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As Hurricane Milton bears down on Tampa Bay and central Florida, those who know are urging people to evacuate to safety. But Florida has been pickled in politically motivated misinformation (intentional lies) for years. Consequently, there are many people who distrust the advice they are receiving. They have believed for some time that climate change is a hoax and that the warnings are hyped up. Some of them will die.
Reality is cruel when denied. During the COVID-19 crisis, many in Florida believed that the rules established to reduce contagion (masks, social distancing, avoiding crowded venues) were all part of an elaborate hoax. In Key West, a respected local politician lost his wife and daughter to COVID after they attended a crowded victory celebration when he was elected to office. Arguably, they died because of willful ignorance and/or misinformation about the risks.
Satistical analysis of mortality among progressives versus conservatives during COVID resulted in estimates that a hundred-thousand more conservatives died, presumably because they scorned masks and vaccines.
Will there be an awakening? Frankly, I doubt it. The right avoids admitting its mistakes. And when it does see the error of its ways, it changes course without acknowledging that anything was learned.
Heather Cox Richardson, ever the historian, documents the evolving tragedy of pernicious mendacity.
