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These People Know This is America, Right?
Recent observations and exchanges on Twitter have demonstrated to me that many people, often progressive “elites,” are completely astonished and outraged that a large number of Americans don’t like to be told what to do by the government. This seemingly visceral reaction is not really dependent on what those instructions are. They will grudgingly go along with it for a while if convinced there is an urgent need to do so, but that doesn’t mean they will like it, or comply blindly and unquestionably. Now to me, Americans distrust of government and dislike of governmental overreach is a perk, not a bug, but man does it upset busybody elite leftists who feel like they are superior to the average citizen and, by extension, so is the government they enable and support.
A journalist recently tweeted about a barbershop in Mobile, AL, that dared to open his own business without governmental permission. In fact, the owner chose to pay a $500 fine for violating the order to close and was shown cutting hair wearing a mask and gloves, seeming to still take his customers’ health and safety seriously. Oh lord, that was not enough for the hysterical responses to this story.
It became obvious to me that the problem most of these people had with the situation had little to do with the health of the barber or his customers. It was primarily along the lines of: “How dare he not obey the instructions of the all-knowing government and stay home like he was told!” Oh yeah, they also referred to his American flag mask as a MAGA mask because “Orange man bad” or whatever. Forget the fact that it is his business, as in “they should mind their own.” There were also complaints in the story that the police were nowhere to be seen and conspiratorially mentioned that the owner was known to have a good relationship with law enforcement. How dare he?!
I’m not necessarily making a pro or con position on the opening of this barbershop. Seems to me it should be his decision to try to figure out how to operate his business safely and his customers’ decisions on their individual risk. I do however support the rebellious, independent spirit of Americans (even the ones highlighted in “Tiger King”). That characteristic is in large part what allowed us to become a nation in the first place! Blind obedience of government is anti-American, no matter how angry it makes our progressive “betters.” Maybe we should start referring to them as Tories or Loyalists….
Published in General
You know, the overuse of this word is not a Covid thing. It’s driven me crazy for the last twenty years to the point that I’ve almost entirely excised it from my own vocabulary, though I can’t avoid it. I mean, a kid is nice to another kid at school, and he/she gets a “hero highlight.” (I’d just call that kid a human.)
But with the pandemic, you are right. It’s gone into hyperdrive again. I look at a lot of that and think, “So, you’re doing your job? That’s good.”
It kinda grated on me when I was asked to round up my dollar at a convenience store to give money to “our first responder heroes.” It was… like… twenty cents, so fine. But I admit as I walked away I wondered, for what? Is there a trust fund as there was after 9/11? Is this for first responders who get sick? (I do realize that there are some of those.) Do people who are working really need my twenty cents? Is there a “lost business” fund?
I might sound like a heartless monster, but I really don’t get why nurses who are being furloughed from hospitals are “heroic.” It’s like saying every single person wearing a uniform is a “hero.” And they are really, really, really not.
I get that “round up to donate” stuff at a few places. I don’t like it. You gotta know that most people probably don’t give it a second thought, and that they probably rake in a ton that way. But in that quick interaction, there’s no time to ask the necessary questions: who does this money go to, how is it spent, what organization is doing this, is this organization one that can be trusted, etc.
So I always say “not today, thanks!” even if it’s just a few pennies.
The Speedway chain of convenience stores (at least around here) puts their change dispensers on top of a small bin with an opening so you can just sweep the coins into it if you so choose. The sign on the bin says the money goes to Childrens Hospital.
I should set up “The Human Fund” and put some change boxes around town. ; )
“The Human Fund: Money for People” should bring in the $$$$
Yeah I totally agree. Maybe I am turning into an old codger but I am not even fond with the term “first responders”. Heck that probably includes tow truck drivers at this point. Yes, the firefighters that ran INTO the towers on 911 before they fell were absolutely heroes. A nurse doing her job is admirable but heroic? I wouldn’t say that qualifies.
Quibble: The word “program” derives from the Latin word “programma” which simply means “public proclamation or edict”. I’m not sure why early computer scientists chose that word to refer to computer code.
Concur, and I’m a guy with a nurse wife, a nurse daughter, and a nursing student daughter. My wife, though she’s an exec now, is still going in to work at least every other day (“My nurses and doctors are going in every day, how can I just hunker down?”). She is definitely pretty cool, for a white chick.
I have the utmost respect for everyone still doing their jobs, but it’s their jobs. If you didn’t know the risks of your career when you went into it, then discovered that there’s risks involved that you find unacceptable, then reevaluate whether you’re in the right career.