Fear, Safety and Lies in the Age of Covid

“Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”

— Ben Franklin, who was not talking about Covid-19

A used N-95 mask, seen from the inside.

Militant conservatives are re-defining the effort to fight COVID-19 as a matter of personal fear: If you’re afraid, go ahead and stay home, but the rest of us want to work. And we don’t want to wear any stinking masks, either.

In other words, if you’re a weak little baby, cower away in your home or hide behind a mask. We fearless folk are going to take care of business in spite of you.

Of course, this is not a spontaneous movement; there’s considerable evidence of bots and astroturfing here. Early on, I was struck by the sudden widespread use of the word “fear” in the anti-lockdown and anti-mask messaging. That wasn’t a coincidence.

There are those whose personal interests depend on the general public getting back to work right away. How do you get people to disregard their personal safety and the well-being of the public at large? It’s easy. You convince them that freedom is more important than safety. Anybody who disagrees is a coward. It’s a page straight out of the gun lobby’s book.

Real freedom and liberty matter. The freedom to carry an assault rifle as a fashion accessory…