Life in the time of the Corona Virus

I absolutely love apocalyptic movies especially the Zombie themed ones. There, I said it! Sometimes, I’m ashamed to admit it but I love zombie movies a lot. Any type or variation of zombie movies that you can think of, I love them ALL. From the ones with the fast, running zombies to the slow-moving ones that still somehow ends up biting everyone; I’m fascinated with zombie movies. And I also like the comedies that make fun of them all.

I watch them for the action, the thrills, to see just how the world descends into chaos and the dystopia painted by writers and filmmakers. However, my interest mainly lies in the human aspect of these movies. I really enjoy watching the survivors and human interactions taking place in moments of crisis. I’m intrigued by those who remains standing and what they did to survive. To me, a well-done zombie movie is an exploration of the human psyche. Who are you when the world is coming to an end and your back is against the wall? Who are you in survival mode, when it is easy to become subhuman? When you have to depend on yourself, and societal norms are breaking down? Who are you in a time when selfishness is almost expected in order to survive? Who do we become? So basically, I watch to see who really loses their ‘ish’ first. You know, the fun stuff.

In our present reality, there is the new Corona virus or COVID-19. Although situations (now) are not as bad as a fictional zombie apocalypse, one must admit that it is coming dangerously close to it. Case in point, look at some of these empty shelves and the once crowded roads are now deserted. One has to wonder; doesn’t it look a bit apocalyptic right now? And the icing on the cake, all this was started by a virus; the common genesis for most zombie stories.

Spreading around the world non-stop (like in the zombie movies), the new Corona virus has become a ‘real world’ pandemic. Although, some countries seem to be recovering from it, they are fearful of the signs that a second wave is imminent. Seeing any parallels to the Zombie apocalypse yet? The ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality that we are all familiar with has already kicked in. Harsh but true. The reality is only the strong will survive. Lately, this current situation has me pondering about humanity and our response when certain societal norms and conditions; those which we’ve grown accustomed, has been suspended.

The Coronavirus crept up on us slowly and we dealt with it in stages, as individuals and as countries, in our own different ways. But there has been some stages and responses that are common amongst most of us. Here are a few that I have noticed:

Denial/ Disinterest

The first stage was denial and disinterest. At first, for most of us, the Corona Virus felt like this unreal scary rumor we heard about in China. It was just a “Chinese” issue and furthermore it was too far away for anyone to really take it seriously. Then it spread to other countries in Asia. A few cases popped up in Japan, then South Korea, then Singapore. And as the continent of Asia lit up, the world probably thought, “Oh it’s an Asian thing. We’re still ok.” Corona never truly captured our attention until it hit Italy. Then we started ‘Praying for Italy’, as we should, of course. But perhaps we should’ve started praying for everyone affected even before that and in each country make “just in-case” preparations. Have the zombie apocalypse movies taught us nothing? Always be prepared. But hubris prevented it. We all thought it would never affect us. ‘It would never come here.’ The rhetoric that ‘if you’re young and healthy, you’re fine’ and it is ‘nothing but a common flu’, persisted. So people still went about their daily lives, as usual, thinking ‘We are still ok. We’re young and we’re not sick.’ This became the world’s mantra, repeated whenever this illusive virus was brought up. As though, it was ok if the elderly and sick died. It was rough hearing normal rational people saying those words without hesitation.

Reality/ Panic sets in

Next, reality or panic sets in. When the virus got to the United States, the way it was spoken about drastically changed. It has been a few weeks now, and Presidents and World Leaders who formerly ignored it and dubbed it as ‘only a flu’, or ‘no big deal’ now have a change of heart. They are finally trying to implement measures to curb the spread. As the world grapple with its new reality, there is a wave of panic followed by boundless conspiracy theories. Theories that encapsulate ideas about why the government wants people off the streets and the talk of 5G being the reason behind the virus. Can technology transmit a virus that can damage a person’s immune system? Additional theories about the virus being a bioweapon engineered in a lab by the Chinese government to wage war on America is being peddled. While there are some who believe the opposite, that the virus was engineered by the CIA as a weapon against China. Can we believe one or the other, both or neither? As the conspiracies develop and confusion looms, one thing I am certain of; following them is like going down the proverbial rabbit hole.

