- Can we talk about something?
I don't know if you guys ever heard
of this app called Reddit.
It's where the kids are getting their memes
and their pornography these days.
Not too long ago, I started an account,
and I started following all different types of pages.
I guess they call these "subreddits,"
which I guess are sort of like an IRC chat or whatever.
Occasionally, I'll get a random pop-up
that will tell me I need to follow a new subreddit,
and this time they suggested a doozy
called the "Herman Cain Awards."
Now, for those of you guys who don't know,
Herman Cain was a Black Republican businessman
and former presidential candidate
who would come out and loudly deny
that we're all currently living in a panduce.
He say he was an avid Trump supporter
and absolutely refused to wear a mask.
Shockingly, he would end up getting COVID-19
and dying nine days after Trump would have a rally
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
One of his final tweets read,
"Don't believe in everything you hear on fake news.
I never had the Wuhan Flu because it doesn't exist.
#maskoff, #mybodymychoice, #plandemic."
Now, regardless of what your political beliefs are,
I am not the sort of person who takes pleasure
in seeing people pass away because of this virus.
If I'm being frank with you guys,
I think that there are so many things to be said
about how social media has created these algorithms
that feed people so much of this sort of stuff
that they start to really believe
that there's genuine reasons
to deny the reality of this virus.
So it turns out that the Herman Cain Award
is actually an "award" given to people
who have fallen into this algorithm,
posted many things denying the virus,
who ultimately ended up getting the virus,
and some of these people ended up passing away.
So I thought that I would show you guys some of these posts
because I found them to be utterly fascinating
because it's a complete other side of this social media
that I've not really been privy to.
And in this video,
we're gonna go over a few posts
that I found to be the most baffling.
So most of these posts are memes,
and I think that it's been said before
by people who are far more clever than I,
but from reading these memes,
it's fairly apparent that the right cannot meme.
So let's get into this.
This is somebody named Calvin,
and, right out the gate,
Calvin posts a meme that is an absolute banger.
He says, "If a fart can make it through two layers of cloth,
including denim jeans,
how confident are you feeling in that face mask?"
Whoa, I guess I've never thought of it like that.
Now, this meme is actually really, really popular.
I see this all over this subreddit,
and I just wanna take a moment to share
that I don't really think this is, you know,
an understanding of how this virus works.
Now, I guess if we're going to entertain this comparison,
let's talk about farts, shall we?
If this man was bending over in front of this woman,
which she seems to be doing for whatever reason,
and she let out a wet one,
I'm pretty positive that he would prefer
getting hit with the gas over getting hit with the shit.
Now, I don't know, he kind of seems like he's into it,
but either way,
the underwear is doing the job of protecting this guy
from getting hit with shit that came from her body.
But again, I think he might actually like
that sort of thing.
Now, one thing I will say about this though
is that, when the pandemic started,
I'm sure we all remember
that people were giving us
deliberately misleading information about masks,
so that we could not deplete our resource of masks
for people who are on the front lines fighting this virus,
right?
So I can kind of understand a little bit of the hesitation
to fully buy into masks as a protective mechanisms
for the virus.
But one thing we know is that this virus
is spread through particles
that often come out of your mouth,
and, obviously, if you're wearing a mask,
you're gonna spread far fewer particles.
Calvin's next meme is a picture of Dr. Fauci,
and it says, "This summer, everyone should wear sunscreen
So that the person next to you doesn't get sunburned."
I honestly...
Do Republicans think this is funny
because, honestly, the only way
that you could think this is funny
is if you don't understand how the virus works,
which honestly seems like a common theme
amongst most of these people.
I guess one of the things that's gotten me
through all of this
is I remember being a kid and getting a cold.
And if I had a cold, when I would stay home,
it wasn't only just because I was sick
and therefore probably wouldn't be able to work;
it was also to protect the other kids at school
from getting sick as well.
That just seems like a common courtesy,
and there's something that's been really depressing
about all of this,
to sort of just see how little
people care about being courteous to others.
Now, I know we shouldn't be taking this meme seriously,
but if we are going to,
I'm gonna say that putting on a mask, like I said,
is going to protect yourself
from spreading particles to other people,
but your sunscreen is only helpful to other people
if you let other people use it.
These aren't even vaguely comparable.
And again, I think it's only funny
when you don't understand the virus.
So this next meme is also very popular on this page.
It is a man wearing a gas mask, and it says,
"Today: no mask, no entry.
Tomorrow: no vaccine, no job.
Someday soon: no microchip, no rights."
We're just going full conspiracy theory here.
I will say that one of my early anxieties around the vaccine
was that it would be something
that would only be available to rich people
that would be completely inaccessible
to the working class.
