At this point, due to the incessant media gaslighting around the real dangers of COVID-19, a majority of the gullible or uninformed public is at this point so pro-moist cloth face diaper that they want masks mandated by law, presumably both indoors and outdoors, from now until the virus disappears from the earth. In other words, most people are literally so frightened of a virus that, for the overwhelming majority, poses little or no threat to them that they are apparently fully willing to give up the right to breathe free air from now until they hit the grave in exchange for a perceived slightly lessened risk of contracting it.
However, there is a small but growing percentage of people who haven’t yet joined the masking cult. The media portrays anti-maskers as “COVID-deniers” and cretins who want to kill grandma, as mouth-breathing Trump supporters who think the virus is a Bill Gates conspiracy or was purposefully manufactured to enslave the world. That’s pretty much the tone Daily Mail took when labeling the more than 10,000 protesters who gathered in London last weekend to demand their freedoms back “conspiracy theorists” and people who “believe coronavirus is a hoax.” (Even so, you really need to click on the article and take a look at the pictures. It’ll warm your heart to know there is resistance out there and it’s growing. The last such protest a month ago drew “hundreds,” this one drew “thousands.”)
Now obviously, you’re not going to have a gathering of that many people without attracting some kooks, and you can be sure a few are prominently portrayed in the media coverage. But the majority of people who stubbornly demand back the real normal instead of this dystopian “new normal” they keep trying to sell us are far from irrational. Quite the opposite, in fact. We have somehow, someway managed to avoid the gaslighting, set aside the fear, observe patterns, analyze data, and come to obvious conclusions that go against the mainstream narrative. We’re COVID-skeptics not because we believe COVID isn’t real, but because we have observed that the responses in most countries have not only far overstepped any bounds of natural, God-given human freedom, but haven’t even worked to accomplish their stated goals.
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Now I know Sweden somehow got things right with a bunch of socialists at the helm, and I don’t even try to pretend to know much about British politics except to say I’m down with anybody supporting freedom against a tyrannical government, but in this country, with some doubtless exceptions, COVID-skeptics have tended to lean to the right side of the political spectrum. This Marquette University poll of Wisconsin residents sums it up perfectly. In it, 69 percent want to mandate masks in pubic places, with ‘only’ 29 percent opposed. When broken down by political persuasion, 93 percent of Democrats want to require masks and 54 percent of Republicans do not. At this point in the casedemic, those numbers pretty much replicate themselves anywhere in the country, except urban areas will tend to favor masks more while rural ones will favor them to a lesser degree. But across the board, you will generally find the vast majority of anti-mask people on the right side of the political spectrum. Support for lockdown measures tend to run along political lines as well.
Why is that the case? Is it, as the media contends, simply because of President Trump’s opposition to lockdowns and his love/hate relationship with masks? Are we simply following our Orange leader into our COVID-dug graves, living out Darwin’s theory of natural selection, as we are so often accused of doing? Or are conservatives (I’m using that term broadly) the only people in this country capable of rational, logical thought?
From the other side’s perspective, Democrats and leftists are typically a pretty frail lot, to be sure, so it’s not too surprising that this virus or any other would scare them out of their wits. To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t seen them wearing full-body HAZMAT suits. (Obviously, there are at-risk people who SHOULD be super-cautious about this virus - I’m NOT referring to them.) But is there more to the story? Are we really surprised that ‘Big Government’ leftists tend to favor a heavy-handed government response to COVID? Is it shocking that people who don’t believe in personal freedom (except for the “freedom” to have abortions and surgically mutilate children) want to take away everyone’s freedom to breathe free air? Is it any wonder that people who don’t believe in free enterprise would want to shut down small businesses and deny people the right to make an honest living? Is it a revelation that leftists relish the prospect of purposefully impoverishing millions so they can in turn make millions dependent on government largesse?
No, none of this is a surprise, and nothing about how leftists have responded to COVID isn’t perfectly true to form. On the other hand, people who believe in freedom, smaller government, capitalism, and personal responsibility - i.e. conservatives - see right through the game they’re playing. We know what they are doing, and that it has absolutely nothing to do with health.
Folks, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. The fight for the return to normalcy from coronavirus is the existential fight of our age. We all need to do our part, and arming ourselves with facts is the first step. To that end, here’s a great way to get the truth about COVID-19 on Twitter without having to wade through all the nonsense: Simply follow my brand-new COVID-19 ‘Team Reality’ list! (I first heard that term from Alex Berenson, but boy does it ever apply.) You’ll get some great information from these truth-tellers that you can then take and share with your own family, friends, and social media followers. I’ll be adding to the list as I run across great accounts, and I encourage you to tweet me your favorites as well.
Yes, COVID has become political. But always remember, THEY, not us, are the ones who made it political in the first place. Sadly, we have no other choice but to fight back against the insanity.
Follow Scott on Twitter @SKMorefield and Parler @smorefield.
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