Global Pandemic of Fear

March 2023: 

 I remember right around St. Patrick’s Day, 2020, when my supervisor at my job told me that they were cancelling “March Madness” (the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament). That's when I realized that fear had reached pandemic levels. I didn’t realize how extreme it would get or how long it would last. I also didn’t realize that I was entering into the most prolonged period of helpless frustration I’ve ever experienced.  Some of these feelings were expressed in blogs at that time: 
• a-story-for-our-times.html 
​• why-not-fear.html
​• no-longer-land-of-the-free-or-home-of-the-brave.html
​• with-cures-like-this-who-needs-a-disease.html
• rock-n-roll-rebels-no-more.html

 What follows are the thoughts of an exasperated man as they happened. I had to write down my thoughts, but wasn’t sure if I’d ever put them out there for anyone else to read. I often questioned if I should, because there's a pretty good chance that they’ll offend some (many?) people. Ultimately, I’ve decided that it’s important to remember just how crazy the world went.
 
If you are someone who found yourself caught up in the panic of those days, proceed with caution. Remember that not everyone saw things from your point of view. I apologize for the sarcasm and snarkiness of some of this, but again: it’s a record of my thoughts and feelings at the time. 

I give you the Global Pandemic of Fear: 

I write this on April 5th, 2020, in the midst of the World Shutdown. I was shocked when it started happening. It was a case study in group behavior. People started getting worried about the spread of Covid-19, and when the cancellations started, they snowballed. It was probably the biggest example of “jumping on the bandwagon” in history.  

 An unprecedented wave of fear--fueled by international media—swept over the entire planet. Concern over a mysterious virus is understandable, but the irrationality of some of the responses is breathtaking (no Covid-19 pun intended). 

I’ve been frustrated to no end at some of what I’ve observed. Here’s a list for posterity’s sake: 

 • A friend of mine, who lives in India, was taking a group of kids from the children’s home she founded (yes, she’s like Mother Theresa) to the beach, knowing a government-mandated lockdown was coming. As a white person, the authorities suspected she might have The Virus (she was, after all, in America three months earlier). They made her wear a mask. They didn’t bother to check anyone else she was with, but they forbade any of the kids from swimming in the ocean. Why? They might be carriers, and it would get in the ocean and infect old people. 

 • The governor of my state suggested letting non-violent offenders out of jail, because they’re too close to each other in jail, and would apparently be safer out and about in the community. [States like New York and California DID do this, and were shocked when some of them re-offended. That’s gratitude for ya!] 

 • Speaking of jail, I have a friend in Federal Prison. We frequently write each other. He told me, “They may put us on lockdown.” ……………….? Update: as of late September, 2022, they’re STILL under “modified operations,” even though (anecdotally) basically everyone’s had it at least once.  

 • Just the other day, a woman came into a gas station in town. She apparently said, “I tested positive.” She didn’t say for what, but staff assumed it was The Virus. She left the store, and employees promptly locked it and called the police. The store remained closed for the day as it was thoroughly sanitized and new staff was brought in.  

 • Around the first of April, a church leadership camp my son was planning to attend (in mid-July) cancelled. [They cancelled it in 2021, as well.] 

 • On April 2nd, the city of Minneapolis courageously announced that all beaches and swimming pools would remain closed for the entire summer.  

 • On April 4th, it was announced that North Dakota Legion baseball cancelled their entire season. Who even goes to those?! It seems to me that a Legion baseball game might be one of the safer places you can go. 

 • A co-worker of mine was telling of a relative of hers who had The Virus. Another co-worker immediately asked, “Did he die?” She replied that no, he had mild symptoms.  

 • People are afraid to go to stores to get groceries because it’s “too dangerous.” NOTE: These are people who are young and healthy. 

 • Many people venturing out to Walmart in my town (despite the fact that there were a total of zero cases reported in my county), were wearing masks, latex gloves, and even goggles. Again, I’m guessing most of these people were not considered at risk. 

 • A relative of ours wanted to visit with us. She lives in the Twin Cities and wanted to respect social distancing, so we met at a state park. We probably rarely came within 6’ of each other, but she took a picture of my family at the trailhead with our arms around each other. She posted it on Facebook. One person commented that we need to stay 6’ apart from each other. Another scolded that she should’ve stayed home (this occurred before the “Shelter in Place” order). 

