Places are opening, perhaps too soon, but still opening. One such place is our local golf course. So, my husband, an avid golfer, went. While at the golf course, my husband told me about an old golf buddy who tried to approach him without wearing a mask. He stopped him from coming any closer and the friend accused my husband of being “one of them”. I guess the “one of them” are the mask-wearing, handwashing, surface sanitizing, glove wearing, social distancing people. My husband replied with a simple “Yes, I believe the science and this virus is nothing to play with.” And herein lies the problem and why I’m scared of too many of my fellow Americans.
Our communication with one another has been poisoned by too many lies in the public sphere. Because our political and corporate leaders who were supposed to be trustworthy have shown themselves to be self-serving liars so much of the time, the average person has to choose whom to believe. Sadly, too many are choosing to believe conspiracy theorist who occupy spaces on the radio and on social media and who themselves have an ego or profit motive for spreading their lies and misinformation.
But now the stakes are really high, even deadly. People are going to get sick and others will die because of the lunacy we have allowed to take root in our public discourse. Certain people have shown us who they are and that we definitely cannot trust them. We know we can’t trust this lying president Trump and his muzzled administration. We know we need to be skeptical of what business people say because of their profit motives. Certain news media outlets have ceased being committed to the truth. But we can and should seek truth from our scientists and health professionals who remain dedicated to the survival of humans and the planet.
I am terrified of people who show up in supermarkets without masks. I am frightened by people who defy stay at home orders to show up at beaches and frequent house parties either denying the risks or ignorant of them. I am even more terrified of people who show up at government buildings with guns demanding the lifting of all restrictions because some of them believe the whole COVID-19 thing is a hoax and others are protesting government infringement on their “freedom”. I suppose these same individuals are opposed to speed limits and stop signs as well.
We have the freedom to be stupid. We have the freedom to believe what we want to believe. We have the freedom to risk our own lives. But should we also have the freedom to put others lives at risk without consequence? The most vulnerable among us are being offered as sacrifices to the gods of money and freedom of movement. The scientists and health experts have made it clear that we are not yet adequately prepared re-open the country in a way that will protect human lives. But too many American leaders are ignoring these warnings re-opening businesses. And way too many Americans are rushing into bars and restaurants.
I am really afraid. The cost in the coming months will be the premature deaths of vulnerable loved ones, healthcare workers, first responders, and people working on the front lines who provide the essentials. I’m not ready to become a victim of insensitive, selfish, or ignorant Americans who do not take this COVID-19 threat seriously.
So, my husband and I will continue to be “one of them”: the mask-wearing, handwashing, surface sanitizing, glove wearing, and social distancing humans with even less freedom of movement because of the scary Americans out there who ignore the science and choose to act as if there is no danger.