Human Rights, Journal, Politics, Social Commentary

What It’s Like To Live in Redneck Georgia During a Pandemic

by Alexis Chateau

In late February of this year, I made the decision to give up my part-time gig in the city. I put in my resignation just in time to start quarantining at home from early March — before we even got our first confirmed COVID-19 case in America.

On April 27th, I also made the tough decision to cancel my move to Nevada and California. I had been planning this move since February 2019. As Georgia continues to descend into a grand sh!t storm, however, I find myself wishing I had made it out west before the virus came to visit and overstayed its welcome.

Of course, wishing is useless. I can’t change the past or singlehandedly make a virus go away. I can only make tentative plans based on the changing information that pours in every day. With that goal in mind, I decided to trade in my city car for a true desert rat.

The process of purchasing a 10-year-old vehicle and then getting some repairs done further exposed me to the ignorant underbelly of Georgia in the middle of a pandemic. Here are the highlights of my experience in this ridiculous redneck of a state so far.

It’s hard to believe the CDC is based in Atlanta.

When I first suspected that I might be stranded in Atlanta during the pandemic, the silver lining I found was that at least I was in the same city as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. In fact, Atlanta’s connections with both the CDC and Emory has made it one of the most trusted centers for handling infectious diseases for years.

Remember when we had that Ebola outbreak in 2014? Where do you think they sent the patients for treatment? Atlanta received four Ebola patients. Not only did all four live, but Emory and the CDC successfully contained the disease. To add to this, even after five years of no cases, Emory kept the Team Ebola task force alive, just in case.

This is fairly common knowledge for any Atlanta resident who bothers to read or watch something other than Fox News, so I strongly believed Atlanta would handle COVID-19 like a champ. Boy, was I wrong!

Black people in Atlanta aren’t wearing masks either.

On social media, we see a lot of videos of Karens and Kens getting very upset when someone asks them to wear a mask. Not only do they get loud, but some become physically combative. Here are two of the most memorable incidents I’ve seen so far:

In Atlanta, however, I can tell you firsthand that a lot of Black people aren’t wearing masks either. When I was buying Samson, the FJ Cruiser, I had to make two trips to the dealership in a primarily Black area of Decatur.

The first time, aside from one Black gentleman, my parents and I were the only ones wearing masks and we got mean looks from passersby the entire time — almost all of whom were Black. The second time around, we saw two other people with masks on, and they didn’t keep them on. Neither of these two mask-wearing individuals were Black.

When I bought Samson, I knew I had one big repair to get out of the way, so that meant two trips to the mechanic in the past week. While there, maybe half the Black people and a negligible fraction of Whites wore masks. No one who worked at the establishment wore one — not even the one Black guy.

Because of this, I gave up the air-conditioned waiting room and sat outside in the sun on a bench. I knew I had a long wait, so I brought my Kindle, earphones, and a bottle of hand sanitizer. Several people asked me why I didn’t go inside. None of them had masks on. I told them, “I would rather be hot than infected.”

The last persons who asked me were a Black couple. When I gave my standard response, the guy was already halfway through the door. He stepped back, closed it and directed his partner to sit with him outside on another bench. “You make an excellent point, young lady,” he told me. They stayed outside until the repairs on their cars were done.

There’s a big difference once you get outside the city limits.

I think a lot of people overestimate how liberal Atlanta is because of our large LGBTQ community and the fact that we are predominantly Black. If I’m going to be honest, though, I think a lot of Blacks would vote Conservative if the party of the Good Ole’ South wasn’t so historically and continually racist, because the rest of their values are so often the same.

I live outside the city limits of Atlanta in one of the liberal suburbs that make up “Metro Atlanta”. You see an immediate difference out here. Unlike the mask-defiant people we encounter in Decatur and the rest of the inner city limits, almost everyone wears masks in my POC-middle-class suburbs.

There are a lot of Asians in my community and I have never seen them out in public without masks. Whites are maybe 50/50 on the mask compliance and old White men are more likely not to wear one. I would say maybe 90% of Blacks wear masks and that young, Black men are usually the ones not wearing any.

