Discordant Pandemic Narratives in the U.S.

This book provides a careful examination of the discordant narratives that embodied the chaos, tensions, and conflicts in the U.S. pandemic responses. The ultimate goal of this volume is to help groups and individuals understand just what went wrong in the U.S. pandemic responses.

The U.S. pandemic narratives which embodied many conflicting structures failed to provide guidance for groups and individuals to construct a clear understanding of the pandemic or a consistent measure to combat the disease. This book provides a careful examination of the discordant narratives that embodied the chaos, tensions, and conflicts in the U.S. pandemic responses. The ultimate goal of this volume is to help groups and individuals understand just what went wrong in the U.S. pandemic responses.

Introduction: Discordant Narratives and Social Chaos

Shing-Ling S. Chen

Chapter One: Economy vs. Public Health: Discordant Leadership Narratives in the Pandemic

Shing-Ling S. Chen and Zanetta Miller

Chapter Two: Mandates vs. No Mandates: Communitarianism and Libertarianism in the Pandemic

Melissa L. Beall and Shing-Ling S. Chen

Chapter Three: Religious Freedom vs. Public Health: Discordant Legal Narratives in the Pandemic

Juliet Dee

Chapter Four: Domestic Disjointed Narratives of the Pandemic: The Critical Early Months

Rachel Kaplan

Chapter Five: Historical vs. Ahistorical Narratives of The Pandemic: The Discordant Rhetoric of Our Unprecedented Times

John J. Rief

Chapter Six: Discordant Rhetorical Responses: Crisis Communication in Sports Organizations in the Covid-19 Pandemic

Tyler Welsh, R. Tyler Spradley, and Elizabeth Spradley

Chapter Seven: Misinformation, Scandalization, and the Trump Show: Audience Responses to President Trump’s Pandemic Narrative

Kristjan Kikerpill

Chapter Eight: Manufacturing Disinformation: The Story of Plandemic

Stephen D. Caldes, Zach Justus, and Jennifer A. Malkowski