“This was no get-out-the-vote video or political shtick in one of his standup acts. Kumail Nanjiani had some sad feelings to share on Twitter Sunday about the still-surging coronavirus pandemic ― and he let them rip in a fit of despair that is all too relatable. “I’m sorry,” he began. “I’m generally a very optimistic person & have fought to keep positive these last few months. But today is hard. We are heading into a massive Covid spike & the people who are supposed to protect us are doing nothing & blaming us for being concerned.” Nanjiani’s wife, Emily V. Gordon, is immunocompromised, spiking his anxiety even further. (Her life-threatening bout with Still’s disease inspired their Oscar-nominated screenplay for the 2017 dramedy “The Big Sick.”) “We feel let down by our country,” he wrote as he mentioned the hundreds of thousands dead and “families destroyed.” “The Lovebirds” star eyed the fewer deaths and cases in other countries. “Are they dealing with the same disease we are? I guess that’s the difference. They’re dealing with it. We’re not. We politicized every suppression effort.” Nanjiani, whose activism extends to social media at times, went on at length about the authorities’ framing of pandemic containment efforts, such as masks and a reliance on science, as a sign of “weakness.” He wrote that worrying about his wife is even considered a sign of weakness. “I guess I have nothing constructive to say,” Nanjiani wrote. “Just be careful out there. I’m afraid we have a couple of bad months ahead of us. And I feel hopeless & helpless today.” I’m sorry. I’m generally a very optimistic person & have fought to keep positive these last few months. But today is hard. We are heading into a massive Covid spike & the people who are supposed to protect us are doing nothing & blaming us for being concerned.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 We’ve been in quarantine for 8 months because my wife is in a high risk group. We feel let down by our country. But it’s not about us. We’re the lucky ones. Over 226,000 people have died. That’s so many families destroyed. People have lost their homes, their jobs.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 And this was all preventable. I look at the Covid cases & deaths in other countries & it feels like they’re in another world. Are they dealing with the same disease we are? I guess that’s the difference. They’re dealing with it. We’re not. We politicized every suppression effort.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 Wearing masks is a sign of weakness. Protecting your friends, family, neighbors is a sign of weakness. Getting your heart broken every day by rising cases is a sign of weakness. Worrying that the next text will contain unthinkable news is a sign of weakness.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 Sleepless nights because what will happen if the person laying next to you in bed gets sick is a sign of weakness. Science is a sign of weakness. We could have done so much more to prevent all these losses. But it’s not his fault. It’s China’s fault. 8 months& we’re still here.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 I feel like I work Fealy hard to keep all these doors closed in my mind, to try and keep all these scary/sad/devastating thoughts out of my head. Focus on the positive. Donate to worthy causes. People are doing fantastic work out there. Most days it works. But not today.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020 I guess I have nothing constructive to say. Just be careful out there. I’m afraid we have a couple of bad months ahead of us. And I feel hopeless & helpless today.Actually, pls respond with worthy organizations we can donate to.I’m gonna try & crawl back to optimism now.— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) October 25, 2020
