Do Americans Lack the Intelligence Required To Survive the Pandemic?
Despite mounting evidence to the contrary, we all want to believe that humankind has the intelligence to get through the times we’re all experiencing.
From this article: He and his wife got COVID-19. She died last week. This week, he went maskless to an anti-vaxx rally
At the end of July, Republican Rep. Chris Johansen of Aroostook County, Maine, was reportedly recorded by Mariner News contributor Crash Barry saying, “Listen up, I’ve got COVID and I’m really, really sick and I just don’t have time to talk to you today.” It was news because Johansen, along with his wife Cindy, have been very vocal and demonstratively anti-mask and anti-vaccine. Johansen’s anti-science stance led to him and six other Republican representatives getting stripped of their committee assignments after entering the Maine State House without wearing masks “in violation of legislative rules that go beyond state recommendations” back in May.
On Aug. 10, Cindy Johansen reportedly passed away after struggling for almost a month with the virus. Her death was confirmed by The Daily Beast and the Maine Republican Party. A week after her passing, Chris Johansen appeared at an anti-vaxxer mandate demonstration in Augusta. As various reporters covering this demonstration noted, Johansen did not wear a mask.
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Johansen, Republican incumbent for Maine’s House of Representatives District 145, trounced his opponent with a whopping 76.7% of ballots cast in the general election on November 3, 2020. His constituents think very highly of him.
Before he was stripped of his duties, Johansen served on Maine’s Environment and Natural Resources Committee. It’s hard to imagine the insight, scientific rigor, and compassion for environmental responsibility that he brought to that august body.
Maybe I’m the only one concerned that Americans may not have what it takes to survive the pandemic. You don’t see the French and Germans acting this way. There are circus animals smarter than this.
