The South Rises Again

 You probably didn't notice.  New York (the State) finally reached 33,000 deaths today.  That's actually a good thing -- in that it took them so long to get there.  This is easier to explain with pictures.

Here's today -- September 8, 2020.



New York has been the hardest hit (by far) of any State in the Union. And what I'm trying to get at is that they have done a remarkable job lately.  It took them over a month to add another 1,000 deaths.  Take a look.  The state hit 32,000 on July 1, 2020.



Now, I know 32,000 deaths sounds horrible (because it is) but everything is relative. For instance.  Let's take a look at my State -- Georgia -- on July 1, 2020. 



And then you have to look at Georgia today: September 8, 2020.

 
 Yes, Georgia has been busy.  From July 1 to September 8, Georgia piled up 3,239 COVID-19 deaths.  In the same period of time, New York managed to hold their toll down to 970.  Yes, yes.  For those already thinking ahead, New York has a population of 19+ million.  Georgia's is 10+ million.  And in case you didn't go to grade school in Georgia,  Georgia is the largest State east of the Mississippi.  So, despite the wilds of Upstate New York, Georgia is a much more rural state than New York.

Well Golly Gomer, what could explain the vast disparity?  If I wanted to use the language of Republicans, I could blame it on the Republican-run rural counties.  Lord knows I haven't heard a word of leadership out of the ones that run my county. (Pretty amazing seeing as it's campaign season.)  But I don't find that any more helpful than blaming urban poverty on "Democrat-run cities".

No.  I credit it to something simpler. Something much, much older.  Good, old-fashioned fear.  33,000 deaths get your attention in ways that 6,000 don't. And New York City news gets attention. 

For instance, I stopped watching the Atlanta news years ago (which means I stopped watching the local news).  Except for what happens at the State Capitol (in Atlanta), the city of Atlanta has no relevance in my life (or the vast majority of Georgia).  And, as I showed you a couple of days ago, the news from Columbus, Georgia doesn't really grab any attention either.  I think it really comes down to Southerners not even knowing enough to be scared.  Because the South is rising again. And nobody seems to care.  Especially The South.

Don Brown
September 8, 2020

All screen shots and data are from John Hopkins' CSSE.










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