There's been quite a bit of misinformation, and a lot of misconceptions, floating around over the Wuhan Chinese virus.
No, not the stuff that typically gets flagged or censored on social media -- such as when doctors tout the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine in treating the virus -- but in what people mean when they make certain statements.
As usual, liberals have twisted some statements made by those who don't view the world the same way they do to try to make it sound as if others are making outlandish remarks that are severely distanced from reality, when such isn't the case at all.
Let's take a look at a few of them and deconstruct the remarks. It's time to delineate what the speakers are implying and what some are inferring.
"The virus is a hoax."
I know of no one who doesn't believe that the virus is real, and that it's harmful. By now, most of us probably know someone who's contracted the virus. I personally am acquainted with at least four people who've had it or tested positive for it.
When someone says the virus is a hoax, they aren't saying they don't believe the virus is real. What they're saying is that they don't think the virus merits the over-the-top response that so many states have instituted. They don't think a disease with a survivability rate of 99.96 percent is cause to choke a thriving economy, kill businesses, and restrict everyday activities to the point of pain. They're saying that they believe the virus is being exploited for various reasons, social and political reasons being two of them.
Need evidence? Just look at the adjustments that have been made to the election process this year. Liberals have long advocated for expanded universal mail-in voting and lengthening the timeframe for early voting. They've actually found willing co-conspirators in Republicans like Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, who seems to know but not care that his actions have cost him support among the GOP base that got him elected over a better-known opponent (former Miss America Heather French Henry). The irony here is that early voting probably cost the far left their wet-dream U.S. Senate candidate, Charles Booker, his primary race against Amy McGrath for the nomination to oppose Mitch McConnell this fall.
"Never let a crisis go to waste," former Obama administration official Rahm Emanuel famously once said. That's been evident in how officials have responded to the Chinese virus.
People are intelligent enough to make their own decisions on how far to go to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus. The idea that they can't process available information and come to a reasoned determination is the true hoax in this matter.
"The virus will disappear after the election."
Sure, it seems like there are some who believe the virus is an sentient, intelligent organism. It spreads at small retailers but not at huge big-box chain stores. It spreads at churches and parties, but not at protests. And it only spreads at certain types of protests (such as rallies to reopen businesses) but not others (Black Lives Matter and Antifa demonstrations). In Kentucky, it only spreads in bars and restaurants after 10 p.m., which is why those establishments are now operating under curfews.
At least that's the impression one might get after reviewing various government edicts in response to the virus. The seeming arbitrary standards are the basis of a court case, to be heard later this week in the Kentucky Supreme Court, that could strike down most of the governor's executive orders that have been issued since March.
But no one truly believes that the virus is going to magically go away after Nov. 3. Liberals like to make fun of conservatives who voice that sentiment, claiming that they really believe people think that.
Therein lies another misconception. Of course, no one believes that the virus can read a calendar and keeps up with the news and knows when Election Day is.
The motive behind this statement is that the virus is being used for political reasons, and after the election is over, its dominance in the headlines will fade because it will no longer be an issue for the voters. Referencing Emanuel's quote about letting a crisis go to waste, the opportunity to use the virus for political means will be past, so the public can expect to hear a whole lot less about it.
This virus is probably going to be around from now on. We've had centuries to work on a cure for the common cold, but that hasn't turned out so well. The virus won't disappear, but its usefulness among those of a certain ideological mindset will diminish.
No, silly leftists, we don't believe the virus is just going to go away. Don't act like we're too dumb to know that. We just know that it won't be as hot of a topic after Election Day as it is now.
"People aren't really dying of the virus."
There are plenty of other misconceptions out there as well. One of the most offensive is "coronavirus deaths aren't real." That one's gaining traction because of recent reports that only 6 percent of reported deaths are directly attributable to the virus alone; the other 94 percent of reported fatalities have other causes, and the virus may or may not have been a contributing factor.
Look at it like this. Let's say I have cancer. (I don't). But I succumb to a fatal heart attack. I didn't die FROM cancer. I died WITH cancer. There is a difference.
Similarly, there's a distinction to be made between someone who dies FROM the virus and someone who dies WITH the virus. By now we've all seen reports of those who perish in fatal vehicle accidents, but who tested positive for the virus, being listed as having died of it.
There's a benefit to having high death numbers. Politicians use those figures to justify their dictatorial edicts curtailing businesses and restricting everyday activities. And the more cynical will point to federal relief funds that flow to governments and health care facilities for every virus death.
All deaths are sad. They are very real to the relatives and friends of the deceased. No one is making light of those deaths when they question the numbers. Yet Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear recently accused some state legislators of doing just that when they queried state officials during a committee hearing and the 94-6 statistic was brought up.
Don't let these misconceptions go unchallenged. Don't let someone call you a science denier if you say the hype around the virus is a hoax, that it's being used as an election issue and its dominance of the headlines will fade after November, or that it's not as deadly as some say it is. You have the facts on your side. Don't let their interpretation of your wording of your thoughts sway you. You don't really believe the virus will vanish after the election. If the left thinks you do, that says more about them than it does about you.
