What is it about toilet paper that people hoard it in 'lockdown' here? If not inspiring pick a place and find some other 'must have' to clutter up the place. -- KnitNan
Today's unit in Terran History is the Covid-19 Pandemic. An analysis of incompetence. Yes, yes, some of you are from the polities identified here and are taking offense. The point remains that mistakes were made and some of them were on purpose. People died. We are here to analyse the psychology of late-stage capitalism so that it hopefully doesn't occur again.
Remember that criticism of a polity is not criticism of a person. Criticism of the leader of the polity is also not criticism of the person who, for reasons unspecified, may still idolise them. All faves are problematic in some dimension. They are, after all, mere mortals.
We shall begin with the initial panic. The disease, once identified, could have been eliminated with a one-month shutdown of business, trade, and all but the most essential of services. If rational minds had prevailed, we would not be talking about this today. Alas, irrational minds were in charge. Once the initial lockdown was announced, the public panicked and insisted on 'stocking up' on everything. Including supplies they didn't need.
Which lead, inevitably, to successive "TP Panics". Toilet paper, bathroom tissue, discretion wipes, call them what you will. These were sold in bulky rolls and not printed on demand as we do today. Shelf space for it was limited and all it took was ten individuals taking twice their normal supply to create the illusion of scarcity.
Those who found empty shelves in one store took four times their necessary supply in a place that still had stock. Rumour and myth contributed to even more 'stocking up'. To some some ludicrous extents.
A headline from the era, concerning a citizen who filled their garage with toilet paper, hand sanitiser, and sundry hygiene products also gaining neighbourhood ire. Another headline about someone who had a fortune's worth of toilet paper now going to waste, because they had stored it in a heap in their backyard.
Some purchased more than twice a lifetime's supply. Some attempted to profiteer from the crisis. Others simply invested in other technologies for personal ablution hygiene. Another image, detailing an uptick in the sales of bidets.
As the pandemic began to ebb, life returned to normal with some limits. This, alas, is universally condemned as a mistake. People were spurred on by the reigning oligarchs to return to normal without limits. Some leaders gave conflicting information in an effort to be popular. Some seemed to enjoy having divisive conversations regarding public safety. And even worse, entire polities were choosing to ignore precautions or make them optional.
This caused a multitude of waves where the pandemic rose once more into hazardous levels. More lockdowns were called for, and those who missed out on adequate supplies repeated the mistakes of the previous wave.
Images of fistfights over containers of toilet paper. Images of crowds swarming pallets of it. Images of someone auctioning a single roll, with the caption, Comedic Sketch.
Pressure came from the oligarchs to resume as much business as possible. Whilst the public were staying home, businesses everywhere were losing money. People learned to shop online, thus further debilitating brick-and-mortar commerce. "Astroturf" protests against even the simplest safety measures kept breaking out, possibly encouraged by other polities who wished to weaken rival nations.
An image of protesters, one holding a sign featuring the image of a mask in a 'forbidden' circle, with the unironic slogan, My Body My Choice!
We may judge them as idiots in our era, but somehow they honestly believed that their freedoms outweighed the health and safety of others. Many... came to regret this.
The same protestor, now in hospital with a cannula attached to their face, talking to their fellow believers. "It is... just as bad," they gasped, "as they... were telling us." Gasping and panting. "Wear the mask." Gasp. "Take the vaccine." Gasp. "You don't... want this."
This pattern of panic-buying and protests continued onwards regardless. Some thought the pandemic was a hoax. Some thought it was tied to the latest era of improved communication. An image of a burning cellular tower. Some believed it to be a ploy to add microchips to the populace for intelligence purposes.
Laughter from the audience.
Belief is truly a powerful thing. Those who believe can create wonders if they so choose. They can also create atrocities. In the case of the pandemic under study, it created a multitude of variants, millions of deaths, and years of misery.
We must never again allow the lure of wealth to cost others' lives.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / nataliaspb]
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