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(Thread) The US pandemic response is tragically playing out along the regional lines identified in #AmericanNations, with the regions with traditions emphasizing individual liberty failing. Here’s the data via @pressherald: https://www.pressherald.com/2020/07/05/how-the-geography-of-the-pandemic-is-determined-by-centuries-old-regional-differences/
2. The regional cultures differ on how they view the ideal society, one that emphasizes lack of restraints on individuals or, instead, maintaining a free community, a shared communitarian project to cultivate a republican citizenry. Details in this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/317207/american-character-by-colin-woodard/
3. With Trump unwilling to lead, we’ve seen a patchwork response, with individualistic regions late to lockdown, early to reopen, and resistant to mask wearing; and the “communitarian” ones taking expert public health advice more seriously.
4. The initial shock followed global transportation networks, and hit densely populated places first. The geography of the second wave is instead following the contours of our Balkanized response.
5. The contrasts are stark. In the last 2 weeks of June, the Deep South’s 7-day rolling average of new cases went from 4,276 a day to 10,271, up from around 1,800 a day for much of May. Yankeedom went from 2,456 to 2,656 in the same period (+8%) and far below April peak of 7,918.
6. Similar contrasts can be seen between (individualistic) Greater Appalachia and the Far West on one hand, and (more communitarian) New Netherland and the Midlands on the other. The data is in the piece, background in #AmericanNations https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/306345/american-nations-by-colin-woodard/
7. Absent federal leadership, the Balkanized nature of the U.S. makes an effective response to the pandemic nigh impossible, as, constitutionally, there’s no real way to seal one state or region off from another. We'll need a vaccine to break the cycle.
7. Thanks to my @pressherald colleague @ChadGilley for the data crunching and chart building, and to the @nytimes for the county-level case numbers via their invaluable Covid tracking database. https://www.pressherald.com/2020/07/05/how-the-geography-of-the-pandemic-is-determined-by-centuries-old-regional-differences/
9. Graphs in the piece, but note the contrasts.
