Nate Cull
Sadly, I agree with JD Vance.
I'm seeing a LOT of lefty people, including supposed Epidemiology Twitter, lighting up with all 'yay protests! go protest! fight the power!' and I'm just shaking my head here.
That is indeed how you destroy all respect for public health authorities.
Don't shoot the messenger. The people telling you that this is a problem are correct and this massive double standard on the left is gonna hurt America. Already has.
Charles ☭ Hutchins
Because everything in the US is unequal, many people protesting did not have the luxury of a quarantine in the first place. It feels like you're asking them to accept their mistreatment quietly for the sake of others and it's really not cool.
Charles ☭ Hutchins
I am also concerned about a second wave - or indeed, still the first wave speeding up. The best way to deal with this, imo, is to facilitate safe protests and make fast, meaningful concessions. Give people victory and they won't need to be out doing this.
Nate Cull
@celesteh Agreed. Trump's making the protests much worse than they needed to have been. If he cared about public health he'd tell the cops not to engage.
Charles ☭ Hutchins
The US had already lifted most restrictions and is sending workers into massively unsafe work environments. The protests are at least outdoors and may have lasting positive impact in terms of justice and health, as these two things can't actually be separated.
I'm also concerned about covid implications, but this is 100% on the heads of the cops. Around 64% of Americans support the protests so worries about the election sound like concern trolling.
Nate Cull
@celesteh Frankly I don't care what I "sound like". I'm telling you honestly how I feel.
You can choose to think I'm lying if you want. You can also choose to think about the optics of the situation or not.
But if you don't think about the optics of the situation, politics may become problematic.
I mean sure, Trump's outed himself as a proper fascist now. I really hope that counts enough with the big mushy middle to take him out. But it didn't in 2016.
Charles ☭ Hutchins
This is some serious victim-blaming.
People did try to have distanced, peaceful outdoor protests and were set upon by the police who forced crowding.
Police violence against black people, especially men and boys is also a public health emergency. 1 in 1000 will die of it. Others face serious health consequences in terms of injury and prolonged stress.
Don't blame people for rebelling against people who murder them.
Nate Cull
I repeat: A virus doesn't care about your politics. Or anyone's politics.
A virus has killed 100,000 people in the USA.
That virus is now gonna kill a lot more because of these protests. Both from direct spreading, and by destroying the US public's trust in public health professionals.
I'm sorry that reality is uncomfortable in this particular case.
Charles ☭ Hutchins
Black people are dying of covid at higher rates because of racism. Stop thinking of this as "politics" and think of it is a longer-running, also-urgent public health emergency that is inter-connected with covid.
In NYC, black people are vastly over represented in prisosn which took no covid precautions. The police did not pause their abuse but used the quarantine as an excuse for additional brutalisation. Many were also key workers.
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