Have you noticed that those who are demanding broad-based lockdowns as the best or only way to fight the coronavirus pandemic seem to be of one class and those who are struggling personally, mentally and economically are of another class?
For all the focus that the far Left place on class, it is puzzling, but not surprising, that the class aspects of the pandemic fight have been generally ignored. But, as much as they are ignored, the creation of new class conflict is real.
On one side are the experts, professionals, East Coast and liberal politicians and on the other are the desperate: small business owners; the unemployed; retirees whose pensions are threatened; the clinically depressed and anxious, and children yearning to rediscover their childhoods. Among others.
Peggy Noonan put voice to that thought in her excellent Wall Street Journal column: “Scenes From the Class Struggle in Lockdown: Those who are anxious to open up the economy have led harder lives than those holding out for safety.”
With great insight, she said:
Here’s something we should stop. There’s a class element in the public debate [over stemming the coronavirus pandemic]. It’s been there the whole time but it’s getting worse, and few in public life are acting as if they’re sensitive to it. Our news professionals the past three months have made plenty of room for medical and professionals warning of the illness. Good, we needed it, it was news. They are not now paying an equal degree of sympathetic attention to those living the economic story, such as the Dallas woman who pushed back, opened her hair salon, and was thrown in jail by a preening judge. He wanted an apology. She said she couldn’t apologize for trying to feed her family.
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