I know Fox news is pushing just blatant misinformation about the virus and severity of everything, but what about the other networks like MSNBC and CNN? I only watch DemocracyNow and Al Jazeera for American news and don't have cable.
Are other networks at least trying to be sort of honest? Are they blaming everything on Trump? What's the deal?
The current debate is whether to open schools (usually happens in mid August-September in the US). News isn’t downplaying the severity but frames it as “but if we shut things down the cure will be worse than the virus!” and generally as an argument between protecting individual freedoms and the economy vs. restrictive countermeasures to oppress and control the populace. Also they try to shift the blame on increasing infection rates as the fault of protesters (never mind that most protesters wear masks and protests happen outside where transmission risks are lower) and irresponsible young adults partying despite the risks, ignoring the politicians who let bars/restaurants/shops open, and the boomers who go to them refusing to wear masks.
I'm actually working with some ex-colleagues from the school I used to work in to organize the Math department against going back to an unventilated school built int he 1960's with kids starting in August.
The union president is married to one of the administrators, so they clearly are compromising their rank and file workers for personal reasons.
Yeah we're not too sure wtf we are going to do about schools reopening either. My provincial government has done a fantastic job handling the pandemic, among the best in the world (when you look at States/Provinces/European Countries and rank them accordingly) but we still have no idea what's going to happen in September. Parents are tired and nervous and anxious and of course everyone wants shit to go back to normal but well, that's never going to happen :/
i think the school issue is difficult. if you go back to school, you will have massive increases in cases and deaths. if you go online only, you put enormous pressure on parents - schools are responsible for feeding many children and often act as daycare. if you do a “hybrid” approach you’ll get the worst of both worlds, except it’ll likely be primarily lower-income children going to school and getting sick, plus more pressure on teachers.
If these motherfuckers put us on the dole or canceled rent there'd be a lot less protesting. Not that abolition would be any less necessary.