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A Canadian journalist was torched on social media after declaring he escaped his country’s “curfew-and-confinement rules” by heading to Florida only to be triggered by the freedom he experienced there.
In a recent “confession” published in the Montreal Gazette, the writer described how he and his wife “fled Quebec” and its authoritarian coronavirus rules for the free state of Florida.
“But the second we landed, it felt like we’d arrived on another planet,” Freed wrote in the piece that sparked much social media mockery as he went on to pen his shock over the “lunacy” he experienced by witnessing people in the state going about their lives essentially unrestricted and noting that “Florida is Cowboyland, where you barely know COVID is happening.”
This is why people not only distrust the corporate media, but hate them. A pro-lockdown journalist from Quebec jets down to Florida for a luxury vacation so he can escape the curfew. And in between cocktails he says how much he hates it there. https://t.co/G3urUN9Zew
— Ezra Levant 🍁 (@ezralevant) January 23, 2022
He went on to mock how some people wore their face masks, which aren’t mandated, “often under their nose or chin — Florida-style.” And he complained about how “mobbed” restaurants are while expressing shock that “some customers even shake hands with their waiters.”
Totally surreal article in the MTL gazette that is beyond parody.
Lede: I recently fled Quebec [to Florida] for a week, a refugee from Legault’s 2.0 curfew-and-confinement rules.
Entire story to follow is about how triggered author is by freedom in FL. https://t.co/tdakeGxWEe
— Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC) January 23, 2022
“You can see the difference in the media, too. In Quebec, COVID totally dominates the news, because there’s almost nothing else happening,” he wrote. “In Florida, it’s the reverse.”
“By any measure, Florida life seems surreal, as if everyone’s wearing blinders and trying not to notice a disease that’s killed more than 63,000 Floridians. That’s about twice as many deaths as in all of Canada, in a state with two-thirds our country’s population,” Freed continued before making one astute observation.
“It’s health madness, but there’s a psychological upside, since COVID doesn’t dominate all life like here. We Montrealers live in a tense, depressing pandemic bubble — all-COVID, all the time — which is why many people avoid following the news,” he noted.
Freed’s rant caught the attention of Christina Pushaw, the press secretary for Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who noted Freed’s complaint about the COVID news coverage in Florida as well as how easy it was to get tested.
“To fly home we needed a COVID PCR test, almost impossible to come by in Montreal, with lineups hours long at most hospitals…travellers must go to private clinics and pay perhaps $200. Meanwhile, every Florida pharmacy does free PCR tests, even for travelling foreigners.”
— Christina Pushaw 🐊 (@ChristinaPushaw) January 23, 2022
Freed’s write-up was met with plenty of reactions from Twitter users:
It reads like a Soviet dispatch: “Comrades! I have had an excursion into the bourgeois hellhole of Florida and am proud to tell you that my superior Soviet education has kept me away from the temptation of its evils!” (Looks for an excuse not to leave) “Must do more research!”
— EJ Hill (@EJHill_PSC) January 23, 2022
As a Florida resident, I’m going to suggest that Josh stay in Canada until the Canadians regain some common sense.
And then, still not come to Florida. We welcome winners, not whiners.— Yeah, it’s me. (@PotMeetsKettle) January 24, 2022
Canadian reporter travels to Florida, discovers he misses the Covid lockdown restrictions at home.
— Brian Doherty (@BDOH) January 23, 2022
Josh Freed from the Montreal Gazette going around Florida restaurants asking people how they’re faring/surviving like he’s reporting from Raqqa 😂😂😂
— Emma-Jo Morris (@EmmaJoNYC) January 23, 2022
Is he the last person in North America to find
out Florida is wide open? Stay safe and stay masked up Josh, and stay away
from people making decisions for themselves.— EatPlentyOfFiber (@yanker_richard) January 23, 2022
Is this guy five years old? It was only two years ago that everywhere was a lot more like Florida. Freed is the one whose society has gone awry, not us.
— Trevor Bauknight (@tzbauknight) January 23, 2022
He needs to go back home and stay there. Why do these people vacation here anyway?
— Tad (@rosiemouse) January 23, 2022
You can feel through the whole article that he wants to so much strip off his mask(s) and clothes run naked screaming I’m free and he hates himself for it.
— The former coupon junkie (@maryneis01) January 24, 2022
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida where she has been writing for the BizPacReview team since 2015.
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