Hey, it¶

This is in response to a tiny circle of people on Twitter saying "Hey, it's pretty bizarre for John Green to be crusading so hard against the scourge of TB and the systemic inequities around it, then show up at a conference about it with not a respirator in sight." https://t.co/K48KnYGfcL In fact, both of the Green brothers, with their enormous platforms and their reputations for advocacy of science, social justice, and education, have been silent on COVID for a long time. This isn't "doing good imperfectly," it's complicity. It's counterproductive to the entire TB advocacy John Green does. There is a preponderance of evidence that COVID exacerbates the already massive health burden of TB: both by straining medical systems and through the virus itself impacting TB disease progression. COVID infection can reactivate latent TB. TB is a strong risk factor for severe COVID and vice versa. These are not disparate issues, and it is unfathomable to me that someone could be such a strong advocate on one front and a complete denier on the other. It would be like being a fierce advocate for the preservation of rainforests and wetlands, and yet totally unconcerned with the burning of fossil fuels. If such a person were to give a big wetland preservation speech, hosted by BP and Koch Industries, would that be "imperfect"? I'm not even saying John Green should be focusing his efforts on the MUCH bigger threat of COVID than on TB. Or even focusing any effort on some political project aimed at COVID. Literally just showing up to a TB conference in a respirator would be monumentally easy. It's really revealing that, for these two internet behemoths, the only way in which they are willing to stand up for a cause is when it is politically expedient. COVID advocacy -- or even simply acknowledging the ongoing disaster -- has been so thoroughly ostracized. The line about criticism "turning people away from doing good" is the most telling part. If you are turned away from good simply because people are not heaping uncritical praise upon you... you're not a champion of good. You're a narcissist. (Here's hoping this thread gets me likes on the internet! I clearly couldn't care less about making things better.)