Then, there’s panic brought on by misinformation. First, it was the panic buying of toilet paper (a very surprising one). Why toilet paper? I think it originated in Japan when someone posted on social media that the toilet paper in Japan comes from China and due to the virus outbreak, they have stopped production. So, everyone flooded the supermarkets bought and hoarded the toilet paper. But of course, that wasn’t the case. There is no real risk of them running out. As the virus spread to the rest of the world so too did this toilet paper rumor, and the fear of shortage sent everyone into another wave of panic buying. Clearly, we have learned nothing from the zombie movies.

What was even more worrying, was supermarkets being sold out of all the other daily necessities. People were bulk buying everything their hands could catch without any consideration for others. I even saw a very ridiculous video of someone who bought perishable items like vegetables and fruits in bulk. How long do they expect to keep them for? Unless they were planning to resell them quickly, all they would end up with is a lot of spoilt goods after a few days.

This panic and uncaring behavior doesn’t stop at only individuals either. Some countries and their leaders have also adopted a similarly selfish stance. According to news outlets, MSN news and Skynet news, medical supplies that were meant for Canada were diverted to the US because they paid three or four times more for it. Officials from Germany and France have also accused the US of diverting medical supplies meant for their countries by outbidding the original price. The small island of Barbados also reported a similar situation about supplies meant for their country going to the US instead. This is piracy from the top. There are probably other countries doing the same thing, but America is the most obvious.

The Blame Game

Then, there is the ‘Blame Game’. So much blame to go around but who to assign it to. It’s the ‘Chinese virus’ because it came from ‘Chii-na’ one very vocal public figure said. ‘The American soldiers brought it to China’. ‘It was those pesky bats again.’ ‘The borders should’ve been closed earlier’. ‘Foreigners are spreading it’. ‘It’s the Asian’s fault, they eat too many weird things’. The constant bickering and back and forth finger pointing. Who have we become, kindergarteners on the playground? China has even pointed its fingers at the Africans living in its country, even though African nations are amongst the least affected countries so far. So how did they even arrive at that conclusion? Well, apparently, some Africans in China refused testing and there was a report that an African man had caught the virus while in China. So of course, that would cause some panic but China being xenophobic by nature, took it to an extreme limit. Suddenly, Africans were being evicted from their homes and some restaurants refusing them entry. Though this, incident was another reason to be cautious, nothing excuses this sort of treatment. Adversely, since the virus, Chinese in Western countries were also faced with racism. People feared catching the virus from them or blamed them for the virus. The initial cover-up and mishandling of the virus by China did not help matters either and has heightened the existing distrust of China and Chinese people.

Isolation

Now, there is the isolation. People are advised to stay home and not go outside unless it’s absolutely necessary. For instance, to buy groceries, go to the pharmacy, or to get some sunlight and exercise. In some places the latter is now also restricted. Self-isolation and a quarantine time of at least 14 days have also been recommended for those who are sick or think they might have the virus. In addition to this, the world is being encouraged to practice “Social Distancing”. The idea of social distancing, however, might be new and difficult for some people; especially extroverts who thrive in social situations. Difficult it might be, but it is a necessary step in curbing the spread of the virus. To mitigate the loneliness that comes with isolation, what we can do is look out for each other by using up technology to bridge the space gap. Call your friends just to ‘check in’ and let them know there are people out there still thinking of them. Video and voice apps such as Zoom and many others can also be utilized.

The Good in People

But let’s not despair, there is still some good here. The pandemic has also brought out the good in some of us. Panic buying aside, it is heartwarming to see that good and decency in people still prevails. From people singing on balconies in Italy to show solidarity; Police Officers in the streets entertaining people who are locked in their houses; citizens applauding and cheering on essential workers to entertainers hosting free virtual concerts on social media. For instance, the popular DJ Nice concerts and David Guetta’s two-hour rooftop concert for the corona virus relief; and also people offering aid and money to people in greater need than themselves. People have been showing their hearts and the world appreciates it.

This might sound cliché, but we really need love right now, in any form that we can show it. We also need an end to the Corona Virus or at least a way to control it. But in the meantime, we can try to be mindful of each other and show love in any way that we can. We need to handle each other with care and remember, we are all in this together, whether we are seeing each other in person or not.

Let’s overcome this pandemic together, without turning into zombie versions of ourselves. Buy just enough for you and your family. Remember to wash your hands. Please stay home and wear a mask when in the public. Don’t play the blame game. Be kind to others. Send love into the world. Because no matter how fun zombie movies are, when it comes down to it, they are just hungry, greedy, little buggers that want to suck you dry and eat your flesh. And let’s face it, nobody really likes that.

Peace and love.

---------------------------

For all your editing needs please contact: