What's happening in the US?

[bingowingsmcgee]

Will somebody more informed than me tell me in a nutshell what's going on in the US with all these protests and underground churches and stuff? Are they protesting lockdown for economic reasons?

[NotSuchASmugMarriedNow1]

Yes they are protesting lockdown for economic reasons. They don't have a benefits system or a national health service like us so they are in trouble if they don't earn.

[bellinisurge]

There's a few reasons. Being told what to do by the government, including the state government rather than federal government, is a massive no no for many Americans. Apparently you can't tell people what to do with their own bodies unless they are pregnant women. Particularly if they are black or Hispanic.

[bingowingsmcgee]

Right OK so lockdown has more immediate deleterious effects on them cos of no welfare. Is that the whole story? Aren't they scared of the virus if they have no Healthcare? Or they're just more scared of starving I suppose. Do they not have food stamps etc? Is there really no government help for people under lockdown? Cos that's absolutely ridiculous.

[bellinisurge]

You have to understand it is a federal system so some states are dealing with it differently and Trump is an idiot.
There simply isn't the same nationwide welfare and health safety net that we have here.
Cuomo (governor of NY state) has had the biggest challenge because of NYC. And has handled it pretty well.

[MabelMoo23]

For Americans, their very being is that freedom is everything to them. So they see this as their freedom being taken away from them.

Also for many Americans, if they don’t work, they don’t get their healthcare which is vitally important. If the lockdown continues, and there are job cuts who will pay their medical bills if they get sick?

[bingowingsmcgee]

Thanks for explaining.

[Crayfishforyou]

I heard awful things on the radio about how people in the US can't pay their water bill so their water gets cut off.
Whole families have the virus and no running water in their house. They are having to empty buckets of sewage into the gardens.
The interviewer asked the mayor what he thought about this as in the UK we would never just cut someone's water off, its considered a necessity.
The mayor was just proud of the fact no body was going to get kicked out of their homes.
I would protest at this, the US doesn't seem to care about its citizens at all really.