Covid-19 vs terrorism

When 9/11 happened, there was a fear in American society that for a huge majority surpassed the fear level of the Red Scare from the days of the Cold War. People lived in fear of radical Muslims inside American society. Taliban and Al Qaeda became the new monsters. Americans started looking over their shoulders and an overwhelming majority supported the invasion of foreign distant lands to avenge the terror attacks on US soil.

Today, the world is invaded by a global pandemic. Inside America, the virus has killed over 220,000 people. That number dwarfs the number of 9/11 deaths: about 3,000. Yet, the fear of 9/11 dwarfs the fear of the virus. Many Americans frequent the beaches, bars, restaurants, and other such places without the fear of the virus and its deadly results. When asked, the various responses include chiefly; when it’s time to go, nothing can stop that so they might as well enjoy life while they’re alive and they are not afraid of death. Many display their machismo saying the virus won’t kill them.

It’s quite mindboggling because after 9/11, there was no argument that we should not invade Afghanistan because an Al Qaeda attack won’t kill us or that fate cannot be avoided. After 9/11, Americans were surveilled. When massive surveillance activities were revealed by Edward Snowden, many responded by saying they had nothing to hide, therefore, they didn’t care if the government was watching and recording their communications for the greater good.

Today, many naysayers who don’t wear a mask somehow do not repeat the same mantra: that they don’t believe in it but since they have nothing to worry about, they’ll follow the policy of wearing a mask for the greater good.

An entire election campaign against Trump is being built on the basis of his late response to the virus. President Bush had also ignored the intelligence on August 6, 2001, that said, “Bin Laden Determined to Strike in US”. As a matter of fact, the CIA knew about the plot and presence of two of the bombers on US soil as early as January 2000.

Covid-19, just like terrorism, came from outside America. But xenophobia comes from within. While it’s a daunting task to find the exact reason behind this contrasting reaction of the American people, in my humble opinion it boils down to the divided state of America that Trump created. Two terms of Obama followed by joblessness for many White Americans, America was ripe for further division along race and party lines.

Therefore, today the rejection of Covid-19 and masks is an expression of that anger. After 9/11, Americans came together against a common enemy: radical Muslims. Today, Americans are divided between angry working class White ultra-nationalists and anyone who does not agree with their views. The Democrats are trying to show the massive deaths caused by the Covid-19 as proof of Trump’s ineligibility for presidency. Whereas, Trump’s cult-like followers are going to deny the virus so they can fight their opponents.

In their minds, the deep state conspiracy trying to remove Trump from the White House is a reality. They believe in the QAnon conspiracy theory; that a cabal of paedophiles and Satan-worshipers run a global sex-child tracking operation and that President Trump is the only man who can stop them.

Edgar Welch, a North Carolina resident and father of two, drove six hours to a Washington pizza restaurant called Comet Ping Pong. Edgar was led to believe by a fake news article that the restaurant kept young children as sex slaves as part of a child abuse sex ring led by Hillary Clinton. He found nothing there and was arrested.

Terrorism was America’s fight. Covid-19 is the Republicans’ fight. Covid-19 is seen as a tool of the Democrats in unseating Trump.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 22^nd, 2020.

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