When you adjust for Whites as a minority and POC as the majority races on my side of town, I would guess that 85% of us wear masks regularly. In fact, we wear our masks even out in the wide open on hiking and biking trails. As a result, I do my best to stay in my own area.

The cities and counties are doing the best they can, but Kemp ties their hands.

While Georgia itself is a sh!t show under Brian Kemp, there have been several attempts by local governments to step up and make good pandemic policies. For instance, local city governments and county governments had policies in place long before Kemp bothered to create any.

We felt safe under those guidelines in March, but then on April 2nd, Kemp issued his own Shelter in Place order that overrode all the others. The issue was that his also set a time limit on how long we should shelter in place. He even reopened the beaches in Savannah against the advice of the mayor.

When the order expired and nothing sensible replaced it, local governments once again struggled to see what they could do to protect their residents. In that interim, I received emergency alerts from several different counties.

These alerts came out almost immediately after Kemp refused to issue mask mandates for the state. Local governments then followed up with their own mask mandates. Kemp killed these attempts the same way he did before, by issuing an executive order that overrode everyone else’s in the state, while doing nothing at all.

The last effort the individual counties made was to offer virtual learning opportunities for schools that have now been forced open by the federal government. Some counties made virtual learning mandatory, while others gave students a choice. No one knows for sure if Kemp will continue to keep his mouth shut on this, but we’re crossing our fingers.

Private businesses are stepping up to do what they can on their own properties.

In May 2020, Planet Fitness made the news for excellent reasons at the same time that LA Fitness was getting dragged on social media. When Kemp decided gyms could finally reopen in Georgia, both gyms sent out very different letters to their members.

I received an email from Planet Fitness saying that despite the opportunity to re-open, they had weighed the pros and cons and intended to remain closed for a while longer. LA Fitness, on the other hand, immediately jumped at the opportunity to let everyone know they would reopen as soon as possible.

I can also confirm that all throughout the pandemic, my local Kroger has stopped playing music. Instead, it has what sounds like the WHO and CDC guidelines on repeat. It also kept essentials on sale, including scarce items like hand soap and toilet paper. At one point, they were selling bottles of 70% alcohol for 99 cents!

Kroger and several other businesses have now responded to the lack of adequate mask mandates across America by issuing their own. If you live in a state governed by an imbecile and populated by redneck ignoramuses, like I do, I strongly recommend trying to do business with companies that have mask mandates in place.

Below is the most recent list I’ve come across. I’m sure several other businesses — including some of your local mom-and-pop shops — are doing the same.

Kemp sued Mayor Bottoms for defying his useless executive order.

Atlanta decided it would not lose its protections to Kemp’s mismanagement for a second time. As I mentioned before, compared to the surrounding liberal suburbs outside of the perimeter, city-dwellers are not complying with the CDC’s current guidelines to wear face coverings. That makes a mask mandate more necessary for them than the rest of us.

So, while other mayors and city councils complained and lashed out, Mayor Bottoms decided to keep her mask mandate in place. Kemp then filed a lawsuit against her. So, believe it or not, our governor is now suing the capital city’s mayor over the right to ask people inside the Atlanta city limits to wear masks.

Governor Cuomo, all the way in NEW YORK (!!!) is doing more for Georgia than Kemp.

When New York hit the first level of rock bottom with the COVID-19 cases, Atlanta sent tens of thousands of health care professionals to help. Andrew Cuomo was overwhelmed with gratitude at the time and promised he would pay it forward once he got New York out of dark waters.

Ironically, on the same day that New York City recorded no deaths for the first time, Florida set a new U.S. state record for the most cases in a single day. On July 12th, our fellow redneck neighbour, who has an equally useless governor, reported a whopping 15,299 cases in just 24 hours.

As a result, Florida is now hailed as the new “Ground Zero” of the coronavirus pandemic in America. They have been more officially called the “Red Zone.” When Florida coughs, Georgia sneezes, so we got lumped in right beside it.

Well, who do you think came to our rescue while Kemp has been twiddling his thumbs?

Cuomo is far from a perfect presidential candidate, but after seeing the way he handled the coronavirus in New York, and the way he stood up to Trump even after pulling out of the race, I am impressed. Him then stepping in to help Georgia fills me with regret that he hadn’t kept up his bid for the White House. On that note, I sincerely hope Mayor Bottoms runs for Governor of Georgia in 2022!

