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coronavirus

“Keep Calm and Carry On” won’t carry us through the coronavirus crisis

By David Futrelle

We like to think we can defeat almost any national trauma by remembering to “Keep Calm and Carry On,” as the popular poster declares.

It’s no accident that the poster, originally produced (if not widely deployed) in pre-war Britain in 1939 had a second and much bigger life in the US in the wake of 9/11, when we were routinely exhorted to keep going to restaurants and bars and theaters lest our social cowardice prove that “the terrorists have won.” (And there was some logic to this argument: the point of terrorism is to terrorize, so by resisting our fears and “carrying on” as normally as we could we lessened the impact of the attacks.)

But we now live in a world where this comforting fantasy no longer applies, where the health of our older and immunocompromised citizens depends on us changing our habitual behavior radically. Social Distancing is hard both practically and psychologically, especially in the US, where it challenges Americans raised on an ideology of rugged individualism to adapt a lifestyle that seems decidedly unheroic – and, for those who are young and healthy, to do it for the sake of others rather than for themselves.

So it’s not surprising that there are still people out there who still think the bravest response to the coronavirus is to refuse to change at all. Think of those who filled the bars and restaurants this past weekend – in Chicago there were long lines of St Patrick’s Day revelers outside the bars in Wrigleyville. Think of Devin Nunes, tut-tutting those too “scared” to go out and suggesting that visiting the local pub was the best thing people could do for our economy.

“I’m not afraid to go out and do what I want,” wrote a Twitterer called Lucky Tony.

In my world, it is … a necessity to go out and have a good time at my local bar and not be stuck at home cause of some ‘virus’ that scares you.

Now that bars and restaurants in many locales have been forced to close their doors to customers by decree – in part because of the terrible decisions people like Tony made over the last weekend – there are some calling for some sort of “resistance” to the closures. “It is now evident that this is an orchestrated attempt to destroy CAPITALISM,” tweeted the cowboy-hatted former sherriff and MAGA ideologue David A Clarke Jr.

First sports then schools and finally commercial businesses. Time to RISE UP and push back. Bars and restaurants should defy the order. Let people decide if they want to go out.

Or stay home and get delivery until the crisis passes. Is that really too much to bear?

Going out won’t help us defeat this enemy; it will enable the virus to do more damage. Hitting the bars isn’t an act of courage; it’s an act of selfishness that puts more vulnerable others at risk. Keeping calm is well and good, but carrying on as normal, well, that’s just what the virus wants us to do.

Send tips to dfutrelle at gmail dot com.

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Dreamer
Dreamer
4 years ago

As an introvert, this is probably less difficult for me. I’m calling and texting lots of friends, though. I’m still going to work and cloroxing everything before clients come in. More than half my clients have cancelled. I in no way think it’s brave to go out. I only go to work because I don’t have paid time off. I’m an ESL tutor for business people and their relatives linked to foreign factories here. I’m scared for my sister – a geriatric nurse at a psychiatric hospital. She’s over 60 and has asthma. She says the hardest thing about work is not hugging her patients. She’s a ‘people-person.’

Dreamer
Dreamer
4 years ago

P.S. Best comment I’ve gotten: an elderly neighbor with major health problems. I offered to bring groceries. He said, “I have lots of kids. Do you know what ‘guilt food is?’ Just keep calling because you like to talk to me.” :-/

TiredFeet
TiredFeet
4 years ago

I’ve lost track of how many people I’ve met here (UK) who think that nobody needs to change their behaviour because it’s all “media hype” and “the newspapers spreading panic”. I’m generally the first to acknowledge that British tabloids – and some of the broadsheets – are toxic. But, for crying out loud, people! Multiple countries aren’t damaging their economies by going into complete lockdown because there was a scary headline in The Sun this morning.

Naglfar
Naglfar
4 years ago

I’ve been walking my dog like usual but avoiding people outside to avoid getting sick. So far it seems to be working, as my dog and I have been getting the exercise and I haven’t gotten sick yet. I have been keeping in touch with relatives via phone to make sure they’re safe and share updates on the situation. Hoping everyone else is staying safe.

@TiredFeet
People in America are being bad about this as well. Yes, there is some aspect of media panic about this, but there is a real danger present that needs people to actually take steps to avert it. Both of those statements can be true at the same time.