But we've seen that that's not quite the case.
It is free.
And at least in the area that I live in,
you can get a free vaccine
at pretty much every other block of the city.
The real hurdles that we're currently seeing
is that some people don't have transportation
to vaccination sites.
Some people don't have a way
of actually getting to the place
where they can get vaccinated for free.
And that's the only real hurdle other than, you know,
the select people who medically can't get a vaccination.
But these people just straight up
don't want to take the vaccine
because they believe that it's some sort of microchip,
which is so funny to me
because I've tried to look up
my vaccination records recently,
and, even though I very much do have the vaccine,
I was not able to find records of me getting the vaccine.
To me, because of the nature of this virus,
it makes perfect sense to only allow
people who are vaccinated to be in certain spaces.
Again, to me, it's this courtesy thing,
but a lot of people digest the encouragement
to get vaccinated
as a personal slight to them.
We're not talking about getting vaccinated against farts.
We're talking about getting vaccinated against a virus
that spreads through particles that come out of our mouths.
It makes sense for us to be at a point
where the only way that we're gonna be able
to start functioning is if we're all vaccinated.
Now, I do understand why people
would be hesitant to be vaccinated.
If you've followed me for a while,
you know that I personally don't like
being told what to do with my body,
but I got vaccinated because I believed
that it was the most reasonable thing to do.
And ever since I've been vaccinated,
I've been able to do the things that I've wanted to do
for the past, you know, year and a half, right,
since we've been in all of this.
And I'm so thankful to TransLatina LA; shout out to them.
They were able to provide me with a vaccine early on,
and they do some really, really great, amazing work
in the Los Angeles area.
I don't think anyone wants to continue
having these debates about vaccinations.
I don't think anybody wants to continue wearing a mask.
I think that the only way that we can get through this virus
is if we do vaccinate each other,
but that's a hard sell for people
who don't even believe that there is a virus.
Calvin was one of those people,
and he would make several posts
denying existence of COVID-19,
and then he eventually got it,
and then his wife had to make a post that said,
"My love of my life just passed away.
Calvin, I will always love you,
and I miss you so much every single minute."
Jeff thought that Biden encouraging people to get vaccinated
was nothing but a joke,
and felt that the vaccinated and the unvaccinated
should be able to intermingle with each other,
as though the virus is just going to respect
their political disagreement
and decide not to be infectious that day.
And he would end up getting COVID
and making a post on Facebook that said,
"Well, I refuse to give more updates anymore.
This virus is a bitch.
Yesterday, all good.
Today, o2 at 84.
So oxygen and infusions, I'm here.
I'll let you know when I make it home."
And apparently, he would give COVID to his wife and kids
and say, "Kay and I are both in the hospital,
still on oxygen.
The kids have now tested positive.
I'm in the ICU area to watch my breathing.
I'm getting better, and thanks for all the prayers.
ICU, not a big deal.
Just so that they can be close to monitor my breathing."
His wife, Kay, would update her Facebook
to update people on Jeff's condition and would say,
"Okay, update on Jeff.
He has pneumonia in both lungs
and has had to be intubated and sedated.
He's in the ICU right now and cannot have visitors."
And tragically,
she would make a follow-up post tragically saying
just two words.
"He's gone."
This guy, who we're gonna call "Derek,"
made a post making fun of people who were vaccinated.
He also posted this meme,
where a daughter asked her father how he survived the virus,
and he responds by saying that he survived it
by building up a natural immunity to it.
In his caption,
he would boast about partying with his neighbors
and not getting the virus.
Well, Derek would eventually end up getting the virus
and would make this Facebook update.
"For those of you who don't know,
I tested positive for COVID on the 17th.
Yesterday, I took a turn for the worst,
and thought I wasn't going to make it out alive.
Today was some improvement,
but I'm not making enough oxygen.
Just wanted to let all of my friends know
in case it goes back the other way.
Please pray for me."
Now, in the comments of this post,
a friend of his would ask him
how he managed to get the virus,
and he had something very, very interesting
to say in response.
He would say, "I refused the shot.
Dumbest thing I've ever done.
This could kill me."
And, mind-blowingly, his friend would say this.
"Wow, that's good that you did.
I just don't understand how they tested for COVID
when there is no proven test for it.
Even the corrupt-slash-demonic CDC
finally had to admit that their COVID test was all a lie.
We had made a natural remedy
from organic lemons and grapefruits
that helps your body fight off the infection.
If you want to know how to make it, let me know.
This is almost the same as hydroxychloroquine,
and it works."
Tragically, the last picture in this post
would be a fundraiser for his funeral.
He did not make it.
