[stcredzero]

The man in front of the protest to ease restrictions in my mid-sized city was a wealthy local real estate magnate.

That still doesn't change the equation for those who aren't real estate magnates and were living paycheck to paycheck before the crisis.

You either listen to all people and meet them where they're at, or you give fuel to demagogues. (Who might be rich magnates.)

[mcphage]

It definitely doesn't, but it does change the tenor and content of those protests.

[stcredzero]

it does change the tenor and content of those protests.

If people who shouldn't have political power gain it by listening to the neglected, the proper course of action isn't to denigrate the people. Take back that power by listening.

[mcphage]

> If people who shouldn't have political power gain it by listening to the neglected, the proper course of action isn't to denigrate the people.

He didn't get it by listening to the neglected. He got it by spending money. The protests in my city, like in most places, were primarily people saying "I want people to work for me!" and not "I want to work!". Also had some confederate flags thrown in, because why not.

> Take back that power by listening.

If I were to listen, I would hear that people don't want to be forced to choose between survival and health.

[stcredzero]

If I were to listen,

If you were to listen.

I would hear that people don't want to be forced to choose between survival and health.

Losing your home, losing the ability to pay for healthcare, perhaps losing custody of your children or losing your already strained marriage -- these are all serious issues which may greatly impact the survival and health of many people.

One thing which tone-deafness is often a symptom of, is that one has lost a bit of the capacity to think of certain others as full, equal in worth, human beings. I know this from first hand experience.

[mcphage]

> Losing your home, losing the ability to pay for healthcare, perhaps losing custody of your children or losing your already strained marriage -- these are all serious issues which may greatly impact the survival and health of many people.

Absolutely. And nobody wants to be forced to pick between that, and the very real possibility of getting sick. But if the states just open up, that's the position that they will be in—work and maybe get sick, or not work, and lose your home, the ability to pay for healthcare, perhaps losing custody of your children or losing your already strained marriage.

Keeping the states closed is a popular position.

> One thing which tone-deafness is often a symptom of, is that one has lost a bit of the capacity to think of certain others as full, equal in worth, human beings. I know this from first hand experience.

It's an honest shame that people with your attitude weren't the ones running the protests, instead of people flying the confederate flag and wanting to get their hair done.

[stcredzero]

Absolutely. And nobody wants to be forced to pick between that, and the very real possibility of getting sick

For a lot of people, this is a choice they make every day, even predating the pandemic.

It's an honest shame that people with your attitude weren't the ones running the protests, instead of people flying the confederate flag and wanting to get their hair done.

It's an honest shame, that politics in 2020 is often about group stereotypes, not fundamental economic reality.