Many parents expressed their anger at Newsom’s behavior and the mask mandates at schools. The situation escalated when shortly after, three California students were kicked out of class for not wearing masks. They claimed that since Newsom served as a role model for the state, if he didn’t wear a mask then it must be safe for them to do so as well. As a result, school mask mandates are being closely examined and criticized by the press.
Similarly, LA County Supervisor Kathryn Barger called out the county health department, demanding an alignment with state policy. Barger believes people should decide whether or not to wear masks since many people don’t comply with guidelines anyway. Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer countered that doing so would be similar to removing speed limits because of some driver’s speeding anyway. If that wasn’t enough, Republican National Committee spokeswoman Hallie Balch condemned Newsom and Democrats as a whole for being selfish and hypocrites. Republican state Assemblyman Kevin Kiley took a more mild approach and simply called for the ending of the mask mandates. As the blame continues to pile up, it seems as though Newsom plans to keep his head low until the public’s anger resides.
1.) Considering Newsom’s role as Governor, do you think all of the criticism is deserved?
2.) How might the public’s reaction differ if it were a smaller government official or someone with no prior history of scandal?
3.) What do you think of Barger's argument compared to Ferrer's rebuttal? Which makes more sense given the context of the pandemic?
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6 comments:
I think the most benefit from a mask mandate comes from everyone wearing masks, not just whoever feels like wearing a mask. Ferrer makes a good point and makes more sense given the context of the pandemic; speed limits are meant to keep us safe, and to a smaller, more indirect extent, so do masks. The main utility of a mask comes from preventing a sick person from spreading their germs – not so much for protection. Therefore, given the fact some people may be unaware that they are sick, always wearing masks when in public spaces is essential to lower possible infections.
As for calling out Newsom for his hypocrisy, I think that watchdog journalism is needed and important for the people to know in general. Without it, politicians would get away with more than they already do. Plus, Newsom should be held to a higher standard and be a model for his constituents. As for the public’s reaction (if it were a smaller government official), I think it would be pretty similar since something similar happened a few months ago with SF’s mayor.
People are honestly being a little too harsh on Gavin Newsom here. He's taking a picture, at a NFL playoff game. Half the people at that game weren't wearing masks, especially if they were "eating or drinking". Also he was semi-outside, so he doesn't really need a mask in that situation. Parents being mad because their kids are kicked out of school for refusing to wear a mask is a completely separate issue. Go to any California public school classroom, everyone is masked up inside. At the game, 70% of the audience probably weren't wearing masks. Newsom and the people he was around are also triple vaxxed, so they're already extra protected - most of the people complaining about excessive regulation (like their kids getting kicked out of class) don't believe in COVID and are liklier to be unvaccinated. Essentially, Gavin Newsom did his part to stop COVID in other ways, a photo isn't going to do much harm or it shouldn't. Some took this way out of hand though. Riverside sheriff Chad Bianco posted to Facebook (linked here https://www.facebook.com/ChadBiancoForSheriff2022) all of his complaints about Newsom not wearing a mask. Spreading ideas like that, and turning people anti-regulation and anti-Newsom is a great way to keep spreading COVID, because people aren't going to wear masks and aren't going to get boosters when they should be doing both of those things.
I believe that the public backlash to Governor Newsom is much more harsh than what is deserved, but it's good that the public is holding a watchdog position, to keep our government officials accountable. I think that people (especially Californians, including myself) are very sensitive to Newsom's previous actions that almost led to his recall. But, as all of us want to (and are) attending concerts, large events again, I think that some of us are doing things similar to Newsom (unfortunately).
Essentially, Newsom should be careful, as a government official, and his example should not be the reason why people wear masks; the mandates should be.
I do believe that Newsom’s criticism is justified because as the governor, he should be practicing his own mandates and is held to a higher standard. If just a typical California citizen was taking off their mask while watching a game, I don’t think it would be a big deal. However, Newsom isn’t just some ordinary citizen, he is the governor which ultimately means that many people look to him for guidance and direction. There have been so many changes in the regulations regarding COVID, causing confusion and chaos. I think that Newsom going against his own mandates adds to this confusion and ultimately weakens the effectiveness of the mandates. I think that because Newsom is part of setting all of these regulations, he should be held accountable to following them. I do think that the public would react differently if a smaller government official was going against the guidelines because as I said before, Newsom is held to a different standard because he is the governor.
boys will be boys. And yeah he would of probably got less critizism if he was some pleb working in civil service. However the attention is part of the deal being the head of state of a state. well I think Newsom probably just invetned the mask mandate though just to break it to show what a bad boi he is.
I don't believe that the criticism governor Newson received was justified at all. As Darshan previously said, Newson was outside most of the time while he was at the game. Newson and most around him were have been triple vaxxed. He only took his mask off to eat and take a few photos with celebrities. Newson is getting the most of his criticism because he's supposed to be a role model. If he can't take his mask off to eat and take a couple photos, that's absurd. On top of this, most of the celebrities that attended the game such as Jay-Z, Matt Damon, LeBron James, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck also didn't wear a mask. People aren't criticizing these role models when they aren't wearing a mask. Wouldn't this also be a bad influence? Why aren't they receiving the same criticism as Newson is?
During the game every fan who attended was given a KN-95 mask to wear as they are still mandated by the county at large outdoor events. The majority of fans seen on camera at the game were seen ignoring the mandate. If people are too criticize Newson for not people a great role model to others and especially to people under the age of 18. Then shouldn't the public also follow the mask mandate while on national television where millions are watching? Spreading criticism and making a huge fuss about it when its not necessary reflects badly on Americans society as a whole.
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