Happy Pandemic Monday, Oklahoma!
I hope you're alive and well and got some of your panic shopping and bar hopping out of the way over the weekend, while it was still probably too late. Our fine and dandy Governor sure did!
During a global pandemic, a time when we must all rally as one to commit to common sense social distancing measures just to put a dent in a global health catastrophe, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt – the guy who doesn't vaccinate his own children – took his family to a hip and hopping food hall on Saturday night, and even worse, bragged about it on social media:
Jesus Christ. What a tone deaf, arrogant fool. Would he also tweet about going to a restaurant if a PDS tornado watch covered the metro? I can see it now:
Stitt eventually deleted the tweet, but not before he infuriated the social media nanny state, who instantly, and deservedly, shared their outrage. Even K-LITE 102 mainstay Richard Marx got in on the action:
As I mentioned on Twitter, the sad irony about all this is that Kevin Stitt is probably a Richard Marx fan. Hazard will now have a whole new meaning.
In all fairness to Kevin Stitt, he wasn't the only person out on Saturday. I, along with millions of other foolish lemmings, also may have irresponsibly gone out for a few drinks, but at least I wasn't stupid enough to flaunt it on social media. You keep that shit secret!
That being said, at least Kevin Stitt has obviously learned his lesson and is now practicing safe and sound social distancing measures, and best of all, avoiding the social media spotlight.
Okay, maybe not. During this time when public health experts are begging and imploring everyone to keep safe distances, Kevin Stitt – a guy who probably thinks prayer and essential oils can stem any pandemic – stopped by a local Italian restaurant to get all huggy with the staff. Even Mary Fallin has to chuckle about that.
On that note, is anyone else concerned that Kevin Stitt is morphing into a Mary Fallin 2.0? His gaffes and political blunders are starting to add up. First he made that unsuccessful, miscalculated, one man charge against the Native American tribes for more gaming fees, which inadvertently uncovered dark secrets about his own tribal citizenry. Now he's showing his aloof privileged ignorance by encouraging people to gather in close proximity during a pandemic. Next week, expect one of his daughter's to die her hair pink and start a Grimes cover band.
Although Kevin Stitt doesn't seem too worried about the Coronavirus, there are some responsible Oklahoma officials who are taking it seriously. For example:
Okay, that was probably a bad example. That being said, I do agree with Sheriff Derpy in the root theme of his message – I am also having a hard time 100% buying the Covid-19 panic.
Don't get me wrong. I'm 100% concerned. The science and warnings from health officials sound legit, the social distancing and quarantine measure come across as reasonable and imperative, and the videos and stories from Italy are terrifying, but... if bad actors can manipulate social media algorithms to play on human psychology to swing a US presidential election, they can also use those same tactics to fuel a global meltdown over a pandemic, altering global financial markets and making the world a more unstable place. As The Onion reported, "We Will Not Repeat The Mistakes Of The 2016 Election," Vows Nation Still Using Internet.
While we watch all that unfold in a social media timeline over the next coming weeks, I'm going to encourage people to do what Kevin Stitt didn't do – keep you distance from other people, try to avoid congrating with large groups of other people, and when you fail to do both, don't brag about it on social media.