I can’t WAIT to get out of here! 😭

There isn’t a single soul on the planet as happy for Miss Rona’s unplanned visit as my mother is. The reason? It was the only thing that could and did keep me in Atlanta. Yet, even she is finally understanding why I want to leave this place so badly. I hate living in Atlanta and I dislike the people most of all.

I will never understand why so many self-proclaimed liberals in the so-called Blue Mecca of Atlanta aren’t following the guidelines issued right from their backyard. The worst part is that masks don’t protect the wearer; they protect the neighbours. Regular masks and face coverings cannot filter out small viral particles for the wearer, though they can filter out larger ones before they disintegrate.

So, what is the point of wearing a mask? They reduce how far infected droplets travel when we speak, laugh, sneeze or sing karaoke in the car. This is especially helpful with reducing asymptomatic spreads. Consequently, when I wear a mask, maybe 10% of the benefits are for me and 90% of the benefits are for you.

I really wish more people would get with the program, so we can put this pandemic behind us. Until then, I’ll keep making plans to get to a state where politicians make sensible decisions based on science. Unfortunately, I still have to drive through half a dozen red states to get there… 🤦‍♀️

What does the pandemic look like in your neck of the woods? Are people wearing masks and following other guidelines? I’d love to hear how the rest of you are faring. If you are as frustrated as I am, feel free to sound off in the comments below. You’re not alone!

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82 thoughts on “What It’s Like To Live in Redneck Georgia During a Pandemic”

  1. i find it interesting that nearly every mayor I’ve heard of that was issuing mandates and trying their best to prepare for things has been much smarter than the governors and the White House. Many of these mayors have got some major backbone, and it’s good to see someone in a government position does. I’ve mostly only seen people at work, so there’s a strict mandate there. otherwise, I’m sure these folks are grumbling and doing the bare minimum. The further from the city I go, the fewer masks I see, or only worn over the mouth but not the nose.

    Reply

    1. Agreed. I was shocked that Mayor Bottoms chose to keep her mandate. So far, every time Kemp cancelled local efforts, people spoke out and complained but they let it go. The fact that she was willing to defy it….back bone, indeed! I get the feeling the Savannah Mayor might follow next, but we’ll see.

      Sadly, I also see a lot of people walking around with the mask over their mouths but not the nose. Still better than the ones who only have it on their chins, I suppose.

      Reply

  2. Georgia is a mess. People not wearing mask are following state law. The whole country is in the express elevator to Hell under Republican leadership.
    They always leave the country broke and on the verge of collapse when they leave power.
    Life will never be the same after this one ;-(

    Reply

    1. It’s insane how many of them came out to support the lawsuit against Mayor Bottoms, saying she had overstepped by keeping her mask mandate. I’m convinced it’s insanity. There can’t be any other reason for why so many people follow mad advice so easily and so blindly.

      Whoever comes after this has a lot of work to do. I hope they’re up to the task. If it’s another four years of Trump, I’m driving to California no matter what the case rates are. I’ll take my chances out west. At least out there, I can afford health insurance. 🙄

      Reply

  3. Yes, it’s so frustrating! I live in North Dallas, and our numbers have really been climbing. Texas, as a whole, evidently hit a brand new high, yesterday. Yet, they’re talking about sending the children back to school? I do see more people wearing masks, now, but still not everyone. Take care, Alexis!

    Reply

    1. Thanks for letting me know Becky! Texas is the state I have to spend the most time in. It’s the only one that will take me TWO days to cross, so that’s very helpful.

      I hope Texas gets it together soon. Are they allowing virtual learning like Georgia counties are?

      Reply

      1. Currently, the governor is allowing 100% virtual for only the first three weeks. Many school districts are offering both modes for parents to choose. Some are starting later, too.

      2. Only the first three weeks? Do red states realise their number compared to others right now or no?

      3. I think they’re doing lots of hoping/ignoring? I’m guessing this will be extended in Texas, depending on whether the face mask requirement helps much.