 • Despite the fact that government officials have stated that the purpose of “social distancing” and “shelter in place” orders are to slow the spread to prevent a spike in hospitalizations and thus the overwhelming of the medical system, most people seem to think we must hide until every last case disappears from the planet. 

 • Again, despite the fact that at least 99% of people who contract The Virus fully recover (and in fact around 90% of those most at-risk also survive), a very sizable portion of the populace (57% of millennials, according to one survey) think if you get it, you’re probably gonna die (see above question from my co-worker). 

 Update: May 13 

 • Minnesota, currently nearing the end of its SEVENTH week of shelter-in-place, allows people to go fishing, but the governor warned before the fishing opener that you should only go where you can get there and back on one tank of gas. Apparently, if you fish so far away that it takes more than a tank, people will die. 

 • Michigan may well win the award for most government-mandated stupidity. The cases are too numerous to mention, but they famously wouldn’t allow sales of such dangerous items as garden seeds and American flags. If you own two homes in Michigan, you must stay in one or the other. You can’t go to the other one, because apparently people will die. Want to go out on the water? Canoes, sailboats, and rowboats are fine, but if the boat has a motor, you can’t. I’m sure that decision, like all other government decisions, is based squarely on “science.” <eye roll> [I recently read (2023) where the governor of Michigan admitted that maybe some of the actions taken were a bit much.] 

 Update: October 2020 

 Even when I wrote that last part almost five months ago, I never would’ve anticipated that we’d be where we are today. In my county of 30,000 + I think the death toll is two, yet the fear remains strong among a significant portion of the population.  

 There have been so many instances of stupidity that I’ve actually forgotten a lot of them. But there have been so many that I still can list plenty. 

 As spring turned to summer, it appeared that the worst was behind us, until…the national news media breathlessly reported an ominous spike in cases across many of the Sunbelt states. Fear ratcheted up again, and now masks (which, prior to 2020 were said to be ineffective at protecting from respiratory viruses) became all the rage.  

 • My wife and I took a “risky” trip to Florida while the peak was supposedly raging (The Peak actually occurred two or three weeks before we got there). It was early August in the Florida Keys, and masks were everywhere. One day we went to Key West, which had a city ordinance requiring mask wearing at ALL times once one left their home or car. It was so comforting to know that guy riding his bike by himself in 93-degree weather was protecting me from Covid-19 by wearing a mask. Science! 

 • Earlier on that trip, we flew into the Fort Lauderdale airport. I saw a young lady around the age of twenty wearing two face masks, a face shield, and latex gloves. She appeared to be in excellent health, and it was really sad to see this girl so bound in fear. The same scenario was replayed on our way home, when we saw a similar young lady with the same get-up (minus the gloves). 

 • A couple of weeks later, we took another trip—a three-day camping excursion—here in Minnesota. The first two nights we stayed in a state park, where it generally was business as usual. The third night, however, we stayed in a campground that had closed its restrooms because of the virus. So now everyone staying in its thirty campsites had to share two pit toilets. Science! Additionally, these outhouses were devoid of sanitizer due to…you know what. Don’t question the wisdom of the government.  

 • Every single structure with a roof and walls was posted with a notice that masks must be worn in public buildings. That includes outhouses. And sure enough, in one campground, I observed a woman exiting the pit toilet wearing her mask. I wonder if it helped with the smell… 

 • And of course, through all of this, I’ve seen numerous people alone in their cars wearing masks, outside with no one near them wearing their masks, etc., etc. 

 • Now that it’s school season, we’ve seen teachers protesting that schools shouldn’t open. Covid-19 kills about 1/10th as many school-aged kids as influenza, but it’s dangerous, and we must protect them! I saw a photo from the first day of school in a Minneapolis suburb. Lower elementary-aged kids were standing on a sidewalk outside, wearing masks and holding swimming noodles out to keep their distance from each other. This will either be the most paranoid, germaphobic generation in history, or the opposite, rebelling against the stupidity they endured at the hands of “adults.” 

