A man who thought the coronavirus was a 'scamdemic' wrote a powerful essay warning against virus...

[Nevilledog]

A man who thought the coronavirus was a 'scamdemic' wrote a powerful essay warning against virus deniers after he hosted a party and got his entire family sick

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-texas-conservative-thought-hoax-before-infection-2020-7

A conservative man in Texas has written a powerful essay saying he once believed the coronavirus was a hoax, but has now had a dramatic change of heart after he and his entire family tested positive for COVID-19 following a party at his house.

In a column for Texas LGBTQ news outlet Dallas Voice, published last weekend, consultant and lobbyist Tony Green admitted to "traveling deep into the conspiracy trap over COVID-19," adding that he is a "gay conservative" who voted for President Donald Trump in 2016.

"All the defiant behavior of Trump's more radical and rowdy cult followers, I participated in it. I was a hard-ass that stood up for my 'God-given rights,'" he wrote.

"In great haste, I began prognosticating the alphabet soup about this 'scamdemic.' I believed the virus to be a hoax. I believed the mainstream media and the Democrats were using it to create panic, crash the economy and destroy Trump's chances at reelection."

*snip*

[kimbutgar]

1. The comments on the site of the original post are really interesting.

[Bluepinky]

2. Asshole. It took a death and two hospitalizations in his own family

for him to realize it’s not a hoax. The fact that other people were sick and dying meant nothing to him.

[Miguelito Loveless]

3. Well, he's a "gay conservative"

(talk about "Chickens for Col. Sanders&quot , so his views will be dismissed by StormTrumpers. I also find it amusing how shocked these people are when they do have a moment of revelation, and their former "friends" turn on them.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. "You can't imagine the guilt..."

This man is a joke, his actions lead directly to the death of a family member. This column was not close to enough, he's barely human and the only reason he feels guilt is because it got him and his family sick. What about the thousands of other people who read your columns and posts before this pandemic effected you personally? I hope he rots the rest of his days feeling shame. The issue is Trump and his support of Trump, that's why his family was devastated, TRUMP!

[LisaL]

7. Just to be fair, his whole family must not been worried about virus too much,

considering them showing up at his party. I would have declined if invited to a party.

[gratuitous]

5. I guess it's good that Tony Green had the scales fall from his eyes

Jesus told a little story about someone who got too late smart, Luke chapter 16 verses 19-31, commonly known as the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. When the rich man had squandered his life in selfishness, he begged Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers* about the perils of selfishness. Abraham said that if his brothers had been paying attention to the teachings of the prophets, they'd know they shouldn't be selfish. But the rich man said if someone like Lazarus came back from the dead, his brothers would pay attention, and wouldn't share his awful fate.

Well, here's Tony Green back from the brink, warning his ideological brothers and sisters. Abraham said that if the rich man's brothers didn't pay attention to the prophets, they wouldn't listen to Lazaraus. And looking at the comments to the Dallas Voice story about Green, it would appear that Abraham was 100% correct. The people who need to hear Green's story continue to resist changing their behavior.

*Why five? Don't know; maybe something to do with earthly empires, like the woman at the well in John chapter 4 who had five husbands?

[TeamPooka]

6. Fuck that guy. Selfish realizations don't count asshole.

At this point I'm rooting for the virus to wipe out all the deniers and anti-science assholes.

[ffr]

8. +1

He's like the rest of the 'true to their conservative values,' nitwits. It's all about him until it affects him.

[SWBTATTReg]

9. First of all, a 'gay' conservative? First of all, I think Mr. Green is ridiculous to call him-

self a gay conservative, when conservatives, as one of their primary platforms, believes that a legitimate marriage is only between a man and a woman, and nothing else. Second of all, conservatives definitely don't value or respect gay values, won't allow gay marriage, thus, gays can't leave assets to other gays, can't adopt, etc.

I hope that in Texas, if either you or your partner passes due to the CV, that the state of TX will allow you to collect the life insurance proceeds, and other assets that each of you have, to accrue to your former partner. In some states, despite your long term relationships, total strangers (usually undesired family members) can come in and claim assets as their own, leaving your former partner in the lurch.

A gay conservative? Yeah, right. There is no such thing. Enough on the above.

I do have some sorrow for the pain you inflicted on others in your circle of family and friends, but they too, could have stayed home and not gone to the party, but no, they went to your party. Shared guilt, shared illnesses, shared deaths.

Shame on you and the other party attendees, all of you knew better but still mocked and ignored the pleas not to do such things. Would you walk in front of a speeding car to get to the other side of the road? I hope each one of you and your fellow party goers remind yourselves of this everyday for the rest of your lives. Unfortunately, perhaps, some that went to your party won't be able to say one damn thing about it, they're dead.

[hunter]

10. I just fucking shot myself!

Bullets and COVID-19 don't care what you think.

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away -- Philip K. Dick

[orleans]

11. asshole extraordinaire

i heard this story on thom hartmann's show today

here's the link to the oped
https://dallasvoice.com/a-harsh-lesson-in-the-reality-of-covid-19/

his bio reads, in part, "Tony Green is a consultant and cultural transformation coach to prisons and inmates in four states,"

my guess is he totally sucks at that shit as much as he does when it comes to keeping 14 members of his family safe.