We are not afraid
By: Nathan Ryan
Tags: Politics, America

These national disasters represent very real threats to the safety of millions of Americans in just three of our fifty states. There are, no doubt, countless more across the country, to say nothing of Coronavirus-19, which has, as of this writing, claimed the lives of almost 100,000 Americans in less than four months.

Fires, floods, and hurricanes are tangible. We can see them and feel their effects directly on our communities. If you or someone you know has contracted COVID-19, the disease is clearly tangible as well. But if you haven’t, to some, the actions we’ve taken to slow the spread and flatten the curve seem like a massive overreaction. I don’t feel that way, myself, but I understand why some might.

America’s economy has disintegrated, with more than 38 million Americans out of work since March — the most economically vulnerable among us, women and people of color especially, are bearing the brunt of this collapse.

Many people, most of whom are trying to do their best and follow the advice of public health officials, are in a state of panic, continuing to shelter-in-place, with some hoarding toilet paper and groceries, angry at others who have decided they’re sick of lockdowns and want to return to some semblance of normalcy.

For anybody who’s not an epidemiologist, the science can feel muddy. You can find numbers and people with microphones and unlimited air time that will confirm your preferred narrative and help you justify your actions, whether you want to show up to your local Costco without a mask or go to your statehouse armed to the teeth with assault rifles.

A flood of bots on Twitter and other social media push misinformation and conspiracy theories that a portion of the populace and the President are all too willing to give legitimacy to, assuming it makes people feel afraid or angry or justifies the taking or keeping of power.

In fact, this week, the President of the United States threatened to withhold federal aid to the state of Michigan — in the middle of a pandemic and a natural disaster — because the state is sending applications for absentee ballots to every citizen of the state, claiming that vote-by-mail causes massive fraud. There is no real basis for that claim, and this mob-inspired retaliation against voters in Michigan really has no precedent in modern times.

While in a previous era, under almost any other president, vote-by-mail may have been seen as a necessary step to ensure normal levels of voter turnout and public health during a pandemic, under this administration, it has become a flash point in the debate about whether or not COVID-19 is really a threat. It has become partisan and about control — the President of the United States has declared that COVID-19 is yet another conspiracy against him and against the Republican Party, despite the fact that this is a global pandemic, and that there is no clear partisan advantage when voters have the option to vote via absentee ballot or in-person.

This is a politics of pain.

This is about making us afraid. I know this because I grew up in a post-9/11 America. I grew up in an America that has been intensely afraid. One that’s continued to hash out its centuries-long struggle between isolation and engagement, individual liberty and the common good, all against the backdrop of rapid, global technological advancement and massive economic upheaval, with populist leaders stoking social unrest, making racism okay again. A brilliant, innovative America that’s continued to do good in the world, of course, but one that’s simultaneously on a bender, looking for a fight.

This fighting spirit has served America well in the past but, like any strength, if you overuse it it can become a weakness.

With hurricanes, fires, floods, disinformation, increased polarization, and a pandemic, we’ve found ourselves in a compounding, defining moment.

I understand why some people are afraid and angry.

But in this moment, the most American thing we could possibly do is to reject fear and make this our mantra: we are not afraid.

We are not afraid of each other — we’re going to work together.

We are not afraid of disinformation — we’re going to find the truth.

We are not afraid of this virus — we’re going to confront it smartly and safely.

We are not afraid of natural disasters — we’re going to prepare.

We are not afraid of our government — we’re going to vote.