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With confirmed cases again on the rise—this time like never before—Americans can feel justified in their coronavirus angst. But who should be the target of their ire?
Below, two of our writers warn against faulting the wrong people for the country’s failures.
Blame leadership, not individuals.
Humans struggle to process this kind of risk, Tess Wilkinson-Ryan, a psychology professor, points out. “America’s half-hearted reopening is a psychological morass, a setup for defeat that will be easy to blame on irresponsible individuals while culpable institutions evade scrutiny.”
“One can hardly imagine a comparatively safer environment than a sunny, windy ocean beach,” Zeynep Tufekci argues. “And yet many news organizations have seized upon beaches, and scenes of beachgoers, as a sign of why things are so bad in the United States.”
One question, answered: Say you tested negative for the coronavirus. Could you still have it, but be asymptomatic?
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