The Era of Stupid

How can anybody continue to believe that the coronavirus pandemic is a hoax?

More than 161,000 Americans have died of this disease -- for which there is no vaccine and no cure -- so far. Countless others are hospitalized and fighting for their lives. Of those who recover, some 75 percent suffer heart problems. Morgues and funeral homes are unable to keep up with the influx of bodies, resorting to refrigerated trucks to hold the overflow.

Are Americans really so stupid that they cannot accept the threat this virus presents, not just to our lives but to our economy as well? Do they actually believe that wearing a mask (something that is done, and has been done, by doctors and nurses for hours every day) is going to kill them from a build-up of carbon monoxide? (And for the terminally stupid, we exhale carbon DIOXIDE, not carbon monoxide). 

Perhaps, as Michael Cohen (no, not that Michael Cohen), a columnist for the Boston Globe suggested, we should call this time in America's history "the era of stupid." (https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/05/16/opinion/era-stupid/)  

Stupid is a simple word, understood by nearly everyone. And look, Donald Dumb has made some really stupid comments. How about his proclamation that windmills cause brain cancer? Or his suggestion to inject disinfectants into the human body to kill any resident coronavirus? Or perhaps his statement that the island of Puerto Rico is surrounded by "water...big water"? Or perhaps we should take his advice and drop a nuclear bomb into a hurricane to destroy it.

So yes, stupid seems a perfectly good word to describe both the man and his cult followers who eagerly gobble up each and every stupid thing he says without question. And stupid is an appropriate word to describe those who crowded onto a 'party boat' in New York City recently, joining some 170 other party goers who exposed themselves to the virus. Or how about the 250,000 people expected to attend the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota this month? Do you think there will be a spike in Covid-19 infections after that? Is there a better word other than stupid that describes these people?

Mass, rampant stupidity is the only reason I can think of for the willingness of so many to believe the lies and inane statements uttered by the occupant of the White House. Apparently these Americans see freedom as the right to be stupid and to do stupid things. People want to be 'free' to spread a disease and 'free' not to have to wear a mask for a few minutes. They also apparently want to be 'free' to threaten and intimidate public officials who aren't telling these clowns what they want to hear. What happened to cause so many Americans to see stupidity and willful ignorance as virtues?

This isn't about supporting one political party over another. The pandemic and whether to wear a mask or not should not be a political issue. Honestly, I don't care which party someone supports. But I DO care if someone's actions contribute to the spread of a potentially deadly disease. This virus is an equal opportunity killer.

Why do people continue to put themselves in situations that dramatically increase their risk of contracting Covid-19 and spreading it to others? Is a good time at a motorcycle rally worth risking one's life, and the lives of others? What happened to common sense and logical thinking? Obviously those things are as extinct as the dodo bird.

Why believe some of the best physicians, virologists, public health officials, infectious disease specialists and scientists when they talk about how to control spread of the virus, when a barely literate ("a very stable genius" according to him), mentally defective, failed businessman has an answer to everything? After all, the scientists and physicians obviously all got together and came up with a fake pandemic just to make "the chosen one" (his words) look bad and cost him the election.

Just because not everyone can, or wants to, attend college doesn't make them stupid. Many very intelligent people, for a variety of reasons, don't attend college. So I'm not criticizing people for their lack of higher education. But blind allegiance to a known con man, cheat and liar does make me wonder about the intelligence of his followers. Giving even cursory consideration to the recommendations of people who actually know what they are talking about would be a good step in the right direction.

And these same cult followers need to educate themselves about what the US Constitution really says. Being forced to wear a mask before entering a place of business violates no one's constitutional rights. Neither does it violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. So if you're going to cite the law, at least make sure you know what the law really says. Otherwise you look, at best, uninformed, and at worst, stupid.

Maybe it isn't fair to call all of his cult followers stupid. I'm sure not all of them are. But how else do I explain their refusal to wear a mask, to socially distance, and their threats against experts who advocate keeping businesses and schools closed until the pandemic is under control? I cannot come up with a positive adjective to describe these selfish, ignorant, self-centered people. How else do I describe people who protest business closures because they need a manicure or want to get their hair colored? I went 4 months without a haircut, and it never occurred to me to march in protest. My health, and the health of others in my community, are far more important than my need to get my hair cut.

The only way out of this pandemic is for all of us to work together and take the steps necessary to bring the spread of coronavirus under control. If we don't, more draconian measures will almost certainly be enacted. We already have seen the reopening of economies postponed. Some states whose governors initially ignored the recommendations of public health officials are now being forced to put in place the measures they previously refused to accept. 

So let's not politicize this pandemic and the wearing of masks. Let's put an end to the era of stupid. The death toll is already far too high. And it most certainly is not a hoax.