Anti-masker Jodie posted this delightful meme.
"If they have the right to fly theirs,
we deserve the right to fly ours."
And she seems like a lovely person.
"You should be wearing a mask."
"It's still a free country, right?"
"Aren't you worried COVID-19 will come back next year?"
"No, 2021 isn't an election year."
A really common theme on the subreddit
is people who believe that the virus
is simply something that was created
to push politics one way or the other,
and I'm not gonna say that people on both sides
have not overly politicized this virus
because I think they absolutely have.
But unfortunately for us,
COVID doesn't care about your political affiliation.
And Jodie would find that out the hard way
when she ultimately got the virus.
She would post a fundraiser trying to raise funds
to fight against the virus,
but, sadly, it was too little too late for Jodie,
and she would ultimately pass away soon thereafter.
Anti-masker Kevin would post another Fauci meme that said,
"Remember to wear two bathing suit bottoms this summer
to prevent other people from peeing in the pool."
And again, that's not how a joke works.
And he posted another meme making fun of vaccinations.
But just like the other people discussed in this video,
he would also get the virus
and would have this to say about it on Facebook.
"Sitting here in the hospital on day five,
fighting COVID pneumonia.
I've had plenty of people reach out praying for me
and asking me if I need anything,
and I appreciate every bit of it.
And please keep those prayers coming.
But yes, there is something I want everyone to do for me
that I was too damn stubborn to do,
and that's if you haven't yet done so,
go get your COVID vaccine.
When I was admitted into the hospital,
there were four different doctors who told me
that they had not had to admit one single vaccinated person.
Trust me, you don't want to be where I am now,
and as soon as I get over this,
I'll be getting my vaccine.
Again, thank you everyone for the prayers.
They're working, and I'm improving every day.
Just keep them coming.
Love y'all."
But sadly, he would not improve and would also pass away.
And his wife would make the following Facebook post.
"At 10:27 this morning,
we'd lost our Kevin to COVID pneumonia.
He fought to beat it for nearly three weeks,
but it just demolished his lungs,
and his body couldn't fight it anymore.
His last post he made from the hospital
said that he was too stubborn to get vaccinated
and asked everyone who isn't vaccinated to do so.
He won't even know how his story
saved so many lives
because of the amount of people who are getting vaccinated
after hearing about his battle.
He was just 33 years old
and had his whole life ahead of him.
The kids and I were blessed to have him in our lives
and to be able to make so many amazing memories with him
that we will cherish for a lifetime,
not to mention his amazing family and friends
that will be part of us forever.
He was definitely the most amazing man in so many ways,
and we will miss him so very much.
This isn't goodbye, baby, just until we meet again.
Fly high, Kev-Kev."
But even then, the photos at his funeral
show that people were still not wearing their masks.
Like I said, I don't particularly enjoy
seeing people lose their life with this virus.
I really don't.
But it's very interesting to see how loud people were
in denying this virus
until it became personal to them.
In so many ways,
I really do understand the people who are skeptical,
and I think that skepticism is healthy.
We've gotten many conflicting messages,
and there's so much uncertainty right now
that I kind of do understand people
who are hesitant to believe what the CDC says.
In Los Angeles,
there are a lot of places that I've begun to repatronize
that require you to show that little white piece of paper
that proves that you've been vaccinated
that was never meant to be used as official documentation
that says that you don't have the virus.
When I got vaccinated,
I would not have imagined
that we would be having conversations
about the fact that people can get vaccinated
and somehow still get the virus.
Because of the uncertain reality that we're living in,
I don't think that skepticism is unwarranted.
Personally, for me,
I wanted to do the best that I felt we could
with the information that we had,
which is why I've been vaccinated,
which is why my family has been vaccinated,
my friends have been vaccinated,
and I can sit here right now, today,
and tell you that I don't personally know somebody
who has passed away from COVID.
And unfortunately,
going down the list of all of these posts on Reddit,
you can see that within that circle, within those circles,
there are quite a few people who have seen
their friends and family die
after they have boldly denied this virus.
So I really wanna know what you guys
have to say about this.
What do you guys think about this subreddit?
What do you guys think about denying COVID,
not wearing masks, not being vaccinated?
Are you vaccinated?
Do you wear your mask?
I know that we're all getting tired of this,
but I would like to think that this work that we're doing
to vaccinate, to mask, to socially distance,
to be very, very particular
about the spaces in which we spend time in
unmasked with people who are vaccinated...
I would like to believe that these are all things
that are gonna push us towards progress
against this virus.
But again, we're living in some very uncertain times,
and I wanted to know what you guys had to say about it.
So anyway, on that note, I will see you guys later.
Bye.
(slow bass music)