Okay, Facebook Boomer: Covid-19 Edition
My social media feeds are a dichotomy to scroll through. I come from a more conservative family but I went to a liberal university, and most of my friends I’ve made as an adult tend to the liberal side. I have two ideologies crashing, sometimes violently, on my dash. Generally I try to stay out of social media drama, but sometimes I just can’t help it.
Yesterday, the following status came across my Facebook feed:
“If masks work so well then why are we still quarantined.”
Punctuation courtesy of a Yankee boomer. The comments were full of her similarly-aged friends replying with various iterations of “Well said!” Indeed, the poster thought she was being clever in a saucy way. I’m not trying to make fun of her, but rather point out how she represents a significant portion of the USA that just. Doesn’t. Get it.
The idea that masks are impervious to the virus is absurd. It’d be like refusing to use condoms because sometimes they don’t completely prevent all pregnancies ever. Also, language matters. Quarantine is different than shelter-in-place, self-isolation, and lockdown. I know the media and the general public like to use them interchangeably, but it is different. The complete lockdown of Italy was very different than the Stay-at-Home order issued here in (most) of the States. While this time has been stressful and frustrating, I’ve still been able to work and obtain essential supplies. I’m in contact with my family and friends. My basic needs are met, and not everyone had that experience.
The people who are getting impatient and throwing out triumphant “aha! Got yous!” don’t seem to realize that was kind of the point in the first place. A death toll that is lower than expected is a good thing. That’s why we all sacrificed time with our loved ones. Yes, people will continue getting COVID-19 until there’s a vaccine or enough of us get it to ensure herd immunity, and both of those are at least a year away. But not flooding hospitals immediately gave the people who did get sick a chance. Hopefully no one, even in the cities hardest hit, had to die alone in a crowded hospital hallway.
This status is one of the more mildly irritating posts I’ve seen on Facebook, but it still stuck in my craw. The flippant way it is offered and accepted, especially given that this age-range is generally at a higher risk for infection, is flint and fire to the kindling of my inner rebel punk. Other boomers have been complaining that they can’t go camping on public campgrounds until after all the social distancing. Listen, I’m going to be as heartbroken as the next gal if I don’t get some camping and swimming time in this summer, but ultimately, I don’t want to take a chance of carrying the virus to someone who’s more vulnerable than I.
We can’t outrun Covid-19, but we can at least try to not repeat history.