It seems a lot of people still haven’t learned the lesson of thinking before posting online. Maybe it’s the distance of a screen or not having to face someone directly that makes it easier to say things you wouldn’t dare say in person. Unfortunately for one Houston, Texas pediatrician, her words came back to bite her. Dr. Christina Propst made a social media post commenting on the recent floods in Texas. It might have been fine if she had simply expressed sympathy for those affected, but she took a political angle instead.
In her post, she wrote:
“May all visitors, children, non-MAGA voters and pets be safe and dry. 🙏🏻
Kerr County MAGA voted to gut FEMA.
They deny climate change.
May they get what they voted for.
Bless their hearts.”
The post didn’t sit well with a lot of people, and once a screenshot hit TikTok, it quickly went viral. The attention brought a wave of backlash against the Houston pediatrician. Many felt her comments were inappropriate, especially in the midst of a tragedy, and it didn’t take long for Blue Fish Pediatrics, her employer, to step in. The company ultimately decided to let her go, stating that the views expressed in the post did not reflect their values.
Though many agreed that her words were inappropriate, some users on Reddit argued that the Houston pediatrician wasn’t entirely wrong. Several pointed out that the tragic Texas flood might have been preventable if not for various cuts and policy decisions made under the Trump administration.
One user commented, “I mean, this is what they voted for. Kerr County could have had sirens, but they didn’t want to use federal grant money from Obama to install them. Texas does this all the time. Our insurance rates are higher too because Abbott didn’t take the federal grant money. Republicans have been in power here for decades, and they still blame Democrats.”
Still, others felt her sweeping generalizations were out of line. One user wrote, “I went to church camp every summer in that area, and I’m about as progressive as they come. We have to stop this kind of discourse. It only causes harm.”
Some acknowledged that while her words were harsh, they understood the frustration behind them. Others emphasized that, regardless of her intent, her comments were ultimately harmful. Another user wrote, “Pretty ironic that she was fired after her post was shared by Libs of TikTok, which spreads some of the most vile hate on the internet.”