Not only is the world living in the midst of a biological viral pandemic, but also in the midst of a cyber viral pandemic. If you’ve ever wanted to star in your own episode of Black Mirror, congratulations! Here we all are.
It’s sort of amusing to read people tweeting that the rest of us need to stop tweeting about the coronavirus so much. I mean, if you’re on Twitter, you’re already inside the bubble. The fact that you don’t appreciate learning updates about the virus is on you. If you truly want to stay oblivious to it, log off all social media.
Do these folks have a point, though? Only to a certain extent. We live in an age of faster than minute-by-minute updates, so that we’ll always know how many people have died up to the minute, and how many states now have the coronavirus (40 at last count), etc. The problem is not the information, though. The problem is with how Americans choose to react to it. And that’s entirely up to you.
As a healthy (last time I checked) male in his early 50s, I have no fear of the coronavirus. Of catching it? Perhaps. But no fear that I’ll die of it. And I imagine most of you reading this feel the same way. It’s a nuisance more than anything else. But I have the luxury of being under 70 years old and not having any serious health ailments. Many people do not.
The stock market plunge is multi-phased: 1) Hysteria and panic but also 2) Realistic understanding that the virus is going to create no economic growth this entire year coupled with the fact that the market was already at an all-time high. Deal with it.
And it’s not as if you can’t make money in the market. Inovio Pharmaceuticals (INO), which we’ve written about before, finished up the day 48% higher. That’s pretty good, you know?
As for the sports arena closings, what have you, it seems like the prudent thing to do. Pay now or pay later. I’d rather pay now. And my bet is that the people who are complaining that all of this is an overreaction would be the same folks who’d ask after the fact how come nobody tried to warn them. We’ve all seen disaster films before. There’s always that rube, often played by Ernest Borgnine, who bitches that Chicken Little thinks the sky is falling but then when the sky actually does fall, he’s also the first to complain that no one alerted him to the danger.
The coronavirus is going to dominate March. The more we do to combat it this month, the less we’ll have to worry about next month. Whereas if we continue on the path the Oval Office would have us follow, we’d just be kicking the can down the road. This president does not have a good track record in life of facing obstacles head on. His M.O. is to pretend the obstacle does not exist, then to blame others on the existence of said obstacle, and then finally when all is lost to declare bankruptcy or file for divorce. At this very moment he’s probably asking Dr. Fauci to sign an NDA.
Keep calm. Carry on. Wash your hands. And listen to the doctors. They know what’s up.
If there was ever a time to move away from social media, now seems appropriate. Everyone is certainly free to their opinion, but this is a case of if you’re not a doctor and/or expert in this field, perhaps sticking to sports is just the right thing to do (applied to whatever profession you are in).
I’ve found social media too unbearable at the moment. In the meantime, I’ve resorted to the nicer Midwest weather, less congested highway (yeah, remote work!) and following the trusted CDC in all updates on the coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
All of this is very much interesting to see unfold. People stealing gloves, face masks and hand sanitizer from doctor offices to stores completely selling out of disinfectant wipes. My question is: What are people disinfecting now that they weren’t regularly doing so before?
Maybe you’re right, Jacob, but the exact opposite will happen. People with less to do and more time forced in isolation will spend more time than ever on the internet. You could always pick up a book, though.
I’ve stopped recommending book reading to other people. It’s like telling someone to eat vegetables. Depending on prior exposure, it may be uncomfortable for you, but you’ll thank me 20 years from now for telling you this.
But, if people are inclined, I’d recommend Dreamland by Sam Quinones. It’s a compilation of stories from an American reporter with deep knowledge into the drug trade that stems from a small state in Western Mexico, Nayarit. Pretty riveting stuff. Then again, if you’re looking to get away from hearing about greed overtaking sanity, this story won’t help you.
Another recommendation would be a reread of Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin, but I may have just discovered why I’m depressed all the time, which brings us back to the nice weather: BRING OUT THE BICYCLE, BABY.