I think everyone has this John Stewart thing wrong. by @DonEford(Don Ford - The People's Strategist -) | Twitter Thread Reader

I think everyone has this John Stewart thing wrong. I'm not defending him or what he said, but I do think that everyone has turned left when they should have turned right. That's not a political statement, just a choice in direction. It would seem that most have seen it as a personal attack, which isn't unreasonable, but it's really not the best way to handle what we are seeing here. The problem is that folks see it as an attack on them personally, when really John Stewart is explaining how he has become vulnerable to very dangerous propaganda. You should not feel attacked or bad by what he said. After all, if you are masking, you have won the game as it were, because you did not fall for the propaganda. What was the propaganda? That masks aren't necessary anymore, that COVID is managed, that the mRNA vaccines worked, and it is now safe to contract COVID... He fell for the "COVID is just a cold" propaganda. And why wouldn't he? He has experts on all sides saying it's over, that we have nothing to worry about, and that it's all okay now. John is a perfect example of what the COVID-conscious community is supposed to be fighting for, but isn't... The vast majority of people, who we cannot reach on social media, have been convinced that the situation they are in is no longer dangerous when it is actually still quite dangerous. People wearing masks should not feel attacked or victimized because, if anything, people like John are showing their whole asses with how truly poorly informed they are. And they pay the price for it. If anything, I feel bad for people like John because by the time they realize their mistake, it will be too late. They are the new antivaxxers begging for the vaccine on their deathbed, but instead of acute COVID, it will be aggressive cancers, MS, or another debilitating disorder they are diagnosed with far too young. I don't feel attacked by these statements, and you shouldn't either. Instead, we should find compassion and sympathy for the people who have been fooled by the same very dangerous propaganda we are supposed to be spending our time fighting. Everyone who is masking needs to realize they are on the right side of history, and you should not let this type of behavior push you into a defensive position... You're right, he's wrong... However, instead of reflecting on how this emotional harm affects us, we should be using this opportunity to explain how this physically risks them. That's how we gain advocates instead of further isolating ourselves. If we want to reach more people and make it clear that they are wrong, then we will never make that point from a defensive position. You are right. He is wrong. Do not feel attacked; acknowledge this is a new type of self-harm, and there is no one but the people who are informed to protect those people. Don't make it about you; make it about them. We don't protect the group by trying to protect the group; we protect the group by getting enough people to care about themselves individually so that the group is protected. They have lost sight of their individual risk, and that's the problem. Their poor reflection of the community stems from their personal perception of risk, not the group's. And that's what makes the propaganda he fell for so dangerous.