Today an acquaintance posted something on social media explaining, yet again, why social distancing...blah blah blah. Gotcha. You know what I'm going to say, anyway.
It's proven, it's scientific, I've already talked about why it is likely really hard for everyone and how we can't get miffy when people talk about it being hard because our entire society is built on social interaction, but this article touched a nerve for me because of it's slightly patronizing and dismissive tone.
You know why this is getting harder and harder for people? Because of the complete disconnect between all this scoldy finger-wagging and the reality of life. Jerks excepted (because there are always going to be jerks) people understand at this point that social distancing is the thing we are doing. The jerks are not reading a shared article online and saying "golly, sounds legit, maybe I shouldn't be a jerk!" because they don't care about the articles. So the articles are preaching to the choir at this stage in the game, not instructing, just preaching. And making people hysterical.
Now the reality of life is that you can't not ever ever connect with people. Can't. You are going to have to be around people. There is going to be some connection, at a store, on a sidewalk, when your window is down in the car and you stop at a red light and another car with their window down pulls beside you. When your cat gets in a fight with another cat and you and your neighbor both go for them at the same time. When you have to call the plumber because you have to call the blessed plumber, darn it. When elderly Mrs. Smith falls and you rush over to help her up. When that appointment can't not happen. A million reasons.
Here's the alternative. No one sees anyone else at all, ever, under any circumstances. No exceptions. Now, that will mean no one works at all, or all workers are quarantined with their co-workers. No one will be allowed to leave their homes at all because property boundaries could lead to people talking over fences or through hedges and that breaks the 'rules'. There can be no travel at all, obviously, no walking dogs, no grocery trips. Whatever food you have, you have. No leaving something on someone's porch, no waving at grandchildren through the window, no exceptions.
Oh, but, that's unreasonable! This person's job is an essential job so they must be allowed to go to work and obviously they can't be forbidden from going home...
I live in an apartment! Where is my dog supposed to go to the bathroom if I can't go outside??
But...I don't have food!! I need to go to the store!!!!
It's a medical emergency! I'm having a baby, someone broke a leg, my medicine is gone and I need more...
A million reasons, a million exceptions. Yes, of course you can go outside. Yes, of course no one is asking you to starve. Yes, go to the hospital with your broken leg or crowning baby, for the love of Pete.
But then, don't hug people, stand apart from people, wash your hands, stop the spread turns again into 'no you cannot visit your friend if you sit on your trunks twelve feet from each other and talk in a parking lot' 'no you cannot talk to your neighbor when you're on separate porches' Danger! Danger!
If it's that dangerous, you say, if I cannot speak to my friend from several yards away because I could inadvertently spread the virus, then wouldn't it also stand to reason that the person who walks past me in the grocery store shouldn't be allowed in the same aisle? Should we even be allowed to go outside at the same time?
No, no, that's too extreme! Be reasonable. Except also be slightly hysterical. Except don't be that because it causes panic. And around we go.
And that's another reason why people are having a hard time.
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