Quote:
Originally Posted by Star Ferry
Personally I'd return to normal as soon as things open. I was in a movie theater on 3/14, crowded restaurant 3/15, airport 3/17 -- and then sick a few days later. There's a risk, and I paid a price. But when I get a chance to go out again, I'll take it. I would go to an NBA game next week if they were still playing. Lots of people, mostly younger, would probably join me.
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I admire your determined attitude and am thankful you have recovered. But while you took a risk and paid a price, you did not do so in isolation (either metaphorically or in real practice). It worked out for you, but what about the inadvertent person who was undergoing chemo who sat adjacent to you at the theater, or the pregnant waitress who served you at a resteraunt, or the diabetic TSA agent who screened you at the airport.
You were willing to take an educated risk, but their outcome was imposed upon them by your actions. I am not suggesting it was deliberate but when outcomes are life and death does intent matter?
For better or worse our pre-pandemic society placed personal gratification and entitlement ahead of everything. In our current pandemic world a persistent narrative of the "overwhelming hardships" suffered by those who feel least vulnerable to illness, and their willingness to ignore the most informed scientific and medical advice that will protect those most vulnerable, appears to suggest that the "me first" mind set hasn't changed.
I recall a study I read back in college. People were surveyed as to whether they would press a theoretical button in which an unnamed and tbd acquaintance would die assuming they would receive a million dollars for doing so. Less than 1% said they would press the button. When "acquaintance" was substituted with "stranger in a far away place" almost 50% said they would press the button.
The response by many to the pandemic suggests they view those most likely to die from this illness as faceless people in far away places, while for many of us they are friends and family members.
Not suggesting you personally feel this way but extrapolating beyond your post....