COVID Demoted

Do you feel numbed by reports of pandemic death tolls in the hundreds of thousands? Do thoughts of mortality make you reach for a distraction of any kind? There's a good reason that death is uncomfortable to think about. We all have to face it some day. Ernest Becker gave this problem a new dimension in his 1973 book The Denial of Death.In this episode of COVID Demoted we interview Deborah Jacobs and Lyla Rothschild of the Ernest Becker Foundation about death anxiety in the time of COVID. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/covid-demoted/message

We speak with psychologist Steven Reisner about the nature of trauma and suffering during the global pandemic, to tease apart the individual and societal factors at play. Steven Reisner, PhD is a psychoanalyst and political activist in New York. He is a founding member of the Coalition for an Ethical Psychology, Advisor on Psychology and Ethics for Physicians for Human Rights and past President of Psychologists for Social Responsibility. He was a leader in the successful movement to prohibit psychologists from their central role in abusive CIA and military interrogation and detention processes. As a result of these efforts, psychologists were removed from detention operations at Guantanamo Bay in January 2016. Dr. Reisner has been a consultant on issues of trauma, torture, political violence, disaster and resilience in the face of catastrophic events for the United Nations, the International Criminal Court, the International Organization for Migrations and other international humanitarian and mental health organizations, and has consulted in Haiti, Kosovo, Kurdistan, East Africa, and for the French Ministry of Health. Check out Madness, Steven Reisner's podcast at https://anchor.fm/madnessthepodcast [https://anchor.fm/madnessthepodcast] --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/covid-demoted/message

Jean-François Veilleux is the Communications Coordinator at Santropol Roulant. The Roulant’s Meals on Wheels program delivers fresh meals to Montreal’s community of seniors and people with low mobility or loss of autonomy. Instead of pulling back their services as the pandemic started to gain momentum in Montreal, Santropol Roulant decided instead to continue to deliver meals and even push themselves to deliver more meals to more clients throughout the pandemic. Jean-Francois shares some of the challenges the Roulant has faced since the start of the pandemic, as well as how the community is coming together to continue to support those who depend on the program. If you want to learn more about Santropol Roulant or make a donation, please visit santropolroulant.org. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/covid-demoted/message

Melodie Racine and John Tessier work for The Open Door, a drop-in center providing services to homeless and low-income people in downtown Montreal. The Open Door has continued to support the homeless population throughout the COVID pandemic. In this episode, Melodie and John share some of the additional challenges they have faced since the start of the pandemic and what their experience has been like working on the front line and supporting Montreal’s vulnerable population. To learn more about The Open Door or make a donation, please visit their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/OpenDoorMTL. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/covid-demoted/message

JD Davids is a writer and HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ health advocate based in New York City. He is currently working on a book titled “The Cranky Queer Guide to Chronic Illness.” In this episode, JD talks about why people with disabilities might be at a higher risk for coexisting and secondary health conditions, how to practice disability justice in a COVID-19 world, and how to help people living with chronic illnesses and disabilities who are being particularly challenged during this difficult time. Learn more about JD Davids and his upcoming book at www.crankyqueer.org [http://www.crankyqueer.org/], or find him on social media @TheCrankyQueer [https://www.instagram.com/thecrankyqueer/]. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/covid-demoted/message