11-14-2020, 01:17 AM
The accusation Darcy levelled at Andrews - that the lockdown killed his father - was speculative and unfair in that Andrews couldn’t say anything in response other than to express sympathy for Darcy’s loss.
Was Darcy’s father in a nursing home? Was he suffering from dementia or medical issues? Was the depression a pre-existing issue? Did he commit suicide (by his own hand or with medical assistance)? Or did Darcy believe that his depression somehow deprived him of the will to live and this caused his death?
The unfortunate fact is that the elderly sometimes want to check out. That happened with my father before Covid. He refused to eat and pleaded with my sister to allow him to die. My sister held a medical power of attorney and could have directed intravenous feeding. She agreed to the doctors giving palliative care until he died.
If Andrews had been a complete idiot, he could have questioned Darcy to explore these issues. Of course, he couldn’t and didn’t. Journos would know you can’t use interviews to air personal grudges. When Darcy acts as a pseudo-journo, he should abide by the same rules.
That’s not to say the issue of the mental health effects of loneliness imposed by the lockdown wasn’t and isn’t worthy of coverage. But that would involve a dispassionate consideration of the issue. Instead, Darcy just achieved what he would have done with a Facebook post. Sure, he made a splash, but he didn’t spark any serious discussion.
Was Darcy’s father in a nursing home? Was he suffering from dementia or medical issues? Was the depression a pre-existing issue? Did he commit suicide (by his own hand or with medical assistance)? Or did Darcy believe that his depression somehow deprived him of the will to live and this caused his death?
The unfortunate fact is that the elderly sometimes want to check out. That happened with my father before Covid. He refused to eat and pleaded with my sister to allow him to die. My sister held a medical power of attorney and could have directed intravenous feeding. She agreed to the doctors giving palliative care until he died.
If Andrews had been a complete idiot, he could have questioned Darcy to explore these issues. Of course, he couldn’t and didn’t. Journos would know you can’t use interviews to air personal grudges. When Darcy acts as a pseudo-journo, he should abide by the same rules.
That’s not to say the issue of the mental health effects of loneliness imposed by the lockdown wasn’t and isn’t worthy of coverage. But that would involve a dispassionate consideration of the issue. Instead, Darcy just achieved what he would have done with a Facebook post. Sure, he made a splash, but he didn’t spark any serious discussion.