Face Masks and Concussions

[Coronavirus – XIV]

A hundred years ago all medical face masks were sourced, assembled, packaged, and shipped in the United States.

About fifty years ago they were assembled, packaged, and shipped in the United States.

About twenty-five years ago they were just packaged and shipped in the US.

And not too long ago everything was outsourced. Why?

Cheap material.
Cheap labor.
The bottom line.
It’s that simple.

The globalization of markets and the tireless search for shaving off 1/2 percent per unit is the name of the capitalistic game. And that’s all fine and good . . . if the supply chain is guaranteed. But it’s not. And that is being exposed.

Our business models, supply chains, share holders, finance departments, business strategies—heck, our entire economic paradigm—assumes that the highest good is the size of the black number at the bottom of the balance sheet.

This face mask shortage is not only about the medical emergency we find ourselves in; it’s about the (economic) world we’ve created. It’s feeble. It’s fragile. It’s rigid and yet brittle. And when it cracks, disaster sets in. Face masks are a consequence of a much bigger problem.

We can focus on face masks and ventilators for now. They are urgent. But tomorrow, blaming the face mask is like blaming the concussion for the bike accident.