This. And also the west seems completely obsessed with safety, it trumps any other value now. But safety has a massive price, but that doesn’t matter any more.
I’m also guessing a large part of how politicians can make themselves seem useful is making people safe. There’s not much else for them to do any more everyone is so well off.
Look at how authoritarian the lockdowns in Australia, China, and various other Asian countries were. It worked, unlike the weak lockdowns in Europe. Look at how authoritarian governments are, like Russia, Turkey, any country in Middle East, Belarus, Myanmar. Safety (for the ruling tribe) sells, as does security theater (post 9/11), but its not unique to West. Nor is it useless (if it were, it would simply not exist).
Is it interesting to note that some authoritarian governements (I have Russia in mind) have been less able (willing ?) to contain the epidemic using "harsh measure" than more "liberal" countries ?
I would say that's a curious contrast, yeah. Also, there's a very low vaccination willingness in Russia.
What makes you think Australia's lockdown worked, yet? They've not as far as I'm aware opened up and demonstrated they're free of SARS-CoV-2. And since the current vaccines aren't reducing spread of the virus (enough), what do you think is their end goal? Keep the country locked up from the outside world forever?