Opinion: COVID-19 Changed How I View Politics
Millennials and Gen Z are often distinguished by how the latter doesn’t remember 9/11. That means that with the exception of the synagogue shooting, most Nighthawks, including myself, have not personally experienced any major public disaster. Our worldviews are impacted by our experiences, so it would be probable that the lack of violence in our lives made us much more optimistic than previous generations. Before the coronavirus, I, then a right-wing libertarian, trusted that average people have good judgement, learn from their mistakes, and are fit to govern themselves. I believed that a too-strong government is unnecessary and would only lead to abuse and corruption. I believed that individuals are only responsible for themselves and that the state should never have access to personal information, even in the name of public good and counter-terrorism. I disliked all forms of censorship and thought there should never be federal journalism. My personal experience can attest to how the vast majority of Americans would agree with me. That is exactly the problem.
Whether you like it or not, the coronavirus is not something that affects you alone. Overcoming the coronavirus is a community effort where your actions will decide the fate of others. Unfortunately, the shining ideal of independence that made the American Dream possible is America’s downfall during the pandemic. An overly individualistic society has people become selfish and ignore the concerns of others. I don’t understand why anybody would refuse to wear a mask when they could potentially save many lives. Individualism encourages a mindset in which people prioritize themselves over all else, ignorant of how not protecting the community could end up killing themselves or their loved ones. Not only that, but many people have dangerous misconceptions like “masks restrict oxygen” and “young people can’t catch serious coronavirus,” and their resulting actions put hundreds of people at risk. The ridiculous numbers of news stories about rising coronavirus cases simply shocked me. I realized that most of my political beliefs were made under the naive assumption that everybody is good at heart.
When I first went on a beachfront walk for the first time during the pandemic two weeks ago, I saw even more people than before quarantine. Nobody was social distancing or wearing masks. I couldn’t stand outside without being within 10 feet of someone. It was like the beachgoers simply didn’t care. Coronavirus cases in the U.S. grow day by day, yet these people couldn’t keep themselves from going outside without a mask. I now realize that some people just won’t follow reason out of their own free will and that sometimes authority needs to step in to prevent avoidable harm. Although I am still socially right-wing, I have changed from more strong right-leaning to slightly left-leaning economically and libertarian to more authoritarian after witnessing the horrors of the coronavirus. Here are my stances on some controversial topics that reflect how I have grown:
Stimulus Bills:
If you had asked last-year’s me about anything relating to social security, I would have immediately refused anything that would have the government interfere with the economy. The current prevailing argument from Republicans is that stimulus bills will persuade people to remain unemployed, harming the economy. Why would we even want people to work? Our top priority is to prevent as much physical contact between people as possible. Many people’s jobs do not allow them to socially distance, so they shouldn’t be working and the government should provide their funds during the pandemic. If everybody would stay home for just a few months the pandemic would be over in a matter of weeks. Stimulus bills will eventually be cut off and people will be forced to find jobs again. It astounds me that I probably would have considered money to be more important than human lives.
School Openings:
The only people who should be deeply concerned about schools going virtual are special education students and victims of domestic abuse. The rest of us, however, can well-prioritize our health over our education. Your physical health is much more important in the long run than your education. It is true that the quality of education will likely be lower than normal, physical school, but given a choice between a less-than-standard education or potentially indirectly killing someone, it’s a clear win for the former. I used to believe that each locality has its own unique situations and should be allowed to choose what is best for itself, but with so many schools reopening with almost no social distancing measures makes me think the federal government needs to step in and mandate virtual schooling. I’m very thankful that our district has chosen to go fully virtual.
Masks:
Honestly I don’t even understand why this is even a political issue. It’s just human decency to wear a piece of fabric if you could potentially save a life. I was so stupid and brainwashed a few months ago that I worry that I would have believed that forcing mask-wearing violates my rights. Although people question the effectiveness of wearing a mask, there is still some evidence that it can help stop the spread. Coronavirus travels through droplets specifically, not air, and even if people talk about how the air will escape anyways, keep in mind that droplets, not air, is what is what matters. Mask-quality fabrics can stop most air droplets even if it cannot stop escaping air. People are spreading misinformation to further their own agendas. I would never support full government control of all information, but in emergencies a little gossip can do big harm.