      4. I suppose the one good thing that will come out of this is that red states will have fewer voters by this election. 🤧

        It’s just too bad that they’re taking sensible people down with them who live here and believe in science, common sense and community effort.

  4. I’m so happy to be in New England…. I really hope that the Kemps on my mom’s side of the family (her mom) are not related to this jerk…. I will say that I was a little surprised when WalMart demanded masks. I mean, they did move slightly away from their base with their decision on guns, but still appeal more to the Fox News set than anybody else. Most places in New Hampshire require a mask and I think it is mandated in Massachusetts at the state level. Stay safe!

    Reply

    1. I think the reason companies like Walmart and Starbucks joined the list is money. All these pandemic restrictions are hitting them in the pockets. They want this to be over too, but not enough of them are willing to stand up to the idiots they support.

      Reply

      1. I agree, it is for the money. The difference is that Walmart appeals to the non-mask wearing Fox News folk, while those same folk wouldn’t be caught dead in a Starbucks. I guess most of these companies do not understand the logic that the sooner everyone wears masks, the sooner it will be over, so the more wearing a mask is enforced, the sooner we can return to a new mask-wearing normal, i.e., a return to profits.

      2. Walmart also tends to hire minority employees and attract minority buyers, so I guess the money won over Fox News.

        Unfortunately, as some people point out, Georgians are wearing the masks into the stores where it’s required and then throwing them down elsewhere and putting them on again with their dirty hands. 🤦🏽

      3. Yes, I wasn’t thinking minorities, so you are right there. Also, Walmart has made the right decision on a few other issues despite kick-back from the Fox News groupies, so they must be thinking of their larger customer base there.

        Yeah, yous aid that about Georgia. Pretty awful. New Hampshire is a little better than it was a month ago, but I still see more people without masks than I’d like. I’m in Massachusetts now, and it is mandatory here.

  5. it has boiled down to all this becoming a POLITICAL issue and not a HEALTH issue. the words “hoax, lies and taking away personal freedom” are being wrongly thrown around like rice at a wedding. misconceptions of wearing a mask is you are breathing in your own CO2 which is a health concern. but people forget about healthcare personal wearing a mask that is of a “medical grade material” and not a simple cloth mask for hours when they preform surgery. a store is a personal business and they can limit who they will service. trump and other politicians will not admit they were/are wrong for then they would be admitting to the deaths of thousands. if places would enforce the face cover/mask mandates and by enforcing and fining those not in compliance, maybe then more would wear them. the wearing of masks/face covers gives us the freedom to go about our lives as we should. the way we are heading, all of us will be positive for covid by the beginning of 2021. if other countries can do it, we should be able too.

    Reply

    1. The interesting thing is that Trump accused Democrats of weaponising the virus for political gains and that’s what HE was doing and continues to do.

      You’re right. To start moving in the right direction, he has to admit he’s wrong and he isn’t going to do that. For as long as he refuses to do so, his idiot governor supporters will continue to do the same.

      The only hope we have is to vote in a Democrat this year. In all honesty, I don’t know that Biden will be tough enough and stand his ground. He wants to reunite the country and that’s going to require a lot of compromising at a time when we can’t afford to compromise on science and facts.

      Reply

    1. I really hope the Arizona governor really finally puts his feet down, but he’s another Kemp. At least your mask mandate is still going though. I hope he doesn’t mess with it!

      Thanks. Stay healthy yourself.

      Reply

  7. I’ve never understood the interstate and intrastate rivalry and animosity in the U.S. with government officials (in the most cringe-inducing way) constantly smack talking each other.

    And you’ll get to your western dream home soon enough, and then everything will feel just right. And when you do, you should invite, say, some Scandinavian bastard to come and annoy the crap out of you.

