Letter: COVID-19 has improved empathy. Except in Trump.
(Evan Vucci | AP photo) President Donald Trump watches masks being made as he participates in a tour of a Honeywell International plant that manufactures personal protective equipment, Tuesday, May 5, 2020, in Phoenix. Watching from left are White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany, White House chief of staff Mark Meadows and Tony Stallings, vice president of integrated supply chain at Honeywell International Inc.
A quote by Maureen Dowd recently published on The Salt Lake Tribune’s website implies that Donald Trump doesn’t wear a mask because he believes that not wearing a mask shows him to be tough. I think Dowd is spot-on.
Trump, to paraphrase British writer Nate White, has no complexity, nuance, depth or soul. Other than toughness, what other image of self could Trump possibly have? The concept that we wear our masks not for self-protection, but to protect those around us, is foreign to Trump’s thinking.
Unbeknownst to Trump, the worldwide tragedy of COVID-19 has significantly intensified the
normal empathy and concern we have for others. Now, as a result, many of us now find ourselves overwhelmed by unwanted feelings. Feelings that are difficult to dismiss, anxiety and fear for ourselves, those we love, our neighbors and the world community.
Fares Arguello, Salt Lake City
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