The key difference between the street gatherings of liberals (protests for racial justice; Biden celebrations) and those of Trumpists (anti-lockdown protests; Trump rallies; baseless protests of imagined election fraud) are that the liberals almost invariably wear masks and the Trumpists almost invariably do not. This makes a significant difference in whether these events cause COVID spikes. Just today I saw a photo of an unmasked “Stop the steal” demonstrator yelling, with droplets visibly flying from his mouth. Not good.
Modelling proper behaviour is a much stronger way of getting anyone, of any age, to do the right thing than merely talking about it. But actively doing the opposite of what one tells others is worse. It’s going to be so much harder to bring people back to the table and get them to cooperate after that because they will rightfully see their leaders as hypocritical. That’s not just damaging in the situation at hand, but also harmful for the future months, where cooperation may become much more essential.
Decades ago, I was in court with someone who kept dragging the matter back before the judge. He “fired” one lawyer; another quit in exasperation. In repeatedly bringing the case back to court without any merit, he accidentally showcased his personality, attitude and the reasons why his custodial access was limited in the first place. He also gave the judge sufficient reason to eventually order a very controlled situation supervised by a court appointed professional. Had he not been given that opportunity to make his case, this would not have happened.
If Trump were denied court, he would not stop. It would merely force him to find a different, less predictable outlet. The lawyers who represent him and the manner in which these efforts to undermine the election are conducted speak for themselves. It’s ultimately a more powerful way of clarifying the situation because he had the opportunity to make his case, and largely failed.
The key difference between the street gatherings of liberals (protests for racial justice; Biden celebrations) and those of Trumpists (anti-lockdown protests; Trump rallies; baseless protests of imagined election fraud) are that the liberals almost invariably wear masks and the Trumpists almost invariably do not. This makes a significant difference in whether these events cause COVID spikes. Just today I saw a photo of an unmasked “Stop the steal” demonstrator yelling, with droplets visibly flying from his mouth. Not good.
Modelling proper behaviour is a much stronger way of getting anyone, of any age, to do the right thing than merely talking about it. But actively doing the opposite of what one tells others is worse. It’s going to be so much harder to bring people back to the table and get them to cooperate after that because they will rightfully see their leaders as hypocritical. That’s not just damaging in the situation at hand, but also harmful for the future months, where cooperation may become much more essential.
Decades ago, I was in court with someone who kept dragging the matter back before the judge. He “fired” one lawyer; another quit in exasperation. In repeatedly bringing the case back to court without any merit, he accidentally showcased his personality, attitude and the reasons why his custodial access was limited in the first place. He also gave the judge sufficient reason to eventually order a very controlled situation supervised by a court appointed professional. Had he not been given that opportunity to make his case, this would not have happened.
If Trump were denied court, he would not stop. It would merely force him to find a different, less predictable outlet. The lawyers who represent him and the manner in which these efforts to undermine the election are conducted speak for themselves. It’s ultimately a more powerful way of clarifying the situation because he had the opportunity to make his case, and largely failed.