    Reply

    1. That’s an interesting way of looking at it! The smack talking isn’t state against state, though. It’s party against party. Each US state is half a country and by itself, it’s either Red or Blue. Red States generally gang up against Blue States and both sides talk smack about each other. Blue States complain that Red States are racist, inhumane and love guns too much. Red States complain that Blue states want to take away their guns, let gay people get married and have illegals in the country. There really is very little common ground that both sides agree on, so we just keep throwing rocks. Unfortunately, there are Blue voters like me, stuck in Red States. 😭

      I can’t tell you how grateful I’m going to feel once I’m out of here. I’m tired of Georgians. I love the state but can’t stand the people or it’s politics. When I escape and get settled, you’re welcome to visit. But who’s coming? Is it Daniel or Not Daniel? 😂

      Reply

      1. Yes of course I am aware of the party divide. I’m not stupid, you know. Not all the time anyway. The whole thing just looks so damn juvenile, everybody trying to re-enact Mean Girls. I’m used to a far more civilised discourse in politics. Anyways… Don’t worry. The way thing are going, you’ll be voting read soon enough, whether you like it or not, and then you won’t be a political minority any more. Something to look forward to.

        There is only one Daniel!

        P.S. I’ve never seen Mean Girls, so no idea if that was an apt comparrison.

        P.P.S. I agree it’s wrong to allow gay people to marry. They’ve suffered enough as it is.

      2. 😂😂😂

        I think the way Red States go about it is juvenile. Blue States are making solid points by pushing for science and most time they’re minding their own business, then the federal government intervenes and it starts the rivalry again. But I’m sure Red States think we’re the idiots as well.

        There are TWO Daniels! I will not be fooled. 😂

  8. I live in Highlands, NC, just about 30 miles North of the Georgia line. We are a tourist town with a mask rule that our Main Street stores are enforcing. Still, now I’m wondering how many of the people running around downtown only putting on the mask to get in a store are from Georgia. As wild as our State politics are (Governor is a Democrat and the legislature is majority Republican), I glad I’m not in GA.

    Reply

    1. Wow! Imagine having a Democrat Governor. How does it feel to be the Chosen One? 😂 I’m not sure Georgia has had a Democrat Governor in my lifetime. I’m willing to bet the last time they did was when the Confederacy voted Democrat and the North voted Republican.

      Also, I’m pretty sure we’re the ones putting on masks to go in and out of stores like fools. I really have zero faith in Georgians.

      This state has been a bonafide idiot since 1776. Georgia was a loyalist state during the American revolution. They have never been onboard with anything. Ever. 🙄

      Reply

      1. The Republicans in the Legislature haven’t figured out a way to Gerrymander the Governorship, and we really are a purple state. We also recently elected a Chief of the State Supreme Court who is both a woman and a Democrat. And, in the last election the Rebubs lost their veto-proof majority in both the State House and Senate. It is kind of bonkers, but interesting.

      2. Asheville also became the first city to vote for reparations. I couldn’t believe they did it. I still think of NC as red, but it’s making progress. Georgia was too, but Kemp brought us right back to square one. Here’s to hoping we keep seeing changes like in NC spread out across the Southeast.

      3. Asheville does have a reputation for being a blue island in a red sea, but now that it has been un-gerrymandered (Which is part of why Mark Meadows quit the House to work for Trump.), a Democrat may have a real chance in this District in November. The is some cause for hope.

    1. That’s true, but I was moving to a desert town where I would have minimal interactions with people anyway. I think it would have been alright out there. Had things gone South, I could have headed back to Vegas, which is where I plan to maintain my residency. We’ll see, though. Just taking it day by day. Thanks for filling me in!

      Reply

      1. No problem. I live on the central coast where we have more cases than the inner, less populated parts of California. For some reason Santa Cruz County where I live has about 770 cases whereas Monterey County to the south of us has over 3,000 cases. Stay safe.

      2. Goodness! I was planning to head up to Joshua Tree and 29. I’ve heard the case loads up there aren’t too bad and that everyone is wearing masks. Ultimately, I can’t drive across until the ignoramus red states get it together, though, and we really can’t hold our breaths on that one.

        Thanks again!

  10. Thank you for sharing your experiences. Seeing different areas discussed on the news isn’t the same as a personal account from someone living there, so I really appreciated this post.

    Reply

      2. I just tried to reply, but I’m not sure it went through. Apologies if this is a repeat. I’m in St. Louis, an we’re headed in the wrong direction.

      3. It went through. No worries about the repetition. WordPress glitches sometimes.

        Is anywhere in the Southeast and Midwest heading in the right direction? 🤦🏽

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