NEW YORK, NY—“Those dumb red-staters going to the beach deserve to die!” Dan Robbins tweeted while packed in a subway train in New York City.
Robbins was angered by images of people in red states going outside to enjoy themselves even while the virus still killed many Americans daily. There seems to be a partisan split in attitudes toward the pandemic, with red, less densely populated states not taking it as seriously as those from states that didn’t support Trump. Robbins had trouble composing the tweet, as he was elbow to elbow in the packed subway car.
There had not been much of a partisan split in deaths from COVID-19, though, with New York City itself being the largest single source of casualties from the coronavirus. Robbins had faith, though, that science would eventually punish those who defied it—though he was quickly distracted when he thought he heard someone cough near him.