WMDKitty
WMDKitty
4 years ago

Can someone more socially savvy explain why people are freaking tf out over being asked to engage in “social distancing”?

varalys the dark
4 years ago

I had a “Keep Calm And Carry On” poster on my wall. I took it down after Boris Johnson became PM, because I actually wanna get mad and smash the system instead.

numerobis
numerobis
4 years ago

WMDKitty: I’m pretty damned introverted and I’m finding it annoying to be home alone, not seeing friends or family except virtually.

I can easily understand people taking this hard.

Dreamer
Dreamer
4 years ago

TBH, scared here. My boss is elderly. She just today decided to stop going to the gym. I’ve been living pay check to pay check for years now. My boss used to take me out for dinner maybe once a month. The leftovers – she insisted on over – ordering – would last at least an additional day, sometimes a week. Restaurants are closed now. More than half my clients are cancelling. I’m mentally ill. Finding a good job was rough. I’ve been fired a few times. Ugh. My boss is awesome but can’t cover all of us plebs, lol!

Anonymous
Anonymous
4 years ago

@WMDKitty

Part of it is just being unable to interact with other people as frequently as we normally could, but the big reason for the freakouts seems to be conspiratorial thinking and sheer contrarianism.

Hell, the tweets Dave posted aren’t even the most bizarre ones. Those would be the QAnon madmen claiming it’s really a smokescreen for the Final Blow™ against the deep state, or maybe it’s a depopulation scheme that involves 5G networks and a drug supposedly made from human brain stems (it’s not, obviously) that doesn’t actually have any known effects in humans.

I could express the hope that the reality of the pandemic snaps those people out of their delusions, but I get the feeling only a literal miracle would do that. Or get Bernie nominated, the gap between him and Joe keeps growing and I doubt he’ll live long enough for another go in 2024.

Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
Surplus to Requirements, Observer of the Vast Blight-Wing Enstupidation
4 years ago

Or stay home and get delivery until the crisis passes. Is that really too much to bear?

In my case it is; a fast food meal around here typically costs $10ish, whereas a delivered meal typically is over $20. So it would be suddenly twice as expensive to eat “out”.

So I guess I’m going to be eating exclusively home-cooked for a while …

Kevin
Kevin
4 years ago

Now the weather’s cleared for a bit, I can probably use a few of my medication ‘on’ periods to get some free Vit-D by cutting back some of the incipient jungle my garden’s turning into.

Venturing even as far as the corner shop is kind of awkward for me, (thanks Parkinson’s) and keeping my scarf round my face as a mask is a bit of a challenge, any tips on the latter bit with the scarf? Publicly going full – gasmask (I use one when chopping onions, it works, honest) would put the wind up people.

weirwoodtreehugger: chief manatee

I’ve got a sore throat the past couple of days.

Probably just a cold, but, I’m going to try to not go out.

I’m finally able to work from home, but the program that allows me to make and take calls isn’t working. So I did reports and emails all day today. Fine with me, but I’m sure my work isn’t loving it. I have a ticket with IT, but they’re in the Philippines and are short staffed because of coronavirus, so who knows how long it will take to be fixed?

Anyway, I probably, hopefully just have a cold, but I’m not going to go to work with any kind of symptoms right now, so…

They better hope IT finally gets back to me today.

GAZZA
GAZZA
4 years ago

Western Australia has decided to suspend utility bills (gas, water, electricity) for the foreseeable future, our grocery stores are opening early only for the elderly and high risk… basically, despite our conservative dickhead of a PM, it could be worse.

Stay safe everyone. I know that’s damn hard for some of you, and utterly beyond your control. Best wishes.

WMDKitty
WMDKitty
4 years ago

Huh. I’m just more comfortable behind a screen and keyboard, and find in-person socializing to be exhausting.

Guess I’m just weird.

BradMoonRising
BradMoonRising
4 years ago

The hardest part for me is not being able to go to the gym. Exercise is therapy for me — my depression and anxiety really start to take over if I don’t work out at least three times per week. Luckily, there’s outdoor training equipment at the park nearby. There’s usually other people there with the same idea as me. I’m a little nervous about that, to be honest. On the other hand, I live in Stockholm, and social distancing is sort of the default setting for Swedish people.

Jarnsaxa
Jarnsaxa
4 years ago

I’m a depressive extrovert and I was already feeling very low before this crisis started, having just gotten dumped.

I’m staying inside and not leaving unless I truly have to, but it is not fun. I’m lucky I don’t have a job right now, I guess. But I would rather have a job.

