About this episode
Congress is threatening to cut billions in COVID aid even as a new variant emerges. On this week’s On the Media, how our policy debate reveals an indifference for long COVID disabilities and death on a staggering scale. And, how that apathy tracks with a pattern of past pandemics. Plus, a look at the novelist Kurt Vonnegut’s theory of storytelling, and what it tells us about why so many Americans have stopped paying attention to the virus. Ed Yong [ @edyong209 ], staff writer at The Atlantic, on why mass deaths from COVID have failed to provoke a strong political and social reckoning. Listen . Laura Spinney, [ @lfspinney ], author and science journalist on how pandemics have historically disabled people, and what this teaches us about Covid long-haulers. Listen . Micah Loewinger [ @MicahLoewinger ], OTM correspondent, on how to make sense of Covid's ever-changing plot, using Kurt Vonnegut's theory of "the shapes of stories." Listen . Music: Agnus Dei by Martin Palmeri Love Theme from Spartacus by Fred Hersch Passing Time by John Renbourn Misterioso by Kronos Quartet Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered by Brad Mehldau Trio On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( https://pledge.wnyc.org/support/otm ). Follow our show on Instagram , Twitter and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.