Why must we always jump to an extreme position? And why do we then assume that anyone who disagrees is the other extreme?
Little by little the news of Covid-19 hits closer and closer to home. First it was spreading quickly but not here. Then there were rumors, then reports of infections, and now infections and one fatality. The news does what the news always does- it creates headlines that we can’t look away from. Sometimes it’s overwhelming, but it is our job to strip away the sensationalism and find the real, factual report. In doing so it seems like everywhere we look we see either a looming apocalypse or “nothing to see here.” People are either waiting in lines at warehouse stores for all their last minute prepping needs or they are rolling their eyes. And this is to say nothing of the conspiracy theories that spin off.
People are free to respond however they want, but if it’s not posted on social media, does it really happen? Everyone feels the need to offer advice to each other, to tell people how they are supposed to feel, to free as many people as possible from the fake news that they’ve fallen for. So the preppers prep and continue to report the ever tightening reports of infections and fatalities. And the “nothing to see here’s” make sure to tell everyone that they are over reacting and that the flu is much worse insert up to date flu fatalities vs Covid-19 fatalities information here.
But isn’t the flu only much worse because it’s much more widespread? According to reports as of the date of this publishing, the mortality rate is much higher for Covid-19 than it is for the influenza. If Covid-19 becomes as widespread as the flu, it would mean many more global deaths, therein lies the concern.
Why have we lost the ability to have measured, nuanced conversations? It seems reasonable to warn people about the risks of this new and spreading virus, to warn people about why the higher mortality rate is so concerning, but at the same time not trigger a mass panic due to exaggerated discourse.
And why do I feel like this is my response to pretty much every single news story? Both can be true, if they would just dial down the rhetoric a little bit.
But what a post be without some unsolicited advice? It’s a lot more fun to follow the news and replace “Covid-19” with “zombie virus” and imagine yourself as the main character in a Walking Dead spin off, sitting in the US watching the reports get closer and closer.
