Review: Charting the Rise of Anti-Lockdown Activism

Chaos Comes Calling unsympathetically characterizes activism springing from COVID lockdowns as a far-right takeover.

As America suffered from COVID-19—the disease and the policy response—what The Nation's Sasha Abramsky characterizes as a far-right movement of "demagogues and political hustlers, snake-oil salesmen and apostles of violent confrontation" made inroads across the country. In his well-reported but blinkered Chaos Comes Calling, Abramsky relays his view of how that played out in Shasta County, California, and Sequim, Washington.

Abramsky conveys the anguish of officials and activists involved in fights about lockdown politics. He is highly unsympathetic to the anti-lockdowners, which makes the book of likely limited appeal to audiences other than Democrats confused about why they saw so many videos of people yelling at school board meetings. Yes, many right-wing activists believed unfounded things about, say, antifa. But many jobs, businesses, schools, church communities, and family relationships really were damaged by government power grabs whose public health efficacy was at least arguable.

"The pandemic brought out the worst in society," one of Abramsky's antilockdown interviewees said, adding that this was because "government has added…more and more control." Another of the book's right-wing targets points out "COVID's what kicked off the entire movement. Nobody was very political or interested till the shutdown came." At the very least, Chaos Comes Calling provides insight into how the right became a home to anti-authority moods that were once the left's province.

Comments

[Fist of Etiquette]

Those far right demagogues and political hustlers, snake-oil salesmen and apostles of violent confrontation who demanded to be released from their homes to go out and protest the social injustice of the George Floyd murder.

[Mickey Rat]

"...a far-right movement of "demagogues and political hustlers, snake-oil salesmen and apostles of violent confrontation"

While at this time much of the Left was burning down the cities causing billions in damage and many dead bodies. But, no, the apostles of violent confrontation are on the Right.

"At the very least, Chaos Comes Calling provides insight into how the right became a home to anti-authority moods that were once the left's province."

Doherty is old enough to realize this sentence is a ridiculous caricature. There were plenty of people on the Right who wish the government to leave them alone, and much of the Left who want the government to regulate everyday life to the quick.

[VULGAR MADMAN]

Yeah, if you were protesting for a left wing cause you were somehow exempt from the covid rules.

[damikesc]

I'll say forever --- doctors leaving hospitals to applaud BLM protesters ended my respect for any public health officials' comments and I do not think it can ever be rectified.

[Michael Ejercito]

Public health is pseudoscoence- like phrenology, Lysenkoism, and Nazi racial science.

[Michael Ejercito]

Read this article by Jack Marshall to show the true nature of public health.

https://ethicsalarms.com/2020/06/08/oh-no-its-monday-ethics-review-6-8-2020-a-yoos-rationalization-orgy/

[JFree]

Abramsky relays his view of how that played out in Shasta County, California, and Sequim, Washington...Chaos Comes Calling provides insight into how the right became a home to anti-authority moods that were once the left's province.

I don't know how seriously 'lockdown' was enforced in places like rural CA/WA. Here in CO, it really wasn't. Blue counties enforced, red ones didn't - even in the first six weeks where everyone was sticking their fucking snouts in the trough. Since this was all politicized very early - and remained so right through to the end - and most actions were state-level, this event should be a good indicator for which states should just be blown up into pieces so that maybe smaller pieces are less dysfunctional and more representative.

It won't happen of course because this generation (and certainly mass media) thrives on pointless conflict to create dysfunction that can be blamed on 'other'.

[MWAocdoc]

"insight into how the right became a home to anti-authority moods that were once the left's province."

Disagree with both the antecedents here and the conclusion! Anti-authority moods are only a reaction to WHICH authority happens to be imposing on society at the moment. Except for a very few true anarchists, none of these people oppose official authority. The "left" wants to impose socialist central planning on society; and the "right" wants to impose traditional and fundamentalist religious morals and laws on society. The center keeps saying stuff like, "there oughta be a law!" and of course there are ALWAYS power-hungry politicians willing to oblige the sentiment.

[Uncle Jay]

What was learned from the fake COVID "crisis" is who were the closet fascists that had no problem locking down schools, businesses, etc. and ruining lives.
The sane learned the CDC, the WHO, Fauci, Birx and all those other "doctors" spreading a false alarm about COVID were in fact quacks and/or whores for Big Pharma.

[LIBtranslator]

"Yes, many right-wing activists believed unfounded things about, say, antifa." THAT did it. Every treasonous Jesus Caucus J6er now striding out of prison and into gun shops will contribute trailer park dice game and meth/steroid proceeds to put a price on Brian's head for questioning Revealed Faith. Brian, get in touch if you need a Galt's Gulch BnB to hide at till they kill each other off.