A sign held by a female protester in Tennessee demanding the state reopen for business went viral during the coronavirus pandemic. Most reacted with outrage or disbelief. But her candor should be recognized, and also her hypocrisy.
The sign
Pictured above is the sign that circulated around the internet. At a protest held in Nashville on Monday, April 20, 2020, demanding that Tennessee re-open for business, a female protester held a sign that read:
Sacrifice the weak — Re-open TN
The reaction
If one measure of a sign’s success is the number of views it receives, then the woman’s sign was a success.
It appeared in local news reports (at the 2:34 mark in this video ).
Digital news sites devoted columns to it:
Of course those on Twitter weighed in:
The sign seemed almost too outlandish to be believed. But one site assembled the video evidence to show that it was not photoshopped into the protest, but indeed said exactly what it said:
On the pages of the friends I follow on Facebook who also have a loved one with Down syndrome, the consensus reaction was one of rage. A visceral response at the cold-blooded statement.
I had that immediate reaction as well. But, I also thought: “At least she’s being candid.”
Her candor
I shared in my third post on the coronavirus pandemic how many people’s patience was running out with abiding by the quarantine orders.
For some, it’s purely a financial reality: if they do not get back to work and make some income, they will deplete living off their savings, accrue more debt, and be forced into bankruptcy.
For others, it’s spurred by the very American rebellious spirit for liberty. A nation born out of revolution against a tyrant carries that spirit throughout its generations. It accounts, in part, for why the United States is a more dangerous country in some metrics, but also a freer country.
For critics of these protesters, many want to ascribe political motives. Here is one tweet emblematic of many, many others I chose not to feature about the Tennessee protester:
So far, the identity of the woman holding the sign is unknown. She ensured that by covering her face with a mask. As such, it is unknown whether she is pro-life or pro-choice, a registered Republican, Democrat, or Independent, or what religious faith, if any, she follows.
But such critiques ignore and obfuscate the candor of her message.
Perhaps why so many had a visceral reaction is because what her sign said is also the truth.
The logic of the coronavirus pandemic is this: it is a disease spread through droplets from people’s breathing, therefore, to avoid being infected, people should take steps to avoid other people’s exhalation. This is done by minimizing your proximity to others: staying at home, minimizing trips for groceries, closing down places were people congregate. We are to wear masks to prevent our droplets from fanning out and posing a risk to others. And, if you’re lucky enough to have access to them, wearing N95 or equivalent masks protect you from other people’s droplets.
Therefore, acceding to her demand of re-opening Tennessee will follow this same logic in reverse. As businesses open, and people begin to congregate more, more people will be exposed to other people’s exhaled droplets–no matter how disciplined they are with mask wearing and social distancing–and, then they will become infected and infect others, particularly those who remained at home that they are caregivers for.
And, while COVID-19 is an equal opportunity infectious disease, its detrimental effects hit those considered “weak” the hardest: the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and, as detailed here, those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, like Down syndrome.
So, as mad as the lady made a lot of people, what she says is true: by choosing to re-open businesses and remove the mitigation measures to avoid COVID-19 infection, it is a decision to expose the weak to a greater risk of infection and they are those who are dying at a greater rate than anyone from this disease.
Perhaps that’s what may bother many.
Many want to return to normal. Many are frustrated and, frankly, becoming depressed from the social isolation and post-apocalyptic-type world we live in of no sports, no concerts, and poorly shot, in-home entertainment shows that only remind us that things are not going as well as they used to.
We’re all tempted to want to throw off the shackles and just have a “normal” day, a “normal” hour, a “normal” experience.
But if we do, we should know we are risking the deaths of those who need our help the most.
Her hypocrisy
Lest, this post be seen as a congratulatory one for the female protester publicly supporting eugenics, let me conclude with a condemnation of her hypocrisy.
The sign itself is evidence of her purposeful, intentional act and message. If you look at it, you’ll notice it’s not like a lot of signs seen at protests. It’s not a disassembled cardboard box with a message scrawled in black sharpie.
No, by comparison with most protests sign, it’s a piece of art.
This protester chose a colored piece of posterboard that is proven in nature to draw the eye: red. Then, she applied her arts-and-crafts skills, cutting out from separate colored posterboard the lettering to stand in contrast with the red background. And, then she added a graphical element by cutting out the shape of the state of Tennessee on which to overlay the message.
This wasn’t some hasty, blurted out message from a sense of rage. No, this was a calmly pieced together, thought-out statement, that she planned and looked forward to displaying.
Because, as just covered, it is the truth. She speaks the truth.
But, she speaks the truth hidden behind a mask.
Her actions conflict with her message.
Her logic is: a sacrifice must be paid to what she has determined a higher good, that of re-opening Tennessee businesses.
But, she’s not willing to pay that price.
Yes, she’ll attend a protest and violate social distancing.
Yes, no doubt, when businesses re-open, she’ll go out and patronize them.
But, she’s not willing to risk being one of those who must be sacrificed.
And, so, she is one of the weak, by her own rationale.
She acknowledges by wearing a mask that she is at risk for not just contracting the disease, but possibly dying from it, just like all the “weak” that she says must be sacrificed.
I’d like to tell this lady to put her money where her mouth is. But I can’t. She’s covered it up.
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