Who are you staying home for?

On April 8th in conjunction with a #stayhome order, the state of New York began a social media campaign - Who are you staying home for?  Launched with celebrity fanfare, it points out that all of us probably have someone over 60 that we care about enough to make sacrifices for. (Gannon, 2020)

Most New Yorker's responded appropriately and stayed home.  As a result, as of April 18th, both new infections and deaths are declining daily.

Which begs the question - what's going on in Florida, Georgia and all the other states reopening that haven't even hit peak yet?  It's hard to believe that people in those states don't care about anyone over 60.  So there must be another explanation.

And there is.  These are the people who believed Trump when he said the virus was a hoax.  (Palma, 2020)

In a February 28th rally in South Carolina, a mere five days after the Chinese closed Wuhan, Trump was out there with his fake news.  He told people that COVID-19 was no worse than the flu, and that the Democrats were exaggerating its fatality to make him look bad. 

You have to give him credit.  He knows the importance of speaking first.

Humans are hard-wired to believe that what they hear is true.  So they believe the first thing they hear about a topic regardless of its source or validity.  And once they believe something is true, they only listen to new data that supports their belief while discounting data that contradicts it.  That's why fake news can be so deadly.

It's also the reason why a Washington state group is suing Fox News and Rupert Murdoch for "deceptive" coronavirus coverage.  The group is requesting an injunction to bar the network from "interfering with reasonable and necessary measures to contain the virus by publishing further false and deceptive content." (Derysh, 2020)

Fox News' response - free speech. 

Really?  They must have missed the part about not yelling fire in a crowded theatre.  And just because they are pushing Trump's agenda, do they think this gives them a license to kill?  Because that is exactly what they are doing.

A recent study showed that watching Sean Hannity is particularly bad for your health.  A comparison in mid-March of his fan base with Tucker Carlson's showed approximately 30% more COVID-19 cases in areas that preferred Hannity.  Not surprisingly an increase in the death rate followed three weeks later. (Derysh, 2020)

To make matters worse, Trump is now actively encouraging people to ignore lockdown.  Perhaps it's time to add him to the list of defendants.  The rest of us will continue staying home for someone we love.

Gannon, D. (2020, April 8)  J. Lo and A-Rod help Governor Cuomo launch ‘stay home’ social media campaign.  6sqft.com.  Retrieved April 22, 2020, from https://www.6sqft.com/cuomo-launches-stay-home-social-media-campaign/

Palma, B. (2020, March 2) Did President Trump Refer to the Coronavirus as a ‘Hoax’?  snopes.com.  Retrieved April 22, 2020, from  https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/trump-coronavirus-rally-remark/

Derysh, I. (2020, April 7)  Washington state group sues Fox News and Rupert Murdoch over its "deceptive" coronavirus coverage.  salon.com.  Retrieved April 22, 2020, from

https://www.salon.com/2020/04/07/washington-state-group-sues-fox-news-and-rupert-murdoch-over-its-deceptive-coronavirus-coverage/

Derysh (2020, April 21) Viewers of Sean Hannity more likely to die from COVID-19 than those of Tucker Carlson: study.  salon.com.  Retrieved April 22, 2020, from https://www.salon.com/2020/04/21/viewers-of-sean-hannity-more-likely-to-die-from-covid-19-than-those-of-tucker-carlson-study/