We’ve already heard from a journalist who claimed she’d spent a week looking for a flight to Italy because she’d rather be there during the coronavirus outbreak than in the United States. Now an associate professor of music who was under quarantine writes that he felt much safer quarantined in Shanghai than he does now that he and his family are back in America.

Coronavirus in China kept me under quarantine. I felt safer there than back in the U.S., writes Tony Perman. Our laissez-faire attitude, prioritization of personal freedom and utter lack of government leadership have left Americans confused and exposed.https://t.co/GaKLvi2PW8 — NBC News THINK (@NBCNewsTHINK) March 14, 2020

For what it’s worth, NBC News’ THINK filed this piece under “self-explanatory.”

Tony Perman writes:

I’ve now lived through a coronavirus quarantine in the two countries, and the differences are stark well beyond their airports. In China, the obligation to isolate felt shared and the public changed their habits almost immediately. Sterilization, cleanliness and social distancing were prioritized by everyone at all times. Rightly or wrongly, the Chinese state’s heavy-handed approach seemed to work. In contrast, individual liberty is the engine that drives American exceptionalism. There are certainly valid questions about how much of it to sacrifice in the name of the public good, but our laissez-faire attitude, prioritization of personal freedom and utter lack of government leadership have left Americans confused and exposed. Particularly troubling has been the extent to which it has felt like high-risk residents such as ourselves have had to shoulder the burden for stopping the spread of the disease by being the only ones to go into isolation. There are lessons to be learned from the Chinese people if not its leadership, including that everybody must accept their own responsibility, vulnerability and complicity — sacrificing “rights” for the collective good — or many of us will die.

So some people would rather weather the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy and China. Why don’t they?

What the fuck is going on at NBC News? pic.twitter.com/qkayDLIesc — Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) March 14, 2020

See, when you have a country that’s prepared at any minute to crush citizens’ individual rights, you have a country that’s ready to limit personal freedoms in the event of an epidemic.

So what is going on at NBC News?

Chinese must pay well — Destructive Chemistry (@DestructiveChem) March 14, 2020

Did the Chinese Communist Party buy NBC. I must have missed the announcement. — JimVT (@vt_jim) March 14, 2020

That's pretty par for the course for the National Broadcasters for China. — Aldous Huxley's Ghost™ (@AF632) March 14, 2020

They’re staying “on message”. It’s not like most of us don’t see what’s happening here. — Antivist (@antivistsdemand) March 14, 2020

Hey, can we all put eyes on that, 'prioritization of personal freedom' they tried to sneak in between the two more negative-sounding statements? Can we all just focus on that subliminal message of, 'We should take a few lessons from China's authoritarian regime'? Real clearly? — .Jack//Sign (@Jack_S_Wolfman) March 14, 2020

I feel like I'm using the Picard facepalm gif entirely too much lately. So imagine that I used it here. — april, non serviam (@hyacinthgrrl) March 14, 2020

God forbid we… (checks notes) Prioritize personal freedom. — Matthew Wichman (@wichman_matthew) March 14, 2020

"Prioritizing of personal freedom". Yes. Perhaps you should go back, Tony. — Jovial Man (@BillyRule1) March 14, 2020

Authoritarianism often feels more comfortable than freedom. Just do what you're told, no choice. No thanks, I'll take my freedom — Keep Calm and Wash Your hands (@TurnerOfWrench) March 14, 2020

Media: Trump is a dictator!

Also Media: Why isn't Trump acting like a dictator?! — Shecky (@SheckyShabazzJr) March 14, 2020

Chinese officials knew about the disease since *at the latest* 17 November, so likely earlier. They did not notify the WHO and other states until 31 December. Is that delayed notice mentioned in this article? What garbage. — Dan (@IrreverentDan) March 14, 2020

Does this mush brain acknowledge China kept the viral outbreak secret from the world for at least 2 months? And we're still trying to get honest data from them. Sounds like betas enjoy being led by authoritarian states who lie their people and the world with a smile on their face — AG Barr "Honeybadger don't care" (@douggie64_van) March 14, 2020

I'll take my freedom, thank you. Why aren't you reporting on the human rights abuses there, or the fact that China knowingly hid this virus which allowed it to spread in the first place? — Florida Conservative ?? (@GOPeSucks) March 14, 2020

OF COURSE it’s a college professor in the byline. — MIKE BRESLIN’S REASSURING TWEETS ??‍♂️??‍♂️ (@mikebreslin815) March 14, 2020

Why is Tony here? — James ✝️?? (@wjamesawill) March 14, 2020

So go back and stay there. — MIKE BRESLIN’S REASSURING TWEETS ??‍♂️??‍♂️ (@mikebreslin815) March 14, 2020

For what it’s worth, the COVID-19 death toll has reached 4,600, with more than 3,000 deaths in mainland China. The U.S. death toll is under 50. But China’s doing a bang-up job of containing it.

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