WE’VE DESCENDED INTO SOME SORT OF BIZARRE HELL-WORLD IN WHICH DON LEMON IS A VOICE OF SANITY. Don Lemon Tells Liberals: ‘Believe In The Science,’ Take Off Your Mask. What, and give up a chance to virtue signal to the Deplorables?

Lemon gently referenced his mother’s age before saying he’s ready for life to return to the pre-pandemic standards after widespread vaccinations. “I want to live my life. I want to see my loved ones. So, can we get back to some semblance of normalcy?” he asked.

His mother may fear for her safety, but the media have been replete with articles by people who have thrived during the COVID-19 lockdowns and do not want its extraordinary conditions to end.

In March, Medium published an article titled, “The Side of Me That Doesn’t Want the Pandemic to End.” Later in the month, Yahoo News republished an op-ed stating, “There Are Some Aspects Of The Pandemic I Don’t Want To End.” BuzzFeed proclaimed that a return to normal life “for many people” isn’t “a good thing.” CNBC explained:

For some, this comes from an extreme fear of the disease. For others, it’s about the anxiety that comes with the idea of reacclimating into society. Others, meanwhile, have found that the pandemic has brought about positive changes in their lives, and they’re afraid of losing what they’ve gained. 

Yet as the vaccine rolled out, the fear continued unabated. In April, New York Magazine posted a lengthy article profiling “The People Who Don’t Want to Return to Normalcy.” And last week, The Atlantic exposed “The Liberals Who Can’t Quit Lockdown,” noting that “some liberal policy makers have left scientific evidence behind.”

“This is real,” Lemon said on Monday night. “People are having trouble re-emerging into society after COVID-19 lockdowns.”

I blame The Shawshank Redemption.