As a nurse, I’m constantly fighting ignorance of how Covid-19 is spread and why packing into a local church or bar especially without a mask is foolish. I know Obama had everyone tested, I know they were negative, I know, I know…BUT to the pandemic-ignorant, they don’t see that. They see a former president and 400 pals dancing the night away unmasked in a tent. How can I convince friends and family not to go to parties, gatherings, or even church and spread the germs when Obama flaunts the rules? The conservatives are just looking for an excuse to say “see, the liberals are doing it!” They said it about the plane full of Texan Democrats taking selfies without masks. Why have I heard NO condemnation of these seeming hypocrisies? I have a hard enough time arguing this using science. I’ve scanned the internet for a week now looking for some rational news outlet who condemned this, and all I’ve found is Fox News and their (daily) condemnation. Intelligence and education also have the responsibility of self-criticism. We all make mistakes, let’s not only point out the “other guy’s” mistakes.
They were tested negative, outside in a tent. No one like the CDC has firmed recommended wearing masks outdoors if you just tested negative.
To me, it is more frustrating that when FOX News or other right wing media declares that the mainstream media is silent on an issue, some people still believe that FOX or others are telling them the Truth.
Easy. You say to them that if they, their friends and families are all fully vaccinated, they too can go to parties and gatherings in relative safety. Just like the Democrats.
Did he flaunt the rules as bad as you say? The CDC has no “rules”. They have levels of risk and recommendations to mitigate those risks. Tell your friends they should at least do as much as the Obamas did.
- People vaccinated - this cannot be stressed enough.
- People tested for Covid
- OUTSIDE!
The only thing that the Obamas did that was wrong is that they only cut the party in about half, so they still had about 200 (?) people there.
I for one welcome the new reality of “Do as the Obamas do”
Lollapalooza just hosted around 350 thousand crammed people over a weekend. That’s 350 thousand vaccinated, negative tested, or masked people. Around 200 cases of transmission are being attributed to the event. It’s not nothing, but it’s barely something.
Moved to P&E (from QZ).
I’m sure you meant to say “flouts” the rules. To “flaunt” (i.e. display proudly) gives your sentence a meaning almost opposite what you intended.
“Flaunt” is perfectly cromulent in this instance.
Just because Merriam-Webster has given up defending standard English doesn’t mean I will! Never give up! Never surrender!
As usual, Republicans don’t do nuance. If the general rule is supposed to be not to gather in large groups, and especially not without masks, then they talk as if there can never be any exceptions for any reason, or else the general rule is not valid.
Obama did not flaunt his flouting of the rules, and did not flout any rules at all. It was clearly announced that every single person needed to be tested with a negative result before they could enter (a condition to which they all agreed, incidentally, so no loss of personal freedoms involved either).
It is truly regrettable that the OP has trouble convincing people about the validity of medical science, but if Fox News didn’t have this non-event to point at, they would have no problem making up whatever they need to make their “case.” It is a ridiculous burden to put on anyone who is, in fact, doing the right things, that their activities have to meet the jaundiced scrutiny of commentators who are so eager to make their points that they willingly, even eagerly, ignore and lie about the truth.
This is the same problem as with the BLM protests last year: It’s one thing to point out that something is technically safe. It’s another thing to get people to perceive it as safe.
The BLM protests for the most part had masked people distancing, and the Obama crowd had vaccinated people outdoors. But - that doesn’t pass the “3-second instant judgment test.” Politics these days is huge about the instant perception, and the instant perception works heavily against Democrats in both cases. It leads to accusations of hypocrisy, and further fractures public unity in fighting against the virus.
This is condemnation?
I actually agree with the OP on this one. I think optics matter, and vaccinated or not, it looks like they were having an Obamapallooza.
Problem is that there was very little to condemn, this was old news already for the mainstream media, they already had gone to Obama with how concerning this was and Obama did respond to most of those concerns before the Bash.
So, by the time the video comes out of the bash, the FOX come latelies had to resort to disingenuous talking points. It goes to double disingenuous because by the time FOX was reporting the “scandal” the mainstream already had talked about it and so there was next to nothing for them to talk about after the bash. FOX and other right wing outlets must know this, and yet they decided that lying by omission is the way to go.
From one of the the linked stories:
CDC guidance favors open-air tents, noting “enclosed 4-wall tents will have less air circulation than open air tents.” It is unclear whether or not the main party tent used at the birthday party was 4-wall or open air.
I have to say, I’m disappointed. I don’t doubt that everyone in attendance was vaccinated. But I do believe that even an ex-president has a duty to lead by example. We’re never going to get that from the most recent ex-president, obviously, but I would have expected better from Obama.
The linked stories has quite a few photos, including one of the massive main tent. I have to say, that doesn’t look like a really safe environment to me. I wouldn’t get in it with a couple hundred other people.
Well, COVID cases are now surging on Martha’s vineyard. It’s too early to tell whether the Obama bash was a contributor, but it was the largest event in the area.
And how disgusting is it for this ‘man of the people’ to invite the A-list of celebrities and the rich and powerful, along with 200 servants to his 25 acre mansion when the average person is supposed to mask up and lock down? The hypocrisy is breathtaking from someone who spent his career railing against the rich.
Even more disgusting was ‘Climate advisor’ John Kerry flying in his Gulfstream V, releasing 5000 kg of CO2 per hour.
These are the people who are supposed to lead by example, and they behave like spoiled children.
Then why bring it up?
Mask indoors. No more lockdown. They followed the public health recommendations.
Why are you lying about guidance?