Lockdown Skepticism from a Leftist’s Point of View
“Never let a crisis go to waste.” — Rahm Emanuel
Whether you think that the dreaded Covid-19 will kill millions and that everything must be shut down immediately for two weeks (at the very least) or whether you think the spread of Covid is all China’s fault and use it as an excuse to be racist towards Chinese people (or Asians in general), Rahm Emanuel’s quote above proves to be very universal when dealing with a crisis as big as, well, a pandemic. Shopping inside a store, dining inside a restaurant, going into a library and browsing at books, traveling to different countries on an airplane, going to school and hanging out with friends- everything we have taken for granted gone, all because of a virus that trapped us all inside our homes. Surely, shutting down the whole world for a few weeks to prevent the spread of Covid-19 is something we should all strive for, right? After all, it’s just for a few weeks, right?
Try several months with no idea on when this will all end. Many people, most of them leaning politically towards left, are still insisting that we shut down the whole world “until there’s a vaccine” or “to flatten the curve”. Is it worth it though? Are lockdowns the answer to defeat any and all diseases, or could they be doing more harm than good? Perhaps locking down for such a long time might be hurting us in the long run.
In March 2020, practically every school shut down to prevent the spread of Covid-19, leading many to having to rely on online schooling with some schools still considering online schools or a hybrid of online schooling and in-person schooling in August. Online schooling has existed for several years prior, but that option is primarily aimed at those who are home-schooling or those who have just had a baby. It can be highly problematic for almost every student to suddenly have school online.
For example, what would motivate a student to complete their homework or even attend in the first place if it’s just going to be online? Where is that child going to learn if their parents are gone at work? Who’s going to supervise the child and make sure that their doing their work? What would happen if a student had trouble with an assignment, or what would happen if there was a test and the student looked up the answers instead of studying? Aren’t these children going to have a hard time catching up in whatever current grade they’re in? How would a child with a disability such as autism, dyslexia, ADHD, etc. be able to focus and learn? How would these students get the help and accommodations that they need according to their IEPs? Wasn’t school, namely public school, meant to diminish the gap of inequality for our children?
What’s going to happen to the children whose parents have to work just to pay the bills and for groceries? How would these children be able to eat if, for the most part, their only meals come from the school cafeteria? What’s going to happen to the kids who are facing abuse from their parents or are witnessing abuse happening to their parents? What about the kids who have to deal with drug addiction/drug abuse? Will those children be able to return to a safe place or have a teacher report the abuse so that they can escape a dangerous living situation?
What about the people themselves who have struggled with drug addiction and alcoholism? Would the lack of stability brought on by lockdown worsen their situations? Would their mental health get worse by the isolation and lack of human connections? Humans are social animals; social, in-person interactions are a vital part of who we are. Children especially need to interact with other humans as early as possible in order to be developmentally and emotionally healthy. Are we really going to risk all of that for a virus that mostly affects older people and/or people with compromised immunities? Should we really risk the hindrance of ours and especially our young children’s social skills? In fact, would it all spiral down so horribly that one would consider suicide?
What about the people who lost their jobs due to the lockdowns? How are they going to feed their families and keep a roof over their heads without a job to earn money from? What about the small business owners who gave their life and soul to serving others by doing what they love? Will those businesses ever come back? Isn’t having a successful small business the whole point of the American Dream? Homelessness and food insecurity is going to increase if this happens. Not only that, but businesses owned by black and Hispanic people are going to be the hardest hit. Don’t we want our people to have a roof over their heads and enough food to eat, especially our children, who are supposed to be shaping our future?
What about the people who have already been struggling with poverty and other inequalities before the pandemic? Most of these people are racial minorities, women, have lower educational achievements, already have to work two or more jobs to make ends meet, are disabled or chronically ill, are a member of the LGBTQ+ community, are mentally ill, etc., and many of these people face issues such as food insecurity, increasing healthcare bills, possible homelessness, and debt. We have been fighting to lower the inequality for these people for at least a decade, if not more! Are we seriously going to widen the gap for those people all in the name of safety and health?
And if health was so important, why are we delaying cancer treatments and testings? Why are parents prolonging getting their children vaccinated or even visiting the pediatrician? Why is the World Health Organization recommending that people not go to the dentist? Doesn’t bad oral health lead to bad heart health? Obesity rates are going up due to these lockdowns. Haven’t we been trying to address the problems of obesity for years? What about the people who need their eyes checked in case they need glasses? What about the people who may need therapy for their mental health problems? Good mental health means good physical health and vice versa, doesn’t it? What about the people who would need important, life-saving surgeries? Do their lives not matter anymore?
An effective government is supposed to protect us from impeding harm and uphold freedom and democracy, yet many are implementing harsh and downright authoritarian lockdown procedures in order to secure safety and security. For example, officials in China literally welded their own citizens into their own homes while others were dragged from their homes in order to prevent the spread earlier in the year. China, as many know, is not known for their pro-democracy style of government. But what if I told you that New Zealand delayed their elections due to their reactions to Covid-19, and Australia has made it practically illegal to leave the country or even walk outside except for essential goods (but only within five kilometers from your home), especially in Melbourne? Yes, New Zealand and Australia, two countries that are considered by many in the world first-world and democratic.
That’s not all- United States president Donald Trump is considering banning citizens re-entering their own country in case they have the virus, and it’s not just the Republicans. Democrat governor of California Gavin Newsom banned indoor religious activities “indefinitely” to prevent the spread, which is an infringement on religious liberty. If these countries are removing citizens’ freedoms in the name of safety, imagine the other types of freedom other countries could remove in the name of safety. These countries might require contact tracing, which can be used by perverted men to harass on women and digitally track down college students at all times in Michigan might be a potential case of abuse by armed forces.
Maybe lockdowns aren’t as good for the general public as we all thought…
