I know what you’re thinking. The Sun’s cover story this week is about the politics of COVID-19 and the little canary is just going sing out against the far-right protesters of the world.
Well, I do think people who land on the far-rightish side of the spectrum and cling to President Donald Trump’s words like they’re truth bombs deserve a little skewering. I also think people who sit firmly on the far-leftish side of that spectrum are also outlandish.
There’s a damn good possibility these two fringes of America the Great’s political freak-show—and you can watch it live, seven days a week—have finally found each other. They’ve gathered you here today in a show of solidarity against THE GOVERNMENT and THE MEDIA.
As much as I love watching, I really could do without the rhetoric about Gov. Gavin Newsom single-handedly destroying the economy alongside his media minions touting a made-up virus. In all honesty, though, I’m on the fence, people!
Not to get too serious, but I do think this virus is serious. It really can kill people. And it has killed more than 100,000 people in the U.S., according the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, and more than 3,700 Californians, according the California Department of Public Health.
But those numbers are only true, if, like this little yellow-feathered beauty, you’re a “sheeple” and believe “statistics” put out by the “government agencies” in charge of tracking them.
I know 4th District Supervisor Peter Adam is going to accuse my feathers of being on fire, but those numbers show reality.
And while we should absolutely pay attention to the hair-on-fire news being put out daily by public health agencies and the truth-seeking media (That’s me!) because it’s literally in their job description, I also think what’s happening with our economy is serious. And would you believe it—the media and government agencies are putting news out about that, too!
Unemployment numbers in the country reached an all-time high of 14.7 percent in April. California hit 15.5 percent in April, according the state’s Employment Development Department.
Those percentages will likely be much higher for May. There’s a hair-igniting prediction for you, Peter!
Both sets of numbers are scary. So is the uncertainty that’s come with the pandemic. If we open up, is everyone going to get sick and die? If we don’t open up, is everyone going to permanently lose their jobs and not have enough money to buy food?
Both are valid questions—and lawmakers like Supervisor Adam and Gov. Newsom and our public health officials have to weigh the pros and cons alongside the uncertainty that the future holds. I’m pretty sure they don’t need all the hypervigilant assholes out there—yeah, all of you masktavists out there, I’m talking to you, too—making their jobs any harder than they already are.
This is truly where we are at, whether protesters, government officials, and just regular ol’ sheeple like it or not. And those feelings. The fed-up. The fear. The unknown. Aren’t going to go away anytime soon.
The canary thinks everyone needs to put their big boy, big girl, and big gender-neutral pants on. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 4, 2020.