 • Some school bands are using various methods to make it “safe” for their kids to play, involving various covers for bells (where the air comes out), etc. My favorite is FACE MASKS WITH SLITS so their instruments can reach their mouths. [I later saw photos of students from a local college performing wearing NOSE MASKS.] 

 • The office of the governor of California tweeted that diners at restaurants need to keep their masks “on in between bites.”  

 Update: February, 2021 

 Here we are, eleven months in, and the stupidity has yet to abate. The big wave of Covid finally did reach my area, with cases spiking around Thanksgiving. Hospitals around here were stressed and at or near capacity. After six months of fear, shutdowns, and mandates, it actually hit.  

Interesting that so many people got it, what with a mask mandate in place since July, and continued restrictions everywhere you turned. When the weather became cold, people were forced inside, and it still spread.  

 By now, the wave has long since receded, thank God. I know a ton of people who’ve had it. I know one person who died (an 88-year-old man with cancer), and two who were hospitalized (a woman in her 80s, and another in her 70s). Some have been hit hard, and were miserable for days. Most had only a stuffy nose or scratchy throat for a couple days. Some had even fewer symptoms.  

Obviously, nobody wants it, and it’s admittedly weird and, in rare cases, dangerous. But with all the restrictions, it still spread. There are numerous charts showing cases all over the world. Regardless of restrictions and precautions, it spreads. Countries that have done little in the way of restrictions (i.e. Sweden) actually have fared better than some others that have taken harsh measures. The same goes for states. So, it’s understandable when some people get frustrated with these restrictions.  

 Children have been devastated, not by the virus, but by stupid adults. Academically, things are a mess, and mental health issues have gone through the roof. How many more kids have killed themselves than have died of Corona? I don’t know, but I'm pretty sure that number is higher. 

 And yet, power-hungry fascists persist in ruining kids to “keep Grandma safe” (even though Grandma still probably got it, sitting alone in the nursing home). 

 In my home state of Minnesota, they finally decided to let youth sports resume, but you guessed it: they have to wear masks. Actually, swimmers and wrestlers don’t. But wrestlers can’t shake hands after the match. Makes perfect sense. Oh, and hockey players have forgone the tradition of shaking hands after games. In fact, they can’t even go through a line and bump their gloves. Well, of course! [Around that time I followed a site that detailed emergency medical cases of children who suffered adverse effects because of wearing masks while exercising strenuously.] 

 Professional athletes don’t have to wear masks in Minnesota, however. Naturally, Covid doesn’t spread between professional athletes like it does between kids. I’m sure this is all supported by TONS of DATA and SCIENCE.  

 Our local school has just now decided to let elementary and middle schoolers attend in person every day (with masks, naturally). At the high school, ninth graders are about to start attending every day because it’s safe, but 10th-12th grade are still “hybrid” because 10th-12th graders are obviously NOT safe. The teachers have to wear masks AND face shields. So, now when a kid claims they didn’t hear the teacher tell them something, they’re actually telling the truth! 

 My wife and kids went downhill skiing at our local ski hill. Of course, you have to wear masks, which makes sense when it’s cold. But you can’t go in the lodge to get your gear (for renters). So now they have a tent set up outside. 

April 7, 2021 

 My family and I got Covid in March of 2021. I felt really lousy for about a day and a half, and I had it worse than the others. Just thought I should add that we had it. Turns out 2021 was far deadlier than 2020.

September 2022 

 The major news outlets won’t report this, but most cases, hospitalizations and deaths from Covid are now among fully vaccinated people. But every time I listen to Spotify, I get an ad that says they’re still the best defense. Misinformation, indeed. 

 My friend in prison informed me about two weeks that they’re finally lifting restrictions (except requiring inmates to still wear masks). These masks failed to prevent at least two major waves of Covid from sweeping through the prison. Most inmates have been infected. 

 Another friend informed me that he’s observed multiple people driving convertibles by themselves with the top down, and wearing masks. 

 March 2023 

Well, there you have it. I actually edited out some of my more over-the-top statements. It’s my hope and prayer that, regardless of what the future holds, humanity never again falls into the clutches of irrational fear (and the consequences thereof) again.