#NotDying4WallStreet

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Overview

#NotDying4WallStreet is a hashtag campaign inspired by American Republican rhetoric suggesting that the country should end its lockdown during the Coronavirus outbreak in an effort to avoid economic fallout, with the tradeoff being that a percentage of the population, particularly the elderly and immunocompromised, will probably die due to exposure to the virus. The idea sparked outrage from social media users, who declared it an inhumane and appalling solution to the crisis.

Background

During the Coronavirus outbreak, many American cities and states employed government-mandated social distancing practices, which meant people were strongly encouraged to self-isolate in their homes. Many businesses considered "non-essential" such as restaurants, bars, and stores were ordered to temporarily close. This led to a leap in unemployment and potentially a wave of small businesses forced to close permanently.

To combat the economic fallout of the Coronavirus lockdowns, several prominent Republicans suggested ending the quarantine early and encouraging Americans to go back to work, with the knowledge that doing so will quicken the spread of the virus and likely result in a significant number of casualties. On March 22nd, 2020, President Donald Trump tweeted, "WE CANNOT LET THE CURE BE WORSE THAN THE PROBLEM ITSELF. AT THE END OF THE 15 DAY PERIOD, WE WILL MAKE A DECISION AS TO WHICH WAY WE WANT TO GO!"^[1] Many interpreted this to mean Trump desired to end the quarantine early in an effort to restart the economy though it would put lives at risk.^[2]

This led some Republicans to publicly argue in favor of ending the lockdown procedures and sending Americans back to work, with the knowledge that it would likely kill older and immunocompromised citizens. One of the most prominent Republicans to argue this was Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, who said on Tucker Carlson, "Old people are willing to die for Wall Street" (shown below).

Developments

Patrick's comment led the hashtag #NotDying4WallStreet^[4] to trend on Twitter, as people harshly criticized the line of thought in favor of ending the quarantine quickly for the economy. User @TravisAkers^[3] tweeted, "Good morning @realDonaldTrump. I really love my grandparents. They are 2 of the 8 people left in my direct family. I do not want them to die so that you and your rich friends can get richer and they don’t want to die for your ego either," gaining over 1,000 retweets and 4,000 likes (shown below, left). User @danzu72^[5] tweeted, "In case anyone was wondering Dow at 19,000 is the point were human sacrifice begins," gaining over 370 retweets and 940 likes (shown below, right).

Twitter user and podcast host Jesse Kelly^[6] said he would "happily die" than plunge America into a Depression (shown below, left). Matt Walsh^[7] said opening the economy but keeping vulnerable people in quarantine would be the "rational" solution.

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