Just Saying | How is it OK to wish Donald Trump would die of Covid-19?
- Yonden Lhatoo is not surprised at the sheer volume of ridicule and hate on social media over the US president’s coronavirus diagnosis, but questions open calls and hopes for his death
Dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster reported a 30,500 per cent surge in searches for the meaning of “Schadenfreude”, which it defines as “enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others”.
The lack of sympathy is fully understandable, considering this is the man who, just days ago, was publicly declaring that the greatest health threat of our times “hardly affects anyone”. Until now he has taken no responsibility whatsoever for letting the coronavirus infect more than 7.3 million Americans and kill well over 208,000 on his watch so far.
Add to that his open contempt for those who take the disease more seriously than he does in a country that is now the global epicentre of Covid-19 – mocking arch-rival Joe Biden for wearing a mask at their recent presidential debate, for example – and it can be hard to empathise with Trump supporters now decrying the lack of compassion, decency and basic humanity in all the vicious comments, jokes and memes going around.
So it’s not surprising to see the deluge of derision on social media platforms, cesspools of spite and hate as they are already. Take a look at these samples on Twitter, Trump’s favourite messaging channel, ranging from gloating nastiness to unhinged malice.
