We’re over two years into a once-in-a-century public health crisis, and yet many on the right still don’t seem to understand the basics. As a result, deaths from COVID-19 have long been overwhelmingly from those who listen to the likes of Tucker Carlson, who’ve played down its severity. Another person who’s done this is Kevin Sorbo, who used to be best known as a TV Hercules and now only gets headlines for spouting far right nonsense. Last month he was widely dragged for saying something dumb about vaccines. Now he’s at it again.
Remember when we treated the flu with tea, soup, and saltines instead of communism.
— Kevin Sorbo (@ksorbs) March 18, 2022
“Remember when we treated the flu with tea, soup, and saltines instead of communism,” Sorbo wrote, ending his question with a period, perhaps because no one remembers a time when that’s how you cured the flu.
It’s a common misconception, spread by many Republicans, including a certain former president. COVID is not the flu, as the flu doesn’t tend to kill just shy of one million Americans in only two years, and over six million worldwide. Yet people like Sorbo somehow missed that information.
And so once again, Sorbo — whose job now appears to being owned on social media, including by former colleague Lucy Lawless — was mocked for being a terrible science understander.
Remember when we wiped out polio with a hot cup of Earl Grey?
Ahhh..those were the days.☕️
https://t.co/iaOTRTwquj Kevin Sorbo— 𝓜𝓻𝓼𝓟𝓮𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓷 (@MrsPerrin) March 18, 2022
Remember when they used to treat polio with an iron lung instead of a vaccine?
— Jerbon (@jerbon57) March 18, 2022
Kevin, you should ask the people on ventilators if they want some saltines.
— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) March 18, 2022
Remember when we treated childhood illness by dying.
It wasn't like the Waltons Kevin.— Dr Mark D'Arcy (@markoftheD) March 18, 2022
They gave you saltines for flu? You should've asked for the horse paste and the Clorox https://t.co/TcCYlnTi3w
— Keith Olbermann⌚️ (@KeithOlbermann) March 19, 2022
This is a Flu approved tweet. https://t.co/Ul394OHefK
— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) March 19, 2022
Remember when *we* didn’t confuse a novel coronavirus with flu and treated it with science rather than woo woo, horse worming pills and bleach? https://t.co/gqWvYgSrDT
— Mitch Benn (@MitchBenn) March 19, 2022
Remember when we treated the flu with tea, soup and saltines instead of purple monkey dishwasher. https://t.co/AM2KjG3K8D
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) March 18, 2022
A. #COVID19 and influenza are different diseases.
B. Neither is a cold, and neither is trivial or easy to treat.— (((Dorit Reiss))) (@doritmi) March 18, 2022
Some focused on his sagging career.
That was also the last time you had an acting career.
The world knows better about lots of things now, Kev.
— John Pavlovitz (@johnpavlovitz) March 18, 2022
OK Jerkules #StandWithUkraine https://t.co/LkIPIgUweI
— (((Tara Dublin))), Rock Star Author 📚❤️🔥🤘🏻 (@taradublinrocks) March 18, 2022
not got a herculean brain this one https://t.co/3xkWZgmV5g
— Fred (@WaywardWinifred) March 19, 2022
https://twitter.com/AubryAndrews/status/1504998933713633286
And others took a more serious bent, reminding him that many have needlessly suffered and died over the last two years.
COVID-19 has killed 50% more Americans in 2 years than were killed in 4 years of combat during WWII. It also has killed more Americans in 2 years than the Spanish Flu did in 3 years, despite a century of advances in modern medicine. You remember nothing.
— JohnRJohnson (@JRobertJohnson4) March 18, 2022
https://twitter.com/howler4life/status/1504915915032481802
(Via HuffPost)