Spreading Solidarity in a Time of Pandemic

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Last edited Tue May 26, 2020, 10:14 PM - Edit history (1)

Spreading Solidarity in a Time of Pandemic
Reflections on coalition building for a post-corona America

Tim Wise
May 26


For now, forget the conspiracy mongers, the anti-vaxxers, and those who falsely think wearing masks to prevent the spread of COVID will kill you. They are unworthy of being taken seriously. Ignore the camo-clad, ammosexual lockdown protesters who insist we should all get back to work, and who mock social distancing as an unnecessary burden at best, a trial run for tyranny at worst.

Ignore them, or at least abandon hope of engaging them as if they were open to persuasion by dint of facts and logic. They are a fringe — a dangerous fringe to be sure, but a fringe nonetheless — and other than a close eye from those who monitor potential domestic terrorists, they do not merit the attention they receive. Make no mistake: they are hardly indicative of a majority mindset. Most Americans oppose their message and worry about opening things up too quickly, without a clear path for protecting public health.

In other words, the protesters do not speak for the so-called “common man.” Nor do they represent some vulnerable working class for whom we should have sympathy. Data suggests they are not by and large those who have lost income or reasonably fear economic ruin. While black and brown folks are being most hammered by job loss, people of color who have lost work in the wake of COVID represent only five percent of the protesters. Meanwhile, whites who say they haven’t lost work or income represent nearly 7 in 10 who are protesting lockdowns.

The protests are not about economic pain: they are excuses for right-wingers to signal their tribalism and perform a politic that begins and ends with “owning the libs.” They perceive liberals as the ones pushing science and a concern for the collective good over hyper-individualism. As such, protesting shutdowns and social distancing has become a form of conservative cosplay meant to indicate one’s commitment to the cause. ...........(more)

https://medium.com/@timjwise/spread-solidarity-not-covid-19-a657ed7467a7

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