Far too much truth in this. At this moment of maximum peril, we’re tolerating the turning of workers in meatpacking plants & grocery stores, seniors in nursing homes & heedless churchgoers into sacrificial offerings to the gods of “freedom” & “choice.” /1 https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-08/coronavirus-and-american-tolerance-for-mass-deaths
/2 Quoting @ASlavitt: “Our government has a higher tolerance for unnecessary deaths than other countries. School shootings, shootings in church, at concerts, in night clubs. People in nursing homes. Meat plants. Prisons.” https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-08/coronavirus-and-american-tolerance-for-mass-deaths
/7 NO, we should NOT normalize large-scale #Covid_19 deaths. Normalizing deaths allows more deaths. Normalizing deaths makes it easier to divert resources away from public health. Normalizing deaths permits future politicians to downplay pandemics. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-wants-america-to-normalize-coronavirus-deaths-its-the-medias-job-not-to-play-along/2020/05/09/72de4c32-9090-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html
/5
Today’s America: our hypocritical back-to-work movement rhetorically praises front-line workers as courageous and indispensable, but we demonstrate, by our actions and policies (& @realDonaldTrump's lack of empathy), that we consider them disposable.. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-08/coronavirus-and-american-tolerance-for-mass-deaths

/8 Only in America could @realDonaldTrump hope to succeed by planning/scheming to let between 1,000-3,000 DAILY DEATHS become a NORMAL thing,
and then create massive confusion about who is responsible. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-wants-america-to-normalize-coronavirus-deaths-its-the-medias-job-not-to-play-along/2020/05/09/72de4c32-9090-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html

/4 #Covid_19 infection & death rates are higher for Black/ Latino Americans, because our political leadership (which enjoys excellent health care) finds expedient the principle that the government shouldn’t provide universal healthcare or a living wage. https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-08/coronavirus-and-american-tolerance-for-mass-deaths
/9 Instead, we must emphasize what the scientists and medical professionals are saying. Also, we must make the deaths and suffering personal - we need to tell the stories of those who died. And, in November, we must VOTE! https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-wants-america-to-normalize-coronavirus-deaths-its-the-medias-job-not-to-play-along/2020/05/09/72de4c32-9090-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html
/3 Our psychological distancing techniques allow our political leaders & political cliques to rationalize our social pathologies as merely the cost of serving a higher purpose (say, mass shootings are just collateral damage, honoring the 2nd Amendment). https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2020-05-08/coronavirus-and-american-tolerance-for-mass-deaths
/10 @Sulliview in @washingtonpost reminds us: Human lives aren’t just numbers. What’s good for Wall Street isn’t necessarily what’s good for most Americans. This not normal & we shouldn’t grow desensitized to it. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/media/trump-wants-america-to-normalize-coronavirus-deaths-its-the-medias-job-not-to-play-along/2020/05/09/72de4c32-9090-11ea-a9c0-73b93422d691_story.html
/6 In an effort to wrap this (deathly) serious #Covid_19 rant/lament ... despairing of @realDonaldTrump's pathologically selfish (empathy free), delusional America, maybe a dose of humor (irony? satire?) is in order. https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/sure-the-velociraptors-are-still-on-the-loose-but-thats-no-reason-not-to-reopen-jurassic-park
/12 @realDonaldTrump's & @DeptofDefense Secretary Esper's arrogance place our national security at (greater) risk. To what end? https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2020/05/coronavirus-hits-top-us-officials/165292/