It was probably inevitable, but we have officially reached the “fuck them kids” stage of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The latest confrontation over mask mandates in schools reveals the utter hypocrisy and selfishness of the “pro-life” GOP, who are fine sacrificing our kids’ health if it means their dead bodies will pave the way to Republican control of Congress and fuel their unending, counter-majoritarian culture war.
During Black History Month, Republican leaders are more comfortable with our kids getting COVID than reading a book written by a Black author talking about white supremacy and diversity.
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Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin—who has already banned “divisive concepts” from being taught in schools as part of the right’s disingenuous “critical race theory” panic—is now just one vote away from the Virginia Senate adding an amendment to ban mask mandates in Virginia schools. North Carolina Republicans are set to file a bill in the House to ban schools from mask mandates. In liberal San Francisco, voters overwhelmingly recalled three school board members revealing their frustration over admission policies, school reopenings, and the renaming of schools. Not surprisingly, the grassroots movement has received major funding from conservatives, who are using the local school crisis as a national springboard to attack public schools and replace local school board officials.
Schools, and our children in particular, have become the unfortunate but effective political pawns for a right-wing movement seeking to convert parents’ pandemic frustrations, fears, and anxiety into 2022 midterm votes. Although the right often points to studies showing the low COVID risks and death rates of children, the CDC revealed in a report this week that children up to the age of 4 were especially vulnerable to the Omicron variant. The hospitalization rates per 100,000 children in that age group were five times higher during Omicron’s peak as compared to Delta’s peak. Also, we are still learning about the detrimental impacts of long COVID both in children and adults. As Jeanne Craft, president of the New Jersey chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, recently said, “Saying that children are less likely to die of COVID, less likely to get severely sick from COVID, doesn’t mean that they can’t and that they don’t.”
The reality is that nearly a third of this country is still unvaccinated—and, yes, they are largely Republican—and there are breakthrough cases even among us who are vaccinated and boosted. Our communities consist of elders and those who are immunosuppressed, such as my 5-year old daughter who is a cancer survivor and still struggling to build antibodies to the vaccine. A new study last week revealed that the risk of heart disease soars after contracting even a mild case of COVID-19. Last month, more than 60,000 Americans died from this virus. Also, allow me to remind everyone that there are still no vaccines for children under the age of five, who can still be infected and transmit the virus.
But, fuck them kids! Am I right?
I mean, we have to placate some of our selfish Americans who are just “done” with COVID and others who write in august publications to just “end COVID restrictions.” Unfortunately, several Democratic governors agree with them, just as America approaches the milestone of 1 million dead before April. Leaders in Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Oregon, New Jersey, Illinois, and Nevada are following Republican governors’ lead and dropping mask mandates despite the CDC chief recently warning that “now is not the moment.”
These terrified Democrats are caving to relentless, bad faith messaging by a radicalized “pro-life” GOP, who have consistently opposed the bare minimum of precautions, such as vaccines, masks, and social distancing since the beginning of this pandemic.
Republicans have also repeatedly blamed Democrats for “closing down” America despite America being very much open. For example, I just returned from New York, where I was able to ride both an Amtrak train and the subway, procure food from restaurants, stay in a hotel, sleep in a bed, record a podcast, host a book launch, walk the streets, and even get yelled at by a pedestrian. I had to wear a mask every once in a while to reduce the spread of infection, and show proof of vaccination to avoid potential death or long-term sickness. That’s it. It wasn’t a problem.
It seems I belong to the majority, who remain in favor of both mask and vaccine mandates. In fact, a February Axios/Ipsos poll reveals that just 21 percent of Americans support getting rid of all COVID-19 restrictions. Although many parents, such as myself, are indeed concerned about the emotional and psychological toll the pandemic is having on our kids, the majority of us are pleased with how schools have balanced health and academic concerns.
Democrats should reflect the will of the majority and listen to the facts and science. Instead of caving to Republicans and their crocodile tears about our children’s health, they must turn the tables, hit back hard, and ask why the GOP is always willing to risk our children’s safety just for the sake of votes? Democrats should publicly ask why are Republicans against mask and vaccine mandates? Instead of using the word “restrictions,” ask the pro-life Republicans why they are against any and every “protection” against a pandemic that continues to kill so many of us?
Since this week marks the fourth anniversary of the Parkland school massacre, in which 14 students and three staff members were shot dead, ask the GOP what, if anything, they propose to save our schoolkids from being killed by a mass shooter who has access to assault weapons? According to the Washington Post, there were 42 school shootings in 2021, the most since 1999, despite the majority of students not attending school for the first two months of 2021. Democrats should ask “pro-life” Republicans how many more of our kids must die and how many Sandy Hooks and Parklands do we have to experience as a nation just so Rep. Lauren Boebert and her base can cosplay and indulge in their perverse gun fetish?
Democrats should also ask Republicans—and the obstructionist centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin—why didn’t they vote to extend the child tax credit that briefly helped lift up millions of American kids stuck in poverty? That is, if they truly care so much about the "lives" of our kids. They had no problem giving nearly $2 trillion worth of tax cuts to the rich, so why are they so cheap when it comes to investing in our kids?
We already know the answer. But because they live by their "Screw you, kids," policy doesn’t mean Democrats have to follow suit. Now is not the time to drop basic precautions against a pandemic that still isn’t done with us or our vulnerable kids.
