Elon Musk Tweets ‘The Department Covidians Are Upset,’ What Does That Imply?

It wasn’t “Covfefe.” However a Monday morning tweet from billionaire Elon Musk included a time period that may’t readily be discovered within the Merriam Webster Dictionary:

Sure, that time period was “Department Covidians,” which isn’t an official identify or time period by any means. The phrase “Covidians,” to not be confused with Corinthians, appears to be a slang-ish time period associated in a roundabout way to Covid. Covid is brief for Covid-19, you already know that infectious illness that has already killed over 6.65 million folks worldwide and over 1.09 million within the U.S. However what does the “Department” discuss with right here? Is it a department in a tree? Or maybe singer songwriter Michelle Department? Is it Deion Department, the previous New England Patriots huge receiver? Perhaps Musk was speaking concerning the department of yet one more firm that has determined to tug its promoting from Twitter, after Musk acquired the corporate in a $44 billion deal and reportedly laid off a lot of the content material moderation employees?

Properly, determining the definition of “Department Covidians” might imply that you simply “Musk” go to the City Dictionary. Fairly than being a dictionary completely for metropolis dwellers, the City Dictionary is a crowdsourced on-line compendium of definitions for varied slang phrases and phrases. On this case, crowdsourcing signifies that just about anybody or anybot can enter a definition for on-line voters to find out whether or not the definition ought to stick on the positioning. So take any definitions that you simply discover on the positioning with a recalled Tesla airbag stuffed with salt.

With that in thoughts, looking for “Department Covidians” within the City Dictionary will return a definition posted by the “wandering healer” on November 13, 2020: “The far left zealots that imagine everybody ought to worship a illness and quit their life in worry of it. The sort of those who approve of locking folks of their properties and taking away freedoms.” Yikes. Holy cult-y conspiracy theorization and politicization of the pandemic, Batman.

Presumably Department Covidians is a play on the Department Davidians identify of the cult that was led by David Koresh. The Department Davidians identify got here to nationwide consideration when the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) tried to raid the cult’s Mount Carmel headquarters close to Waco, Texas, on February 28, 1993, after considerations of kid abuse and unlawful arms possession among the many cult members had emerged. This try resulted within the deaths of 4 federal brokers. A prolonged standoff between Koresh’s group and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) ensued, ending within the deaths of round 80 cult members and the Mount Carmel advanced going up in flames.

Fairly than sounding very therapeutic, what the “wandering healer” posted seemed like a wandering try to someway hyperlink following scientific evidence-based Covid-19 precautions with being in a cult. The definition appeared to be suggesting that public well being and medical specialists who’ve been warning of us concerning the extreme acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and making an attempt to guard the general public have truly as an alternative been worshipping Covid-19. Sure, you heard that accurately, worshipping Covid-19.

Umm, how precisely would that work? Why the bleep would public well being and medical specialists be worshipping a virus that has been leaving so many hospitalized and so many with lengthy Covid? Why would they be worshipping one thing that’s protecting them from doing what they might usually love to do? It’s not as if public well being and medical specialists have been saying, “Gee, it could be nice to proceed working lengthy hours with none further pay and in the meantime take abuse from nameless anti-vaccination social media accounts?” As Peter Hotez, MD, PhD, Dean of the Nationwide College of Tropical Medication and writer of the e-book Stopping the Subsequent Pandemic: Vaccine Diplomacy in a Time of Anti-science, tweeted, many public well being and medical specialists have been working double-, triple-, and quadruple- time for the general public good in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic:

As you’ll be able to see, Hotez informed Musk, who by the best way is the world’s richest human (or perhaps second richest, relying on how Tesla inventory costs are doing) the next: “That is pointless. Present some respect to these of us who labored tirelessly within the pandemic to assist humanity.” Whereas Musk’s private wealth reportedly went from slightly below $20 billion in 2019 to as much as above $250 billion in 2022, Hotez indicated that, “I didn’t sleep for 3 yrs to assist make a low-cost patent-free vaccine know-how for the world, speaking to the nation 3-10 instances each day to maintain American households protected.” Hotez added, “And did this for 3 years with out monetary compensation…simply because it was the appropriate factor to do.”

