Ex-Obama Education Secretary Lands in Hot Water After Comparing Anti-Maskers With Daesh Bombers

The tweet came in just as the bodies of 13 American service members, who died last week in a deadly Daesh-K* bombing at the Kabul International Airport, were delivered to the US.

Former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has drawn massive flak on Twitter after unsuccessfully trying to compare people who refuse to wear masks and get COVID-19 vaccines with Daesh-K* suicide bombers. Duncan, who served under President Obama between 2009 and 2016, drew parallels between the two groups of people, claiming they possess "strikingly similar mindsets" and "both blow themselves up" and "inflict harm on those around them".

Have you noticed how strikingly similar both the mindsets and actions are between the suicide bombers at Kabul’s airport, and the anti-mask and anti-vax people here?
They both blow themselves up, inflict harm on those around them, and are convinced they are fighting for freedom.

— Arne Duncan (@arneduncan) August 29, 2021

The questionable comparison obviously did not sit well with netizens, especially in the wake of a recent reminder about who Daesh terrorists are and what threat they pose to others – the tweet came in just as the bodies of 13 American soldiers killed in the Kabul blast last week arrived in the US. The American servicemen were among over 200 killed in a deadly bombing at the Kabul International Airport carried out by Daesh-K* suicide bombers.

Many Twitterians harshly condemned Duncan's apparent attempt to motivate people to wear masks and get vaccinated. Some users even suggested that the former secretary of education might have achieved the opposite result.

this tweet will just make people think mental illness is a side effect of the vaccine

— Jessica O’Boy-Football-is-Back-Donnell (@heckyessica) August 29, 2021

Yeah this is an effective comment to make a person go get vaccinated.

— Noneya Bizness (@mzcaptobvious) August 29, 2021

Several netizens accused the former official of hypocrisy, recalling his recent tweets about people needing to be more compassionate to each other.  

What a difference a day makes… pic.twitter.com/0hLRxaXTPs

— Melissa Moore (@melissamoore) August 29, 2021

“We are all we have. And, if we treat each other with compassion, we are all that we need.”

-Literally this mf 24 hours prior to this tweet

— Nascar Enthusiast ✝️ (@NSCREnthusiast) August 29, 2021

Others attacked the logic behind Duncan's statements in the tweet, questioning the need for him to criticise the conduct of others even if he personally disagrees with it.

So if your vaxed and masked up, why do u need to worry about someone who is not? Your good right?

— TurtleDick (@TurtleDick9) August 29, 2021

This might be the all time worst ratio

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) August 29, 2021

Most netizens strongly rejected the ex-secretary's parallels between anti-maskers, anti-vaxxers, and terrorists, stressing they are nothing alike.

On the day that President Biden met the caskets containing the fallen soldiers who were victims of suicide bombers, I can't imagine a more inappropriate Tweet from former Education Secretary @arneduncan

There's no comparison between non-masking, non-vaxxing & terrorism.

Shame.

— Joel M. Petlin (@Joelmpetlin) August 29, 2021

No. I haven’t… because they’re not similar. You lack a soul and brain. The only thing striking is your ignorance.

— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) August 29, 2021

Although a few people apparently found Duncan's argument appealing.

Sure. pic.twitter.com/YTlcsRFGjr

— Irene Merlin (@irenemerlin2) August 29, 2021

The former secretary of education's Twitter mishap took place as the US administration is frantically trying to motivate people to get vaccines as the pace of vaccination has slowed down in recent months amid the raging delta variant of COVID-19. The latest CDC data shows that 52.3% of the American population has been fully vaccinated thus far. At the same time, many politicians are fighting to strongly implement a renewed mask mandate, even though some have been spotted seemingly violating the very rules they preach.

*Daesh-K (also known as ISIS-K) is a terrorist organisation outlawed in Russia and several other countries.