Perspective

Two nurses, who have witnessed first hand the toll Covid is taking in Colorado, stood up and peacefully counter protested. Here is how they were treated. I had join them. pic.twitter.com/iJnNcqZxSv

— Marc Zenn (@MarcZenn) April 19, 2020

The woman's sign, above, actually reads "LAND of the FREE", so that, for a person seeing it from a distance, only "LAND" and "FREE" can be read. It's possible that she never considered the perspective of her sign from the pulled-back, digitally-distanced view, anymore than she considered what it meant to tell anyone to go to China while her vehicle sat in the midst of a country that was truly Number One--in coronavirus fatalities. The disconnect between her sign and her vocalizations and objective reality might not come home to her even after an internet roasting, because her media isn't my media.  Her LAND and her idea of FREE are different than mine.

This is a thing I've puzzled over--the idea of red and blue America superimposed like transparencies over the same geographical map. But I think the perspective to keep in mind here is more than conservative vs. liberal. Freedom doesn't just mean individual rights but also personal accountability. A society doesn't just mean enforceable public law, but democratic community decision-making.

Deep down, I want to believe that responsible adults possess the personal accountability to determine if they can responsibly open their businesses while practicing social distancing and strict hygiene. I'd like to think that communities will determine the "market", so to speak, of public commerce by choosing to go out less even if more spaces are available, by being scrupulous about how they congregate, etc.

But the gun-toting perspective-less cuddle-puddle of the protesters makes me think that the level of responsibility required to save possibly tens of thousands of lives, can not possibly rest in the hands of feeble fucking idiots who wear flags and think waving slogans about negates the best possible information we have gotten from science and the actual death toll occurring right in front of us.

When I see this glib dimwit and her sign:

There’s a mommy and a daddy who work as first responders to save miserable lives like yours. They want their 5 year old daughter back. Wipe that grin off your ugly face, this isn’t a game. Fuck your haircut and fuck you. pic.twitter.com/8xquC4mcuE

— Michael Ⓜ️ (@michaelschweitz) April 20, 2020

(The sad story of the 5 year old is here.)

I consider I've been cutting my own hair since I was a broke college student, well over twenty-five years ago during the first recession I recall, and by the way, who is even seeing this woman or her dumb hair that anyone should risk dying over it? If she truly wants a haircut, scissors are cheap and YouTube (for many excellent tutorials) is free. If she wants to not look like a fool, sorry, game over. She already does.

That is some perspective, no?

And when Trump thinks that because these people are waving flags it means they love America, I have to say "No, it means they love flags." They love the symbolism, and don't give a shit for what any of it actually means. Which says a lot about his attitude as well.