Are Republicans Allergic to the Concept of Change?

The latest barrage of nearly unintelligible ranting from our friends on the right presents itself in the form of the GOP’s backlash against new CDC guidance regarding the recent surge in COVID-19 cases brought on by the Delta variant. And, as expected, Republicans are once again proving that they are wholly incapable of comprehending the concepts of change and development.

“But you said we don’t have to wear a mask now that the vaccines are rolling out!” they shout, frothing at the mouth in anger and disbelief. But they fail to recognize that things don’t remain exactly the same forever, further confirming their disregard for reality, nature and science.

Yes, at one point we seemingly had things under control which made masks less crucial. But the virus evolved, infections increased, and now even the vaccinated can transmit the virus to others more easily than before.

Things changed. Are we just supposed to do nothing?

In case any Conservatives stumble upon this story, here are some scenarios that might help put this in perspective:

1. Let’s say something goes awry in the kitchen and your oven catches on fire. So you put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. However, a single ember continues to burn and suddenly sets your dish towels ablaze. Are you going to say “but I put out the fire once already” and then walk away? Probably not.

2. Imagine you’re on a camping trip and you’ve just fallen asleep in your tent. A stream of cold water jolts you awake - rain is pouring through a hole in the roof. So, you patch it up with some duct tape and go back to sleep. A couple hours later, water begins dripping into the tent again! You turn on your flashlight to find that the rain is seeping around the tape you applied earlier. Are you going to say “but I taped up that hole once already” and let the water keep pouring in? Probably not.

3. Your truck breaks down on the way home from work. So you take it to the shop to get it fixed. A week later, it breaks down again. Are you going to say “but I got it fixed once already” and do nothing about it? Probably not.

4. You just spent the better part of a hot summer day pulling the weeds from your lawn. And now it looks great! You take a trip out of town to visit some family members, but when you get home you realize…the weeds are growing back! Are you going to say “but I pulled the weeds once already” and then do nothing as they continue to take over your yard? Probably not.

Hopefully by now you get the point: things change. In the same way that the Los Angeles Dodgers used to play in Brooklyn, in the same way that food gets moldy when it’s left out too long… things change.

And as issues change and develop, we must address them using new (or similarly effective) strategies to adequately respond to the new factors at play.

Even if we set the silly analogies aside, we already know viruses evolve and mutate, hence the numerous variations of Influenza and different types of coronaviruses. Nature is always in flux, always changing and developing. So too with COVID-19. Half the US population decided not to get vaccinated and gave the virus a chance to mutate, making the situation more difficult to address.

Ironically, those who most vehemently oppose even the most basic safety protocols are the ones who make them more necessary every day.

Convenience Threatened

So why is it so hard for the GOP and their base to grasp the fact that COVID-19 has changed over time?

Perhaps it’s not that they don’t understand the nature of change. Maybe they just refuse to acknowledge it because it threatens the convenience and comfort of business-as-usual.

After all, they are conservatives, which suggests that keeping things the same is a significant part their ethos. And their track record when faced with complex issues serves as a blueprint for the way they’re handling the current crisis.

As Matthew C. MacWilliams details in his book On Fascism: 12 Lessons From American History, Conservatives routinely seek simple solutions to complicated problems because they aren’t willing to step outside the box and explore innovative alternatives to “normal” life.

Whether we want to call this cowardice or ignorance (why not both?), they justify their lack of action using a set of artificial social frameworks cloaked in patriotic propaganda to denounce anything that conflicts with their perception of reality.

Echoed by authoritarian strongmen and demagogues, they feel justified in their inaction, believing that a Trump, Abbott, or DeSantis can deliver their simple solutions by singlehandedly conquering any inconveniences using sheer might.

The Long Con

Unfortunately for them, this is not how nature behaves. A single person cannot stop a global pandemic. Neither patriotism nor a strong economy can stop a global pandemic either.

The very notion that we can create an artificial framework within which to live and interact with the world (society) and then expect everything to remain exactly the same for all time — even in the face of a global health crisis — is foolish, unrealistic, and unnatural.

As a result of this belief system, Conservatives have, as Tim Wise outlines in this illuminating Medium story, tricked themselves into believing that their excessive masculinity and traditional values protect them from the dangers that affect only lesser people.

Following the authoritarian handbook (or perhaps being led blindly by it), they have effectively “othered” anyone who trusts in the scientific process. This, in turn, serves as further justification for their homicidal disregard for the lives of other people.

So here we are, addressing the stronger, more deadly variant of COVID-19 that came into being largely because of Conservative ignorance. And whether they want to grovel over the supposed infringement of their “rights” and “freedoms” is totally up to them. Meanwhile, the forward-thinkers of the world must — and will — continue to follow scientific and medical guidelines to address this crisis as nature demands — with or without the GOPers.