Final Word from Monday, September 14, 2020
Dissidents whose careers were ruined under Communism sometimes made it later to the top of Czech politics thanks in part to their boiler-room pedigree. Not being able to study or work in their profession became a selling point after the Velvet Revolution for a select few. Unlike then, an entire generation of students is now being set back, and entire professions are being decimated. About 120 travel agencies have suspended operations, and evolutionary biologist and parasitologist Jaroslav Flegr predicts that most Czech schools will be closed again by early Oct. Hardly anyone is actually sick (0.0027% of the Czech population is hospitalized with covid-19), but medical professionals, economists and politicians who point out the financial costs and the personal tragedies are increasingly being sidelined in the media. There is little tolerance for dissent, just as was the case before 1989. How many lives have to be ruined before some reason is introduced into the debate? [ Czech Republic coronavirus hospitalizations ]
Glossary of difficult words
pedigree - the history or provenance of a person or thing, especially as conferring distinction;
selling point - a feature of a product for sale that makes it attractive to customers;
to set back - to slow the progress of;
to decimate - to kill or destroy; drastically to reduce the strength or effectiveness of (something);
to sideline - to remove from the centre of activity or attention; to place in a less influential position.