflect that, perhaps, the whole thing was pushed too far.
Then there are the professional class, by and large of the opinion that the State did not react quickly enough, did not really care about citizens, and was only pushed into acting by virtuous people like themselves. These readers might, in their hearts, feel that the propaganda onslaught went too far as well but was a valuable tool for persuading the working class to be more bloody careful. A Prime Minister who instructs the nation in how to wash their hands is a part of their vanguard, though they’d prefer someone a bit more switched on about the importance of pronouns.
These readers probably won’t grasp that Dodsworth has misunderstood what the Overton Window is. They will be reassured by the citation of the likes of Margaret Atwood because she is very much an author of choice for people who’d secretly prefer to be reading chick lit.
And thirdly there is the awkward mob, who sooner or later realised this onslaught of bullshit is not just an overreaction but a Class War via biosecurity. They will conclude that the author makes a number of very good points, but few revelations, and that she tends to pull her punches.
Take, for example, this comment “Emotional manipulation could be seen to interfere with someone’s ability to provide informed consent…”. There is no “could” about it. Why this coy “…but on the other hand…” MA in Sociology “objectivity”? Self censorship, at best, but mealy-mouthed by every criterion.
Another example refers to one of those Get Your Freedoms Back, Get Your Shot type videos (January 2021 vintage) which Dodsworth points out makes glowing claims of Saving Lives regardless of zero evidence existing. She queries this but no one replies to her emails. She morosely jests she has “…a feeling that if I had asked the various press offices about a video which was negative about vaccines they would have been much more responsive.”
Where’s the anger about this?
Dodsworth seems to be too fearful of being lumped in with the Conspiracy Theorists, attracting a Twitter pile on from ClotShotBots, ruining her career by Going Too Far.
And that is the Real State Of Fear that has fucked us all up.
3.5/5
