Stupidity: A manly virtue on the right

President Bolsonaro

He called the coronavirus ‘a little flu.’ Now Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has COVID-19

He has dismissed COVID-19 as “a little flu,” saying if he got it he wouldn’t become seriously ill because he used to be an athlete. He’s criticized media coverage of the pandemic as “hysteria.” He was recently warned by a judge after appearing in public without a face mask, and Twitter has deleted several of his tweets that it said spread misinformation about the disease.

Bolsonaro has clashed with officials in his Cabinet and governors of the country’s most populous states over the appropriate coronavirus response, saying lockdowns do more harm than allowing the virus to run its natural course.

In April, he fired Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta, who had defended shutdown measures and criticized Bolsonaro’s lackadaisical response. Four weeks later, Mandetta’s replacement, Nelson Teich, resigned.

More than 65,000 Brazilians have died from COVID-19 — the second-highest death toll in the world after the United States. An additional 1.6 million people have tested positive for the virus in Brazil. Low levels of testing mean deaths and infections are likely much higher.

Bolsonaro has continued to hold large public events where he mingles with supporters, often without a mask.

Over the weekend, Bolsonaro was photographed with his arm around the U.S. ambassador to Brazil at a July 4 celebration. Neither of them were wearing a mask.

The U.S. Embassy said on Twitter on Monday that Ambassador Todd Chapman was not showing any symptoms but would be tested...

Rob's comment:

Like when they confuse cruelty with toughness, many conservatives seem to think anti-intellectualism, ignorance, and stupidity are manly virtues. 

It's not surprising that an important part of President Trump's political base is religious, with sacred books written thousands of years ago by men who didn't know where the sun went at night.

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