The world is going crazy and we are all part of it. Whether we are engaging in emotional debates online, trying to take care of our mental health at home or desperately attempting to work.

Besides the normal craze, we are confronted with an exponential increase of fake news and workers protesting in favour of opening the economy again. Why is that? 

It is understandable that people are worried. They are worried about their income, loss of health insurance and not being able to pay their bills. Many good reasons to protest and express disagreement.

In the past, there were civilians protesting for social welfare, workers rights, equal rights or health care, but now things have changed. The debate has shifted. 

We see people protesting the Lockdown itself. 

Some of these “activists” deny the dangers of Covid-19, others put their jobs and the economy above their health. During “Gridlock” protests we see confederate flags and other symbols of the far right. It seems the resistance against the Lockdown is carried out by so-called patriots and libertarians. 

There are no “Occupy Wallstreet” or “Black Lives Matter” protests on the streets.

While financial insecurity, minorities being struck harder by the virus and lack of health insurance are the key problems at the moment, people seem to spend more time watching conspiracy videos than joining a union or finding their voice to address these important issues.

All of a sudden intelligent people start sharing “Out of the Shadows” or other “Qanon” financed movies. It seems like an epidemic of misinformation that is overshadowing the real issues. One could argue that we got carried away by fear.

Underneath all of that is the feeling that we are controlled by an elite that wants to take away civil rights and freedom of speech. 

After videos got taken down on social media, there was an outcry by online activists about their constitutional rights being taken away. Protesters on the streets talking about a police state in the making, when cops tell them to go home. 

Let’s all take a deep breath and have a closer look. 

When someone tells you to cure Covid-19 by holding a hair dryer up your nose or that 5G is causing the Virus, I feel it is ok to me when Youtube takes that down. There is other things to take care off.

I understand that information about workers rights and similar topics are not as catchy as theories on reptile elites executing an evil plan, but that doesn’t take away the importance of topic itself. Instead of stubbornly talking about opening factories, we could talk about what needs to be done in order to achieve that goal and take the time that is needed for that.

“But the economy is dying, I need to go to work and get a haircut.”

Yes, these are all things I worry about, maybe not so much about the haircut, but nobody stops anyone from having a conversation about the lockdown or the economy or the action that is taken. 

Everybody can start a petition, an online group or a union of workers affected by Corona. The only difference to “normal times” is that you will have to do it online. Good news is that almost everyone is at home and you have a high chance of reaching them. Living from pay check to pay check is not sustainable and most people are realising that right now. How can we enable workers to build up savings for times like these? 

I am waiting for someone calling this situation a chance for a “new green deal”, but I am afraid that there will be bailouts for oil companies instead. Why don’t we talk about that?

Why don’t we talk about minimum wages for workers in jobs that are more essential than we dared to admit a few weeks ago? Instead of clapping and honking for health care workers, we could give them a proper salary.

What I don’t understand is blue collar folks protesting to end the lockdown. 

Why are these people not protesting for health care, financial support or rent freezes? Why are they begging to put themselves at danger? Why are they insisting on working for their billionaire bosses for minimum wage without asking for more support?

Why are they so motivated to keep an economy going that has left them behind for years? 

Everyone was shocked when Dan Patrick talked about keeping the economy going and put elderly people at risk of death to safe the country. 

Look at us now, just a few weeks later. Nobody is openly saying it, but it seems that this is what some folks are going for. How did we let this happen? 

Why do we allow multi million dollar companies to ask for help, but demand blue collar workers to have savings in their bank account? How is a single mom with two kids able to be prepared for a situation like this, while CEOs are crying about a few months without business? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

Imagine the government would have told everyone from the beginning that we should keep going and risk the death of millions of people? 

After a few weeks of Lockdown there are apparently enough people that changed their mind. They want to go out, they have enough of this. The fear has taken over and people demand simple solutions. They want their life back.

Some of them argue with civil rights, others claim it’s all a hoax, conspiracists believe it is the end of the world as we know it and other groups don’t even “waste” the time on finding an argument, they just want it to end. It seems like the idea of social darwinism at its worst has taken over. 

I want it to end too. As soon as possible, but it seems that things are not that easy. Watching the debate develop over the last weeks there is one perspective I would like to share with you: 

Have you ever asked yourself why conspiracy videos promoting the end of the lockdown get so much funding by anonymous donors? Why is the conversation so far away from addressing the underlying problems?

Maybe it is because billionaires want you to discuss ludicrous conspiracy theories? Is it possible that they love seeing you insist on working again? Does it fill them with joy to see blue collar workers hating philanthropists? It feels as if this plays into their hands.

Why don’t we talk about the real scandals? 

• Governors and CEOs selling stocks before announcing the Lockdown.
• Essential workers not getting a fair salary.
• Big corporations getting more Stimulus than small businesses. 
• Children of migrants in cages getting Covid-19. 
• Water in Flint is still not running. 

Next time you are about to share a video or get angry about the Lockdown, ask yourself: 

Who am I supporting with this? What is the bigger picture behind it? Do I want to be on the same side with Trump supporters waving confederate flags and CEOs trying to save their bonuses?  

Is there a way we can manage this crisis differently and use it as a chance to repair a lot of damage that full-on capitalism has caused throughout the last decades?

We are all in this together, let’s find a solution that acknowledges that.