Herd or herd immunity means that a high percentage of the population against an infectious agent is immune, where immunized would perform the function of firewall, drowning the spread of contagion. In the case of COVID-19 we are far from 60-70% which is considered necessary, although every day we are shown that the indicator of contagion R0 is <1.

Speaking of the pollution of the population, I have often come to mind if such epidemiological concepts are to be used in the spheres of power when it comes to neutralizing active ideologies. In fact, the ideologies that question the established order and propose another socioeconomic model have historically been depicted as a disease. From the spectre of communism announced by Marx and Engels in the Communist Manifesto of 1848, through the cruel strategy developed by the United States and many bloody governments against the expansion of communism, to this time post-truth, the ideologies that seek to replace the capitalist system and the structures of state built under its shadow have been considered contagious diseases. The independence struggle of oppressed peoples against dominant states has also been included in the category of contagious diseases, both in the world and in the Basque Country (the criminalizing theory of “everything is ETA” and the “polluted” candidacy of the Abertzale Left are not that far away…).

In order to keep political dissidence under control, a strong collective ideological immunization of the population is essential. That is, the influence of ideas and projects potentially dangerous for power does not influence the majority of the population, although objectively aligned with their needs. This large sector, immunized against transformative ideologies, would unconsciously make a firewall, hindering the dissemination of these ideas. This silent strategy of social isolation aims to minimise the R0 of liberating ideas. In this cultural superiority theorized by Gramscik, the dominant class achieves the adhesion of the sectors exploited through different routes. This explains, to a large extent, that in societies composed of workers, including Euskal Herria, the right remains the main one, albeit with a social varnish.

It is a versatile and multidimensional strategy to achieve the ideological immunity of the population, combining different elements. The threat of direct punishment is widely used as a panic vaccine (in the form of murder, jail, torture, erasure or administrative penalty; with the posology that every socio-political moment demands). Fear of exclusion or disruption of professional development by political ideas also has its hidden but effective effect, the immunity of the desperate herd

But the most efficient type of vaccine is the preventive treatment of distraction that shapes media manipulation and consumption associated with leisure. In fact, administered in continuous doses, with daily collection of booster vaccines, ideological immunity can be carried to very high percentages, without evident signs of disease. Immersed in the incaution and comfort of self-fraud, many people stay away from polluting factors by overflowing with products from the leisure industry. The ideological distances of safety will be so great that it will make it impossible to get infected. Beyond the essential leisure, it is clear that Netflix, thousands of video games, realities and series, as well as the professional football struggles that are resumed with great urgency, are very useful elements to strengthen the firewall against the spread of dangerous ideas and initiatives. Distributive treatment will not leave the representation of that other society possible.

The effect of the omnipresent and sporadic campaign of ideological immunization is not homogeneous among people, responding minds to treatment in different ways. In some cases, vaccination attempts have a low effect and continue to be reactive and contagious. In many other cases, the effect is total, ensuring lifelong immunity with continuous booster vaccines. And with others, partial or temporary immunity is achieved, maintaining the possibility of contagion with transformative ideas according to the conditions, maintaining a capacity of reaction to the unjust.

Calculating the ideological immunity of peoples is almost impossible, and if possible, it would never give the data. I have no doubt that in Euskal Herria it is lower than in many other societies, thanks to the struggles historically developed. Also in this special situation, above and beyond the practical difficulties, numerous popular initiatives continue to be carried out in the face of the pandemic of conformism, slowness and individualism. However, taking advantage of the uncertainty, the bourgeoisie will try to carry out other measures to strengthen social control and its hegemony, becoming involved with cross-cutting messages about the classes (“we are all in the same boat”, “the virus does not distinguish between citizenship”, “from this we will all get out together”…).

In the coming months and years, coming to the “new normality”, we will explore the extent to which they have attained the ideological immunity of the population. We will also see to what extent the popular sectors contaminated with liberating ideology have been able to adapt to the situation, developing the mutations necessary to increase their virulence, as well as to infect more immunized sectors of abandonment of the population with political activation. R0>1 objective.