Stressfull situations always bring out the best and the worst in people. Not only do heroes rise to the occassion, cowards, conartists and idiots show their true nature aswell. The pandemic coronavirus SARS CoV-2 outbreak that causes the disease Covid19 is such a stressfull situation. And the internet is filled with videos of people showing their human nature. Unfortunately the amount of heroes in this is limited.
This may be harsh and my view on this may be skewed. But the real heroes during this pandemic do their work basically unseen and uncredited.
It isnt just the Medical professionals and first responders. With the measures most governments have taken, there still are many people working, to make sure others have the supplies they need and the additional care they need, in order to keep people save.
Amongst the essential jobs there are those in foodprocessing, supermarkets and groceries, pharmacies, transportation and distribution, daycare, veteranarians and even in the zoos, keeping the animals save and well. The list goes on and on. The people in these jobs make it possible for others to adhere to counter measures taken, to get through this global crisis as good and as save as possible. These people however are taken for granted, when they definitely do deserve credit for their work.
Unfortunately, besides these unsung heroes there are many people who are taking advantage of the situation to enrich themselves, who overly protect themselves and who hurt others in the process and ofcourse there are the blantant idiots whose behaviour is damaging the governments efforts to end this pandemic as soon as possible.
People are idiots
I've said it before and I'll say it again. "Whenever you can ask yourself 'are people really this stupid?', the answer is always 'yes!'."
I am ofcourse referring to the many videos online of people who, amidst the pandemic lick toiletseats in public restrooms, who lick handrails in public transportation, who lick items on the shelfs in grocery stores and ofcourse I am referring to the people, who totally ignore the counter measures put in place and instead of staying at home and performing social distancing, form crowds and go to the beach or even organize "corona parties" wilfully spreading this virus.
George Carlin once said "Don't underestimate the power of supidity of people in large groups." This pandemic is an excellent showcase of how correct George Carlin was. Unfortunately dealing with the uncurable stupid, isn't the only challenge. People can be even worse than that.
People are selfish and anti-social
I'm a firm believer that our 'drive to survive' fuels our actions. As the virus started to spread to different countries, one excellent example of this selfish and anti-social behaviour became apparent. Hoarding. And for some stupid reaon people started hoaring toilet papier during a looming pandemic of a respiratory disease. Which makes no sense. Unless you're breathing through your behind.
With hoarding you are depriving others from goods they might need. Even in situations like these, hoarding is a bad idea. Especially with perishable goods. When you over buy goods, then others can use them. And when they do perish, you can't use them either. This is an absolute waste of resources. In times like these we need to work together to make sure we all do our part in society, so we all get through this.
Even when you could make some excuses with regards to hoarding, some behaviour is inexcusable. And that is when people hoard products, inflating the value of those products and then sell them in order to make a profit. This doesnt just happen with regular products you buy at the grocery store.
Just look at several US Senators, who were briefed on the virus outbreak and then started selling off their stock immediately after the meeting, collecting millions of dollars. Then they proceded reassuring people that everything is fine, whilst the stockmarkets plummeted. This kind of profiting isn't just anti-social. It's criminal.
I'm not just talking about selling of the stock via insider trading, but also the inflating the value of products and then selling them for a profit. It gets even worse. Opportunity doesnt just make the thief. The frauds and con-artists come out to play aswell.
Dangerously high levels of opportunism
Opportunism comes in several levels. From hoarding, to inflating value, to selling of worthless crap as a cure for Covid19, against enormously high prices. With perhaps even the ultimate price to pay in the end. I am ofcourse talking about the snake oil salesmen who sells bottles of colloidal silver as a miracle cure. Which it is not! It hasnt been registered as medication since 1975 and even when it is used in the Medical professions it is NEVER used internally.
There has been a lot of fake news with regards to the corona virus and possible cures for it. Radio host Alex Jones even claimed a toothpaste he marketed would kill the virus. There have been multiple cases of people trying to con people in to buying products as a cure for the corona virus. Please think carefully about this and only use verified and certified medication when you are sick. Don't fall for smooth talking con-artists trying to sell you something.
Please stay save!
As a final thought, I would like to urge everone to please stay safe. Practice social distancing, wash your hands regularly, only go out when necessary, don't go out at all if you have symptoms of the flu or the coronavirus and even when I'm not a medical profesional giving you this advice, only take advice from medical professionals and the department of health from your countries government.
Find the government website and keep yourself updated on which Covid19 countermeasures are in effect and abide to those.
Take care of yourself and others when you can. Stay save. Stay at home!
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