Fox Nation host Tomi Lahren came under fire this week for comparing social distancing to "willful slavery," and the Internet fired back. Lahren is known for stirring up controversy on Twitter, but this post drew a particularly harsh response. Many condemned Lahren on Tuesday even after she deleted the tweet.
Lahren is among the people calling for an early end to social distancing measures, despite the warnings of health experts. She advocates for "reopening the economy," arguing that the economic fallout from this crisis will be worse than the public health consequences. On Monday night, Lahren went so far as to tweet that "compliance" with stay-at-home orders and social distancing recommendations is "starting to look a whole lot like willful slavery."
Lahren punctuated her tweet with the hashtag "Reopen America," a catchphrase that is growing in popularity as the U.S. moves into its second month of strict social distancing. Fans fired back at Lahren with scientific, moralistic and sociological arguments. Many focused in on her evocation of slavery, saying that it was inappropriate for the 27-year-old to compare this collective action to such a practice.
Others retorted to Lahren with facts about the coronavirus pandemic, explaining that it is not safe to "reopen America" yet. Experts are still advising Americans to practice social distancing and plan for the long-term, as it may be a while before a vaccine is discovered. Last week, the World Health Organization even issued a warning that plans for so-called "immunity passports" are no good, as there is no data to suggest that people who have survived COVID-19 are immune to catching it again.
For the latest information on the coronavirus pandemic, visit the websites of the CDC and the WHO. In the meantime, here is what social media is saying about Tomi Lahren's controversial "slavery" tweet.