It’s NOT Just About You

2020 has been a wild year, and believe it or not, it is only May. If you turn on the TV, open up Instagram, or even walk outside, it is impossible to escape the overwhelming news of the Coronavirus. 

Everywhere I turn, there are more news reports about the country still being closed or the continuously rising death count. Yesterday, I was greeted to the disheartening news that despite the suggested quarantine, Mississippi’s cases surged to over 6,000 people. 

As for myself, I have reached my eighth week of quarantine and it is Day 54 since I left for Spring Break. Even for an introvert, this has not been easy. Losing my job and being sent back home from school has been rough. I have felt my mental health take a terrible turn. I’m practically itching to run back to Cleveland and hug my friends or just see my boyfriend again. 

The Coronavirus never seems to end. 

Stepping out of the house requires an arsenal of masks and germ-x as well as staying away from people in general to protect anyone I could come into contact with. We are all well aware of the dangers by now. Or so I thought.

I never expected to see people protesting the quarantine because it simply “infringed on their rights.” 

The “Rights” Protest

Apparently, many far-right conservatives are protesting that the quarantine is a government plot to control us. I wish I was kidding. In fact, there is a whole Facebook page dedicated to promoting it called “The Convention of the States.”

Citing the right to assembly, the Convention of the States believes the government is controlling us and taking away our rights to make us a socialist nation. Even though their idea of socialism is misinformed, they have amassed nearly two million likes from far-right conservatives across the country.

After convincing myself I did not need to leave an angry comment on their page, I came to the conclusion, through reading the comments, that these people only care about themselves. 

The biggest post was added on April 16, 2020, directly from the Confederation of the States. It claims that “Heavy-handed government orders that interfere with our most basic liberties are CERTAIN to do more harm than good.” 

The post itself now has over 4.4K likes. Their idea was to force the government to reopen the country. The article claims that “Right now, all across the country, that fundamental right is under attack.”  

Facebook “Revolutionaries”

The following are several comments from this Facebook post that enraged me.  

Another person said, “It’s time for the American people to get the government out of our way.” If they do not, they said that there would be a revolution. One said “I think come May 1st, Everyone should just say ‘we are done, and we aren’t going to do it anymore.’”

Not only is this completely insane, it is putting real people at risk. Many people do not know that they are carrying the virus due to hidden or absent symptoms. Without knowing, there is no way to tell how many people you could have infected in just one day. 

Another claimed that “Many people will just passively accept that ‘it’s in their best interest’ and lemming their way straight into socialism and then worse. Piece by piece the liberties and freedoms we have left will be stripped from us.”

(subheading?)

Really? Wanting to actually help people is just socialism? I’m more than sure you can help people without being a socialist, or as a socialist. Can I not try to help people, independent from party lines or political issues? 

 Also, I am not sitting quietly and being passive. I am staying in my house because it is the right thing to do. People act like this is all a plan for Trump to not get reelected like quarantining didn’t stop the black plague. 

This isn’t cops and robbers. This is a global pandemic. 

People are actually dying, and you have the audacity to discredit them by claiming that their death is simply a political plot to overthrow President Trump. You are not a revolutionary; you are being inconsiderate. By protesting this quarantine you are claiming that everyone else’s needs come below yours. You must not care about your family, your friends, or your fellow man. All you care about is your party. 

Why is This About Politics?

What I don’t understand is why is global pandemic a right wing or left wing issue? Why is it not a people issue?  Why are your rights really more important than anyone potentially dying? This is an unusual circumstance, not a plot by our “overlords”. 

What we need to do is drop our freaking political roles and actually fix the issue.  Politics aside, human life should be more important than business or anything else. 

We can pick up politics after the world recovers. 

Even though I, an eighteen year old, am not in as much danger as the elderly woman next door, I still stay in quarantine. It is negatively affecting my mental health and my wellbeing, but do you know why I am still doing it? Because it is not just about me.