As the White House continues to offer delayed or conflicting advice on how to best navigate the coronavirus pandemic, people have looked to their communities to find their own leaders in a time of crisis. Chicagoans just found theirs: Bonnie Tracy.
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Bonnie, a plucky septuagenarian, posted a video to Facebook on Friday detailing her visit to Chicago grocery store Mariano’s and her altercation with another woman regarding the dangers of the coronavirus. To follow public safety protocol, Bonnie covered her face with the collar of her jacket when approaching the woman, which didn’t sit well with her: “She proceeded to yell at me said I was crazy. What was wrong with me? This is not a pandemic, this is a political hoax.”
“And of course, she got my Southside Polish dander up, which I should just kept on walking,” Bonnie continued. “And I said, ‘Well if you’re not afraid, then why don’t you volunteer and go to China and take care of people?’ And she said, ‘Goddammit, Why don’t you, bitch?’ And I said, ‘Well, I would, except I have no money.’”
Here’s where the Chicago really pops.
“But at that point, I had to walk away because I thought about my daughter working at hospitals, trying to save lives with this pandemic,” Bonnie said. “And I thought, you know, this woman has no idea that I’m almost 75, but I’m from Chicago, and I will gladly tap her on the shoulder and ask her to step outside and proceed to kick her bleach-blonde 50-year-old ass.”
Bonnie ended her ruthless speech with a kind send-off: “God bless. Take care of yourself. This is a pandemic. Be careful. I love you all, goodbye.” And then, in the spirit of septuagenarians on Facebook everywhere, she fumbled with the camera for 10 more seconds before figuring out how to sign off.
The video struck a chord with tons of viewers. Bonnie’s post has amassed 13,000 likes and 19,000 shares on Facebook, with praise spilling over to Twitter as well. Users made it clear they would square up for Bonnie in a heartbeat.
May we all make it through the coronavirus pandemic with Bonnie’s fighting spirit intact.
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