We are the worst country in the world when it comes to coronavirus because we are the worst group of people on the planet.
Is that harsh? Did that sting to read? It didn’t feel great to write. It’s just the truth. America is a selfish country full of people that only care about themselves. How else would a racist buffoon be elected president on a platform that led with America First as globalization has brought the world closer together?
From the very beginning of the pandemic here, it was abundantly clear that too many were only out for their own self-interests. From the president declaring it a hoax to “truthers” online trying to disprove medical advice, our response has been a shitshow on every conceivable level.
But it’s not enough to place all the blame on our elected leaders because, as data revealed, many, many, many Americans took matters into their own hands before politicians. People stopped going out and exposing themselves to the virus en masse before lockdowns took hold.
Of course, not everyone did, and that's the problem. While a vocal minority can be reduced to noise pollution in the best of times, we live in the worst of times. The vocal minority that is today’s Republican party resides in the White House and too many Governor mansions, controls our Senate, and utilizes multiple bullhorns in the form of Fox News, The Federalist, OANN, and any number of right wing publications.
Americans are dead because none of the people or entities I mentioned gave a fuck about the lives of Americans. They only cared about themselves.
Our president cared only about his re-election. Red state governors and Senators cared only about keeping dear leader happy. The bullhorns kept up their negative messaging on the seriousness of coronavirus to support the party in an election year.
Our summer holidays have provided a window into how little so many Americans care about their fellow man. Memorial Day featured a bunch of large gatherings and parties across the country, particularly the South, and we’re now seeing more coronavirus cases today than we did in March.
Over July 4th, this pattern continued, starting from the top and the president’s disgusting “no masks, no social distancing” rally in South Dakota that will almost certainly lead to another spike, much like Oklahoma and Arizona have seen in the wake of presidential visits.
We see the videos of packed bars, beaches, and house parties with large numbers of people -- almost always white, of course -- ignoring all public health warnings and acting like nothing is different. A couple weeks from now, we’ll repeat the same post-Memorial Day pattern of partygoers testing positive in large numbers followed by those partygoers expressing remorse, from a hospital bed, about how they should’ve heeded the advice of medical professionals. No kidding.
When does this all end? Does this all end? Ever? Formula 1 returned to racing in Austria this past weekend. They conducted more than 4,000 tests in the week prior and returned zero positive tests. Regardless, every driver and crew member wore a mask for the entire duration of the weekend, and social distancing was strictly enforced.
Every other country, save for Russia and Brazil, seems to understand that fighting this pandemic is a collective endeavor. If I only leave the home when necessary, while wearing a mask, my efforts are immediately rendered pointless if you don’t.
Too many Americans either don’t grasp this concept. Or, even more worrisome, they grasp the concept and simply don’t care.
What a sad, depressing time to be living in the United States. We’re the best? No. No, we’re not.
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From the very beginning of the pandemic here, it was abundantly clear that too many were only out for their own self-interests. From the president declaring it a hoax to “truthers” online trying to disprove medical advice, our response has been a shitshow on every conceivable level.
But it’s not enough to place all the blame on our elected leaders because, as data revealed, many, many, many Americans took matters into their own hands before politicians. People stopped going out and exposing themselves to the virus en masse before lockdowns took hold.
Of course, not everyone did, and that's the problem. While a vocal minority can be reduced to noise pollution in the best of times, we live in the worst of times. The vocal minority that is today’s Republican party resides in the White House and too many Governor mansions, controls our Senate, and utilizes multiple bullhorns in the form of Fox News, The Federalist, OANN, and any number of right wing publications.
Americans are dead because none of the people or entities I mentioned gave a fuck about the lives of Americans. They only cared about themselves.
Our president cared only about his re-election. Red state governors and Senators cared only about keeping dear leader happy. The bullhorns kept up their negative messaging on the seriousness of coronavirus to support the party in an election year.
Our summer holidays have provided a window into how little so many Americans care about their fellow man. Memorial Day featured a bunch of large gatherings and parties across the country, particularly the South, and we’re now seeing more coronavirus cases today than we did in March.
We see the videos of packed bars, beaches, and house parties with large numbers of people -- almost always white, of course -- ignoring all public health warnings and acting like nothing is different. A couple weeks from now, we’ll repeat the same post-Memorial Day pattern of partygoers testing positive in large numbers followed by those partygoers expressing remorse, from a hospital bed, about how they should’ve heeded the advice of medical professionals. No kidding.
When does this all end? Does this all end? Ever? Formula 1 returned to racing in Austria this past weekend. They conducted more than 4,000 tests in the week prior and returned zero positive tests. Regardless, every driver and crew member wore a mask for the entire duration of the weekend, and social distancing was strictly enforced.
Every other country, save for Russia and Brazil, seems to understand that fighting this pandemic is a collective endeavor. If I only leave the home when necessary, while wearing a mask, my efforts are immediately rendered pointless if you don’t.
Too many Americans either don’t grasp this concept. Or, even more worrisome, they grasp the concept and simply don’t care.
What a sad, depressing time to be living in the United States. We’re the best? No. No, we’re not.
Follow me on Twitter
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