Things that still make me more nervous than the coronavirus:
Racists. Bigots. White nationalists. Not the tattooed, dead eyed, red-hat wearing screamers who stomp around yelling about the superiority of one race over another. Their sartorial choices and penchant for body art does me the favor of alerting me in advance as to whom to avoid.
I’m referring to the casual everyday bigots around us.
The co-worker who casually drops a comment about “illegals” who come to this country and commit crimes (but fails to mention the thousands of law-abiding workers whose exploited labor affords them inexpensive produce and cheap dinner tabs at restaurants).
The suit-wearing executive in line at a taco shop who mutters “speak English” as she decides which combination plate she’ll eat at her table for one that she shares with her cell phone.
The older woman who resembles in dress and demeanor a cheerful matriarch more at home in a ’50s sitcom but espouses jingoistic beliefs in her campaign rallies and Facebook posts as she pledges to “build the wall” to her circle of friends who are reliable voters.
Like the viruses that sicken us, it’s the bigots and racists we don’t see who have the potential to do the most harm.
They insert themselves into our everyday lives at work and at home and eat away at a healthy community.
The germs and viruses have always been among us, as have the haters. But in this political and social climate they have become more emboldened to express — and act on — their beliefs that genuinely do more damage the longer they are allowed to flourish and remain unchecked.
And like a lot of viruses, their brand of existence has the ability to mutate. There is a fine line between a racist and a homophobe; a bigot and a misogynist.
Doctors and medical experts warn us that the coronavirus should be taken seriously and precautions — such as washing your hands frequently, covering your mouth when you cough and staying home when you feel ill — should be taken. Of course precautions should be taken.
But what do you do with a disease that has been around for as long as people have been on the planet? How do you cure that?
