I’ve long since stopped using the phrase “just when I thought people couldn’t possibly get any dumber,” because no matter what flabbergasting things in the world people do, they can always inexplicably find a way to do something dumber. No. Matter. What.
In spite of the fact that Georgia, much less the rest of America is nowhere close to being on the path to being remotely similar to South Korea or Taiwan in terms of fighting coronavirus, our idiot governor Yosemite Sam, has decided that the stay-at-home ordinance is going to be lifted so that certain types of businesses can open reopen and get back to work; as in people go out of your homes into the world that has a potentially deadly airborne virus floating all over the place and get back to fucking work for the sake of the economy at the risk of your literal lives.
Before we even get to the list of approved businesses, let’s just opine about how recklessly horrible this decision is.
Despite the fact that Georgia ranks in the top-10 states in worst coronavirus numbers, they’re basically scrambling to get to the front of the line in regards to encouraging people to leave their homes, go out amongst other people and put themselves at increased risk; in order to get back to work.
Because the economy needs it.
So go put yourselves in danger. Because money
Anyway, let’s take a look at the businesses that will be opening within the next week:
- Gyms
- Bowling alleys
- Movie theaters
- Barber shops
- Cosmetologists
- Hair salons
- Nail salons
- Massage therapists
- Select restaurants based on their ability to adhere to social distancing guidelines and regulations
Totally essential businesses, as you can see. Don’t you get it?? America is bored. They NEED bowling alleys and movie theaters. The Susans and Beckys NEED to get their hairs did and their massages. They need to get their Botox injections so their disenfranchised husbands can tolerate looking at them again. And goddamn it, they all need their neighborhood Mexican restaurants to get back open so they can plow themselves with alcohol and colored people food.
Seriously, this list is laughable. I miss the gym and working out more than I miss Mindhunter, but gyms are about the worst types of business to open up in the middle of a pandemic. It’s bad enough that the majority of gym goers are terrible about wiping equipment after themselves, leaving their sweat, slime, funk and other gross germs and bacteria all over the place, but to now add fucking potential coronavirus on top of all of that? Yeah fuck that, bad idea. I’m itching to go back to the gym, but even when the general green light is given, I’m still going to be scared shitless at the gym, and will probably consider taking more time off from it than necessary, solely because I don’t trust anyone.
As for the rest of the list, bowling alleys and movie theaters are needed by the public as much as they need to have assholes on their elbows. But I can’t help but feel like there’s a slight racial lean towards the list in general; like barber shops and nail salons are so often stereotyped as being patronized by black people, and there isn’t a gym in the metro Atlanta area I’ve been to where the majority of patrons weren’t black. I mean, this could just mean I’m a racist seeing stuff this way, or I’m onto something about how it feels like this list was passively created to put black people and/or lower income people at greatest risk by encouraging them to go out into the dangerous world.
Perhaps it’s just me, but considering lower-income blacks were the demographic most heavily seen as the swing vote in the last race for governor, and how such is going to be the case in almost all elections moving forward, I wouldn’t put it past a known racist/bigot/misogynist to try and put the most swing voters’ lives at greatest risk for the sake fo the Republican party.
Either way, this entire list is a fucking joke. Lives are going to be put at risk, for the sake of money, and the rest of the world is going to be waiting with bated breath to laugh at Georgia for being among the first states to “reopen” with such reckless abandon.
