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Sirena Bergman
Mar 02, 2020
Twitter/Mike Pence
Vice President Mike Pence, who was controversially named coronavirus czar despite the fact that he doesn't actually seem to believe in science nor have any background in medicine, tweeted a picture last week of a "very productive meeting" of the "White House Coronavirus Taskforce".
Today we had a very productive meeting of the White House Coronavirus Taskforce in the Situation Room. We placed ad… https://t.co/qs0tfvR33b— Mike Pence (@Mike Pence) 1583015225
But people quickly pointed out that there was something a bit odd about the attendees photographed.
The image showed 19 people sitting around a table, all of whom are men. In the periphery of the picture, we see another handful of brogue-clad feet, which appear to belong to even more men. Men for days! Pence (who famously refuses to spend time alone with women other than his wife) presumably loves to see it.
Many people, including presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren, were quick to point out this bizarre set-up.
We're facing both a public health crisis and a potential economic crisis. We urgently need top experts at the table… https://t.co/a2TEmnvURP— Elizabeth Warren (@Elizabeth Warren) 1583093192
Looks like we've got a #mandemic on our hands. https://t.co/pmTmsez4qZ— Alison Buttenheim (@Alison Buttenheim) 1583106007
And before you say it, it turns out that women are actually highly represented in this field, so no it wouldn't have been hard for them to find one or two to include.
I work in public health. Our field is disproportionately women. https://t.co/kixRzsNlxK— Deborah Roseman (@Deborah Roseman) 1583027853
Inexplicably there are no women in this room. Where are Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy dir of CDC, Dr. Robin I… https://t.co/KpYe19ccnj— Victoria Brownworth (@Victoria Brownworth) 1583068000
(Unlike some of the men included, whose qualifications elude us...)
They wanted to have a woman on the taskforce, but couldn't find one as qualified in the field of epidemiology as as… https://t.co/nrBgHKchhM— Jonathan Chait (@Jonathan Chait) 1583030048
@eramshaw @AlbertsonB2 That implies that they want MEDICAL people. These are POLITICAL people, who care not for sc… https://t.co/eoqkn0bBHK— John E. Mercurio 🇺🇸 (@John E. Mercurio 🇺🇸) 1583081391
This isn't just about the optics either. Not including women in discussions around public health can have dire consequences (mainly for women).
@eramshaw @farai For those who don't notice the imbalance or think it doesn't matter, a quick reminder that no one… https://t.co/Ht2ux2W85J— Mildred Lewis (@Mildred Lewis) 1583074718
@eramshaw @farai Even beyond the fact that's it's increasingly unrepresentative of the healthcare industry, this ta… https://t.co/XtruPI2yv6— Marc Lajoie (@Marc Lajoie) 1583073281
Others also noticed the distinct lack of racial representation too.
There was a different picture also circulating, which appeared to be of the same meeting, which included one woman among the sea of white men. Said photo appears to show participants praying.
@thisismash @eramshaw This pic seems related somehow https://t.co/m2NrHUPuKz— Marcello King (@Marcello King) 1583090523
Pray away the coronavirus, why not? Maybe that's the solution no one's thought of...
(Spoiler: it's not. Since the pictures were posted, two people have died of coronavirus in the USA and infections are now approaching 90,000.)
The Twitter thread also mentioned that Trump's "number one priority" was to "protect the health and well-being of the American people", which is why he was holding the meeting in the first place. It's an interesting turn of events after Trump's statement on coronavirus last week in which he said that it would be cured by a "miracle" and will just "disappear".
Perhaps the miracle real miracle we need is ending the patriarchy.
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