(1) In the 0.01% chance that someone sees this thread and decides to share it with others, or the 0.01% that quarantine protesters see this, OR the 0.01% chance that this information wasn't already used as a comparison for the current state of America, I'm creating this thread...

(2) As I stated before, I'm just saying this in case anyone wants to know, but a TL;DR will also be at the end of this thread in case you don't want some random person on twitter teaching you history.

With that out of the way, let's have a history lesson...

(3) COVID-19. Pretty bad disease right? If you don't think it's that bad to have COVID-19, please consider the following:
The symptoms of COVID can start out as minor and flu-like, such as dry cough, fever, and tiredness, according to WHO.
Do you trust WHO?
If not, listen here

(4) COVID-19 is not the first disease that has swept America. Indeed, it might be the deadliest so far, but the reactions to this disease and the actions made by those in charge have all occurred before. We can take the San Francisco plague for example.

(5) In 1900, San Francisco was hit with a bubonic plague that was centered mainly in Chinatown, San Francisco. When the plague had been reported in Honolulu, a ship that had traveled to Honolulu and back to San Francisco was given extensive examination of all crew members.

(6) While the crew members were considered 'clean', it is believed that rats on the ship may have carried the disease. Thus, San Francisco was hit with the plague, but the California Governor at the time, Henry Gage, was in denial of it's presence.

(7) For TWO YEARS, Henry Gage refused to recognize the plague for reasons that were related to business reasons, and to keep revenue going. No quarantine was established, making the disease spread even wider across the city. Multiple cases were reported very early on in Chinatown

(8) Despite MULTIPLE confirmations of the disease AND suggestions to resort to quarantine, the governor denied anything was wrong. He blamed those who were studying the disease, and the Board of Health for the plague. Not only that, but racism towards Chinese began to grow.

(9) Much like Gage, our president disregarded any notion of resorting to quarantine. After finally caving in, our president decided to blame anyone else besides himself for the virus. He even blamed those who warned him well in advance.

(10) Not only that, but the racism towards Chinese has began to increase, for the wrong reasons. I see a very plain comparison here, and it should be given consideration before blaming anyone other than the one who is in charge for how far the virus has spread.

(11) "But quarantine is infringing on my rights!" "But I need to work to pay for food and my home!"
These are fair points, to an extent, but they also are words that have been said in a previous time. Let's go back to San Francisco, but in a different time: 1918.

(12) In 1918, yet another disease ravaged San Francisco. This time, it was the Spanish Flu. A form of influenza, the Spanish Flu attacked the immune system in a peculiar way. It was able to attack without attacking; making the body attack itself to get rid of it, so to speak.

(13) Possibly to avoid another Henry Gage incident, the Board of Health for San Francisco put out recommendations for people to follow to stop the spread of the disease. Many public places were closed, and self isolation was strongly encouraged by the Board of Health.

(14) Yet, despite their suggestions for safety, many people began to protest and argue that the requirements mandated by the Board were unjust and infringing upon their rights and well being. These protests even went as far as having an 'Anti Mask League'.

(15) The Anti Mask League had gatherings in the public to protest the requirements of wearing a face mask in public. The Mayor which mandated the law requiring face masks rescinded the law, which immediately led to a spike in confirmed cases afterwards.

(16) This spike is happening right now, as we speak, with people deciding to go in public and protest (some even arming themselves with weapons) the quarantine. Whether or not you trust WHO, the cases have been spiking up recently, and the protests could be a reason why

(17) My objective in writing this isn't to say that your beliefs are wrong or that you're not supposed to have rights. What I'm trying to say is that the WHO and the people who are asking you to follow these uncomfortable regimens are trying to save your life as well as others

(18) In addition, this is not the time to point fingers at anyone. The scientists and epidemiologists in the WHO and CDC are ESPECIALLY NOT the ones you should be blaming, too. Things will go back to normal, but the best way is to do it together.

TL;DR
Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay isolated as best as you can, and don't blame the WHO, China, or anyone being cautious. This quarantine isn't a plot to rid you of your money, rights, or health. This is a time in which we need to be diligent and smart. Don't repeat history