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rynlingThis morning I read an article in The Atlantic written by someone talking about how no one who lives outside of cities is concerned about Covid. Based on the headline, I thought the author would be a normal and reasonable person, but I was wrong. This douchebag, a white homeowner in a wealthy suburban community who works as the head editor of a conservative Christian magazine, argues that Covid isn’t a problem, and that preventative measures like masks and booster shots are nothing more than virtue signals.
To quote some of his “free thinker” bullshit:
Meanwhile, our children, who have continued to attend their weekly homeschooling co-op since April 2020, have never donned masks, and they are distinctly uncomfortable on the rare occasions when they see them, for reasons that, until recently, child psychologists and other medical experts would have freely acknowledged.
Granted, my family’s experience of 2020 was somewhat unusual. But I wager that I am now closer to most of my fellow Americans than the people, almost absurdly overrepresented in media and elite institutions, who are still genuinely concerned about this virus.
He goes on to say that wearing a mask is just like wearing a MAGA hat, and that the only people he sees wearing masks indoors are angsty teenagers trying to make a political statement.
I try not to use this blog to write about my personal life, but I’ve had to watch about a dozen people I know personally die from COVID during the past two years. Some of them are family, and some are friends from school. And that’s not counting people in my extended family whom I’ve only met once or twice. Like the author of this article says, people who live outside of cities act like Covid isn’t real. And they’re dying.
Again, I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s been hard, and it’s not easy to read someone saying that this situation doesn’t exist if it doesn’t affect him personally.
By the way, if you want my take on the situation: I'm actually somewhat skeptical of masks and vaccinations; and, in any case, I think these measures are probably much less effective than giving people the means to remain socially isolated at home. Moreover, a lot of "super spreader" events seem to be stupid bullshit that could have been easily avoided through more effective public leadership. I'd genuinely love to dig into a nuanced conversation about this that isn't saturated with radicalized internet brain fungus, but what can you do.
I guess I understand how straight white male privilege can create a bizarre sort of sociopathic solipsism. What I can’t understand is why The Atlantic would want to publish something so offensive. I mean, I guess it’s clickbait, and here I am being baited, but still. This culture of manufactured outrage isn’t healthy, and it’s not cool that trying to read even left-leaning news outlets feels like running an obstacle course in avoiding shallow attempts to provoke engagement.
To quote some of his “free thinker” bullshit:
Meanwhile, our children, who have continued to attend their weekly homeschooling co-op since April 2020, have never donned masks, and they are distinctly uncomfortable on the rare occasions when they see them, for reasons that, until recently, child psychologists and other medical experts would have freely acknowledged.
Granted, my family’s experience of 2020 was somewhat unusual. But I wager that I am now closer to most of my fellow Americans than the people, almost absurdly overrepresented in media and elite institutions, who are still genuinely concerned about this virus.
He goes on to say that wearing a mask is just like wearing a MAGA hat, and that the only people he sees wearing masks indoors are angsty teenagers trying to make a political statement.
I try not to use this blog to write about my personal life, but I’ve had to watch about a dozen people I know personally die from COVID during the past two years. Some of them are family, and some are friends from school. And that’s not counting people in my extended family whom I’ve only met once or twice. Like the author of this article says, people who live outside of cities act like Covid isn’t real. And they’re dying.
Again, I don’t want to talk about it, but it’s been hard, and it’s not easy to read someone saying that this situation doesn’t exist if it doesn’t affect him personally.
By the way, if you want my take on the situation: I'm actually somewhat skeptical of masks and vaccinations; and, in any case, I think these measures are probably much less effective than giving people the means to remain socially isolated at home. Moreover, a lot of "super spreader" events seem to be stupid bullshit that could have been easily avoided through more effective public leadership. I'd genuinely love to dig into a nuanced conversation about this that isn't saturated with radicalized internet brain fungus, but what can you do.
I guess I understand how straight white male privilege can create a bizarre sort of sociopathic solipsism. What I can’t understand is why The Atlantic would want to publish something so offensive. I mean, I guess it’s clickbait, and here I am being baited, but still. This culture of manufactured outrage isn’t healthy, and it’s not cool that trying to read even left-leaning news outlets feels like running an obstacle course in avoiding shallow attempts to provoke engagement.
