I must confess that America’s response to the coronavirus pandemic has perplexed me. The height of my confusion (at least for now, Lord knows what tomorrow holds) came yesterday when I saw protestors in Michigan engaged what they call “Operation Gridlock.”
During this demonstration, protestors disregarded social distancing guidelines, blocked roads with their trucks, preventing healthcare workers from getting to their jobs, they chanted “Lock her up” when referring to the governor, and waved both Trump and Confederate flags. Oh, and did I mention they had guns? The ill-advised gathering was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition and the Michigan Freedom Fund, a DeVos family-linked conservative group.
Marian Sheridan, a Michigan Conservative Coalition co-founder, released a statement ahead of the rally expressing the purpose and sentiment behind the protest. “Citizens are frankly tired of being treated like babies. As adults, we now know what needs to be done to stay safe,” she wrote.
And yet…there they were Wednesday evening, acting like impetuous children not doing what needed to be done to stay safe. Standing close to each other without wearing mask, and one person was seen handing out candy to children.
This whole charade was a breaking point for me. First, if these protesters were black, brown or muslim, they would’ve been shot and/or arrested. The muslim protestors would have been labeled as terrorists for blocking healthcare workers. But this largely white crowd was left un-assaulted by authorities.
Second, I just didn’t understand why people so adamantly protest against their own best interest? As those who read my blog know, I write about issues of race in America. And while I am frustrated by America’s continued failed promises of equality, I am not shocked that those in power, or those who perceive themselves as having access to power, would resist relinquishing that power. It is in their interest to hold onto it, albeit, that’s a shortsighted view.
When it comes to the coronavirus, however, I am constantly baffled when I try to understand what motivates people to work against themselves. Not following guidelines does not work in their best interest. This virus does not care about your race, socio-economic status or political party. It does not care if Trump is in the White House or not. Your country of origin or where you live now means nothing to this virus ravishing the entire world. I’ve seen stories of people of all backgrounds being infecting and dying. And I personally know of someone impacted by the virus. What that person described was a harrowing experience I hope no one else has to endure.
Unfortunately, the very steps that we all, not just Americans but all of humanity must take to save lives are being resisted. Protestors shout concerns over liberty as the basis of their resistance. But what good is liberty if you are dead? Moreover, liberty does not mean you are free to do whatever you want whenever you want. That’s tyranny.
As I listen to people like Laura Ingram act as if the safety guidelines are some vast conspiracy to take our liberty, I realize that what I see is the convergence of three frightening factors: ignorance, arrogance, and greed.
Ignorance lulls protestors to believe that this is not real or as serious as others make it seem; that no matter what the news reports about what’s going on in the rest of the world, this is fake news. Ignorance assures them that this is a giant conspiracy to cost Trump the election, or to strip us of our liberty, but it fails to account for why so many other people in the world, like China, Italy and Spain would die for the sake of an American election. It does not explain why an institution as old and as powerful as the Catholic church would cease to hold sacred services like confessional just so that Americans would lose their liberty. It makes no sense.
Which brings me to the next factor, arrogance. Ignorance and arrogance go hand-in-hand because the former fuels the latter. Since their basic understanding of the virus is faulty, they see preventive measures as personal assaults. They fail to see themselves within a global context, thus they elevate their individual needs above the overall good. The irony, of course, is that if the rest of the world is not well, then they too will not excel to their highest level.
Arrogance also comes into play for those who understand that COVID-19 is real, but nevertheless believe that they’re invincible, or that America is invincible. They have bought into the myth of American exceptionalism and do not think we have to do what other countries have done to stay safe. This is arrogant and dangerous.
Finally, ignorance and arrogance serve as the foundation upon which greed stands in this trifecta. I understand wanting to get the economy up and running again, I really do. But that should not be valued over protecting human lives. When the president creates a board on reopening the economy but has no doctors or scientist on it, then I’m hard pressed to see how this won’t be a decision made from greed. When people like Florida Governor deems the WWE as an “essential business,” so that the owner of WWE can fulfill his contract, then it’s apparent to me that he’s motivated by money, not safety.
And they can only operate in greed because their ignorance has caused them to arrogantly believe that this is in their best interest.
In the end, contrary to what those Michigan protestors claimed, the greatest threat to liberty is not the restrictive measures imposed by the states to keep us safe. Rather, the greatest threat to liberty is ignorance, arrogance and greed parading around as virtues.
—Until Next Time—
Palooke
(Photo: via screengrab)
Sigh…