Johanna
Johanna
4 years ago

@WMDKitty I’m also introverted and love not having to talk to people. However, the social distancing thing is still hard for me. I am very much reliant on my routine to function (tons of anxiety+agoraphobia which will make going outside again after the lockdown is over a nightmare), and now I’m working from home, my ballet classes are cancelled, and my piano lessons probably will be soon (I’m leaving it up to my teacher to cancel whenever he wants to). I’m losing the little social context I had, which is really difficult. I need the structure to function properly.

Temascos
Temascos
4 years ago

I’m more introverted than most in my family, but I enjoyed going out and enjoying my life and even that has been put on hold. My health is relatively okay but I’m not taking any chances and thankfully I can work from home.

Problem is I live with my brother in a small flat, and he has to travel to work still, and he’s asthmatic which places him at greater risk than me. The only interaction I will be reasonably having over the coming weeks and months will be over the phone and internet, I just hope it carries me through and no one I know gets sick.

And of course, more widespread testing would be reassuring, so even if people only had mild symptoms at least we’d get more of an idea of how they have survived the virus, as the not knowing scares me.

Good luck to all the staff on the frontlines facing this thing, and to the scientists working day and night to crack this bastard.

For those of you that are able, Folding@Home is using distributed computing to help understand how the virus works and anyone can share their comp power to help run it. It’s not going to be the cure but knowing how it works will be a vital part of the battle.

Good luck to all, stay safe, stay healthy.

Ohlmann
Ohlmann
4 years ago

@WMDKitty : for me, the shutdown of all my pastimes at once mean being bored out of my mind (and I hate people mind you, it’s just that I do most of thoses activity outside my home). “Social distancing” often mean “being very bored”, especially for thoses who decided to buy a small-ish appartment and rely on communal infrastructure for amusement.

Ucalegont
Ucalegont
4 years ago

It’s not a matter of being scared of the virus. It’s just that, if everybody goes out as usual, hospitals will get collapsed and when there is shortage of beds the most vulnerable will be sent home. Staying at home is an act of basic human consideration for them.

I admire the people who have chosen to stay at home in areas where there is no decree limiting movements.

Me I’m using the lockdown to quit smoking. It’s almost three days now and I think the worst terrors are over already.

Tons of strength for those who are suffering. You’re great and you’ll get over this.

Samantha Ravensdaughter
Samantha Ravensdaughter
4 years ago

It is hard to do the social distancing thing for many. After all, we are social creatures. All of my four kids, their spouses and their kids live with a few miles of my husband and me. Yet, we cannot see them or touch them. It makes us all very sad and fearful for each other’s well-being.

But my mate, kids, grandkids and I have decided to use this time to be creative, catch up on reading, have long phone conversations and try to get in touch with our deeper selves. One of my neighbors walked around our neighborhood yesterday with a large carton of antiseptic wipes, knocking on doors and having us reach into the carton for a large container of them. His kind action caused mate and I to start thinking about what we can do to help our neighbors while remaining safe ourselves.

Maybe we should use our concerns and this time to get inwardly quiet, meditate, paint a picture, write a song…anything that reminds us that we are alive. And there are ways to safely connect with those around us and help those who need it. In times like this I think it helps to remember that we are human and not as alone as some of us may fear.

Be well and be safe, everyone.

Moggie
Moggie
4 years ago

Here’s a twitter thread from someone infected. He’s on oxygen, and can barely move around. What he doesn’t say in that thread is that he may find he has permanent lung damage.

It’s unfortunate that people are thinking of this virus as being like flu. I guess we’ve all had the flu: a few days of self-pity and then you’re on your feet again. This is different.

Cindy
Cindy
4 years ago

Yeah. Sucks to live in a world not made for you, doesn’t it allistics?

sunnysombrera
4 years ago

My current lifestyle is pretty low risk since all I really do is go to work, where I’m alone in my own office, then come home and interact with housemates. I don’t really mingle with crowds or packed public transport as it is. My main concern with this virus is that it comes right as I’m looking for new work, since my current job ends this Friday. I had an interview on Thursday that I’m waiting on results for, hopefully I got it but it’s based in London and they’re probably trying to figure out how they will manage this crisis before they decide who the new staff will be.

Victorious Parasol
Victorious Parasol
4 years ago

I’m grateful that both Mr. Parasol and I telecommute, and that the cats are all healthy. We’ve got a decent amount of supplies laid in, including media to keep ourselves distracted.

Still very worried about how long this will go on and what will happen.

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