Equally, Pleasure Henningsen, MD, a Medical Assistant Professor of Radiology on the College of Alabama-Birmingham, requested Musk who particularly he’s referring to with the time period “Department Covidians” and whether or not they’re the folks “who mourn family members misplaced to Covid”, “who put their very own lives in danger to avoid wasting others”, “who endured abuse to share updates b/c everybody deserves good well being”, “who’re altruistic and shield others”, or another person:

In the meantime, YouTuber Liana Kerzner identified that Musk could also be utilizing this time period to explain those that are sporting face masks:

In her Twitter profile, Kerzner describes herself as a poop-throwing unicorn wrangler, which presumably signifies that you must preserve your distance when she is with unicorns. You must also attempt to preserve your distance from anybody who could also be contaminated with the SARS-CoV-2.

Though Musk didn’t particularly discuss with face masks in his tweet, the implication of the time period “Department Covidians” is that public well being suggestions akin to face masks use are being points for ulterior motives apart from defending the general public. Solely a nitTwit would declare that face masks and different Covid-19 precautions have been carried out merely to “worship a illness.” Scientific proof has clearly proven that the SARS-CoV-2 cannot solely kill but additionally go away those that survive with persistent signs, in any other case generally known as Lengthy Covid. Scientific proof has additionally proven that multi-layered interventions combining Covid-19 vaccination, face masks use, air purification, and applicable social distancing can forestall the unfold of the SARS-CoV-2.

The “Department Covidians” tweet was simply one in every of a a number of Covid-19 pandemic-related tweets from Musk over the previous few days. Yesterday, I reported for Forbes how Musk had tweeted, “My pronouns are Prosecute/Fauci” early on Sunday morning. That received fairly a response from of us who felt that Musk was being unfair to Fauci and those that felt that Musk was being unfair to those that have completely different gender identities. For instance, retired astronaut Scott Kelly, who’s been to house 4 instances, tweeted out the next response asking Musk to not mock already marginalized folks and promote hate:

Kelly emphasised, “They’re actual folks with actual emotions” and described Fauci as “a devoted public servant.” Musk, although, apparently didn’t have all of the feels and shot again, “I strongly disagree. Forcing your pronouns upon others once they didn’t ask, and implicitly ostracizing those that don’t, is neither good nor type to anybody.” Musk additionally claimed that Fauci “funded gain-of-function analysis that killed thousands and thousands of individuals,” with out offering any actual concrete proof supporting such a declare about Fauci.

Umm, the entire “pressure your pronouns upon others” is attention-grabbing. Displaying your pronouns to others isn’t like displaying your genitals to others who don’t wish to see them. And the way many individuals actually are being ostracized for not displaying their pronouns? In case your greatest downside for the day is being requested to indicate your pronouns, you’re residing a reasonably good life.

Musk’s pronouns tweet did get the phrase “pronouns” to development on Twitter however maybe not in the best way that he, himself, may need wished. For instance, journalist and podcaster Kara Swisher tweeted, “Alternate take: His pronouns are literally Damaged/Manchild,” as you’ll be able to see right here:

And boycott oh boycott, actor Billy Baldwin supplied a zinger right here:

One of many greatest tragedies of the Covid-19 pandemic has been the politicization of response measures and Covid-19 precautions. This has included the demonization of those that have labored so onerous to attempt to shield the folks and the general public. Early on within the pandemic within the Spring of 2020, all of that applause for well being care employees, public well being specialists, and scientists was good. But it surely didn’t take lengthy for lots of that clapping to show into proverbial slaps within the face.

Musk has greater than sufficient cash to make a distinction on this planet. He additionally now successfully owns one of many greatest social media platforms, which may additionally make an enormous distinction. On the tree of society, he may swing plenty of issues upwards or downwards. The massive query is which department will he find yourself grabbing.