Bullshit

Bullshit is damaging because it warps our perspective, oftentimes without us even realizing it. Take the whole ‘it’s less dangerous than the flu’ trope. The idea that this novel coronavirus is less dangerous than the flu, and thus undeserving of our fear, is pretty pervasive in the USA. This is because there has been a concerted campaign of BS, from social media all the way to the CDC, to brush off the threat that this virus poses to our society.

The truth is that this virus is a lot more dangerous than the flu. I don’t want to throw ever-changing numbers around, but it has an overall death rate that seems to hover between 1 and 5 percent depending on where you are and who you talk to; if you are over 80, the chance of death jumps to over 14% (so far — we will likely see all these numbers change). That’s not a garden variety flu. It’s not apocalyptic, but it’s unusually high and thus particularly dangerous.

I don’t know why everyone is still saying this is no worse than the flu. Perhaps it is because our dear leader Trump wishes to cover his lack-luster response to the outbreak (denial, denial, denial) or perhaps it is because our country values the economy a lot more than it does the many thousands of people that could die.

Either way, the American government and the American people are drowning themselves with a barrage of lies and self-deception.

Denial

Denial is astonishingly powerful. Of the people telling me it is nothing to worry about, about half of them have started stockpiling food, hand sanitizer, and masks (or have asked me where to find them). Funny, right? A couple of them are so wealthy (Bay Area folks) that they probably believe viruses only kill peasants, so they just ignore reality and keep brashly making fun of people who are scared. The third group isn’t wealthy, but likes to treat to our idiot-in-chief’s verbal diarrhea as gospel and thus also just make fun of people who are worried. These people can be seen in your local big-box stores and chain restaurants, coughing on everyone and giving them the stinkeye if people go out of their way to avoid them.

These are all very counter-productive and, if you ask me, uncool attitudes to have about this virus. In addition to be being dangerous I believe they are simply different expressions of a fundamental cognitive defense mechanism, that of denial.

The default American response to this pandemic has been denial. If we don’t think about it, it can’t hurt us. It’s only as dangerous as we think it is, so if we laugh it off we will probably be fine.

The following denial-based attitudes towards the virus each have their own negative qualities, so let’s go through them.

Panicking Naysayers: Apparently, this is a bit too much to handle. Understandable. They heard about COVID-19 and freaked out and now lie to themselves that it probably will have no effect on them. Their terrified inner voice, however, still tells them to prepare for the worst. I understand their fear and desire to deny the facts, but ultimately they harm others by telling them that this whole thing is ‘not a big deal’ or ‘not even as bad as the flu’, thus discouraging others from making steps to protect themselves. Hubristic Plutocrats: They are often, but not always, boomers. They come from all political walks of life but have one thing, money, in common. They have grown up thinking they are living gods because of their big wallets and good luck and so, even when faced with a virus that is much more dangerous for their age group and above, still laugh in its face. People I know who fit into this category are still flying on planes while sick without wearing a mask, insisting on shaking hands, and making fun of people who wear masks or wash their hands a lot. Their attitude is dangerous. Bullying people who are trying to protect themselves encourages the exact wrong kind of behavior. Macho Jerks: The virus is from China. China bad, USA good. Trump says the virus is a lie, or at least he did once. We are men, men don’t get sick. Even though I’m coughing and have a fever, I’m going to go hang out in public and ridicule anyone who avoids me, even going as far as trying to get close to them to make them feel uncomfortable. These dumb sensitive liberals are freaking out over nothing and their commie leaders are just trying to rig the election, again. Oh yeah, these guys exist. Not even worth covering in this article, but they are a public menace. Bullies like this are happy to put other people at risk because they have internalized a macho ideology fed to them by the people in charge.

Let’s try not to be any of these people and approach the situation with grace, humility, and compassion.

The Facts

We need facts. We need to know what is going on. All this bullshit flying around clouds our vision and hides the truth from us. It is important to acknowledge a few truths about this virus:

It has a high death toll. This is relative to other human coronaviruses and influenza, of course, and this virus should not be compared to nasties like Ebola or rabies. It is very infectious through air, surfaces, and possibly feces. This sets it apart from other, more lethal viruses and will allow it to reach many more people. It is new. It is unknown if long-lasting immunity after infection is possible. There is a ton we don’t know about the virus. It has spread across our nation. The fact that people in so many states have cases with no clear cause implies that there are hundreds or thousands more infected, most of them likely feeling nothing more than mild cold or flu symptoms. This means they will spread it to vulnerable populations a lot more easily and the chance of containing the outbreak has pretty much become zero. Thousands will die, maybe more. A virus this infectious will reach hundreds of thousands, likely millions, of people. Even if it has a total death rate of just 2%, that is still tens to hundreds of thousands of people.

What can we do?

I guess we could panic. Plenty of people are already doing that. Probably a bit more constructive, however, is to take preventative action. Prepare. Even if you are young and healthy, preparation is important so that you can avoid infecting the old and those vulnerable to severe complications.

Have a 2 week supply of food, medication, and toiletries. If you are infected, whether you are old or young, chances are good that you will never need to set foot in a hospital. If your symptoms are mild, you will need to stay at home for a minimum of two weeks to avoid infecting others. You will want to be comfortable, well-fed, and medicated during this time so that you can avoid needing to go shopping, to protect yourself and others. Stop shaking hands. I know that it is considered polite. I don’t consider it polite anymore, just ignorant. Nod your head, wave, bow, give them the thumbs up (or flip them the bird, depending on the occasion); just DO NOT make physical contact. If they insist, tell them that you have stopped shaking hands with everyone on matter of principle due to the coronavirus, or, if they are a bully or you are shy, you having the a minor cold. A little white lie might make them think more about the consequences of their actions in terms of epidemiology. Use hand sanitizer, wash your hands, and wear a mask when needed. Diseases like influenza and COVID-19 are often transmitted by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the face. Frequent hand washing and, if you can’t wash your hands, use of an alcohol-based hand sanitizer will break the chain of transmission. I don’t care what the currently neutered CDC says, wearing a mask properly will protect you from airborne droplets. The entire world agrees with this, with the exception of the culturally Western countries. There is a reason doctors wear masks when dealing with patients with respiratory diseases. If you are in a crowded public place, you can wear a mask. Nobody can stop you. Clean commonly touched surfaces. My wife and I keep a spray bottle with 70% alcohol in our car and on our desk. Because we have frequent guests, we spray down doorknobs, railings, and lightswitches after guests come. We also use alcohol on our car door handles and steering wheel if we need to go shopping.

Be careful out there, and don’t freak yourself out too much! A little bit of preparation will go a long way in helping settle your anxieties.