Hodja’s financial situation was worsening. He began to cut down on everything, including the food he gave to his donkey. Since he noticed no change for the worse in the animal, every day he reduced the amount of food he gave him.

One day, the donkey died. Hodja was very sad. “What a shame! Just as he was getting used to hunger, he died.”

Tale by Nasreddin Hodja, 13th Century satirist of the region of present-day Turkey

***

What a shame! Just as people with health insurance were getting used to millions not having it, a pandemic hit and their lack of coverage threatened all.

What a shame! Just as health insurance companies had gotten used to mainly leveraging profits, they had to provide healthcare.

What a shame! Just as the stock market had gotten used to rising with no connection to everyday labor, labor stopped and it crashed.

What a shame! Just as outsourcing materials vital to curbing a pandemic was working, we ran out of those materials.

What a shame! Just as the wealthy had gotten used to not being bothered by the poor, the starving masses took to the streets (some with guns).

What a shame! Just as centrists had gotten used to accepting less and less from their politicians, they needed them to deliver immediately.

What a shame! Just as U.S. politicians had gotten used to gaming slim-margin reelections, they had to respond to dire human needs.

What a shame! Just as middle-class Americans were getting used to corporate news-as-entertainment, their lives depended on non-ideological facts.

What a shame! Just as those living in comfort had gotten used to ignoring those living paycheck-to-paycheck, the precarious started to make their needs known.

What a shame! Just as we had gotten used to hyper-individualism, we had to work together to survive.

What a Shame! Just as the wealthy had gotten used to low taxation, our consumer revenue plummeted and the middle-class couldn’t pay their tax bills, and…

What a shame! Just as the well-off had gotten used to taking essential blue-collar workers for granted, their lives depended on them.

What a shame! Just as the right and centrists had succeeded in demonizing democratic socialism, they needed that system in order to survive without imposing martial law.

What a shame! Just as we were getting used to taking global cooperation for granted, we needed it desperately.

What a shame! Just as Bernie Sanders was maneuvered out of his lead by corporate media, the DNC, and oligarchs… #WhereIsJoe?