COVID-19: 3 Types of Reactions: Panic. Prepare. Patronize.

Yes, it’s been a long while since I last posted. I’ve been quite consumed with my college class and yoga and writing the latest greatest work of fiction. Just Kidding on that last remark. It’s only a ‘good‘ piece of fiction.

If you’ve turned on cable or network news, you are well aware of the universal impact of COVID-19 (The Novel Coronavirus). Even though it hasn’t been documented in my hometown (officially), this new virus is the topic of conversation in every corner of the world. After listening and learning, I figured out that there are 3 types of human responses to this new virus since it traveled from mainland China to our domestic USA soil.

Response #1: Panic. This is the beginning of the end in biblical proportions. Katie-bar-the-door. It is the end times. The fat lady is warming up to sing the very last song. There’s no need for gathering provisions because all life will be obliterated by Halloween. C’est Fini! Turn out the lights. This type of person is not even buying green bananas at the already empty supermarkets.

Response #2: Prepare. This category describes the people who understand the statistical risks. Accessed how to limit exposure to large groups of people: Social Distancing. And yes, bought the toilet paper and paper towels (as seen in the photo above). These are the folks who actually did the calculus on canned goods and frozen fully cooked meals for 14 days. They aren’t nervous because they have provided their household with enough provisions for 2-3 weeks of quarantine. And, if the virus does strike, they take comfort knowing they did what was humanly possible to protect their loved ones, and the rest belongs to Divine authority.

Response #3: Patronize.  Okay.  Alright.  And off I go. These are the people who are too, too intelligent to worry about “The Flu 2.0”. They would never stoop to the level of the common pedestrian-thinker type. Yes! They are ‘woke’. They get it. They send nasty text messages and admonishing emails shaming those poor, pitiful, pathetic ‘preppers‘.

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The Patronizers…

You know what? I’ve met dozens of these types. They send memes making fun of the panicked people. They phone you from an airport terminal bragging that they are the only ones without a face mask and boast how they sat next to a sneezing passenger. They’re loud and proud about owning only 1 extra roll of toilet paper. They call upon their “medical” knowledge (their cousin twice removed was a dentist) and bloviate about their “professional” attitude: Que sera sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be, Ya’ll). They gleefully quote the statistical data for the flu.

So you want to compare the new and novel COVID-19 with the well-known flu, do you? Mother Nature gives the seasonal flu an annual expiration date for the most part. There’s a flu shot readily available at local drugstores and supermarkets for $0-$10 before the flu season begins. This shot provides protection. [At best the vaccination thwarts the virus all together or at least, minimizes the duration.] There’s approved anti-viral meds which can, in some patients, limit the symptoms in full blown cases of influenza.

For the Patronizing People who pity those over-reactive panicked people… then why were you eavesdropping on my private conversation… and then quietly pulled me aside in a whisper to ask if I’ve located a store STILL selling hand-sanitizer?

And then there’s the woman who laughed and announced to the group that she “only had the silly little common cold” and admonished the small-minded souls not to freak out about her constant coughing and hacking. Here’s what I say to that self-actualized ‘realist’ (her words): Whether the etiology is due to a cold, the flu, a respiratory infection, pollen-induced allergies, gagging on a popcorn kernel, or COVID-19….stay at home. No one wants to receive your shower of saliva under any circumstance. It’s just rude. Capish?

 Let me be clear. There’s a small subgroup of people who are quietly calm and do not believe in End-of-World scenarios and do not feel the need to buy 2 weeks worth of shelf-stable milk. But they are not patronizers. 

 COVID-19 may give you a little cough and perhaps a low grade fever. But what about your neighbor who’s currently enduring chemo-therapy… or your friend’s child who suffers from Lupus? Is community spread not a big deal to them?

My personal message to the Patronizing People who are empowered by criticizing and cutting down…. If you come across a worried-sick panic-stricken person, try to offer words of comfort. If you can’t force yourself to be outwardly kind and gentle – Just leave them alone and try to walk away before belittling them. And if you happen upon a prepared person, don’t you dare ask them for a spare can of soup or a bag of rice since you shamed them over the past few weeks with your snarky remarks like, ” Are we prepared YET? Ya think you’ve got enough toilet paper? Do you plan on staying in your home for 5 months so you can outlive the Coronavirus?!!!”

So to the prepared out there reading this post…..Help each other. Extend comfort. Call daily that neighbor who lives alone and shows signs of stress. For those preppers who have enough water bottles to float the ark, be sure to share your food and hygiene supplies when your friend runs out.  This is an opportunity to be the very best human we can be.