I’ve been home since March 16th, except for several “essential” shopping. My birthday was the Thursday before, and things even before a shutdown was ordered was very quiet, in Southern NH and Middlesex County, Massachusetts, where it was the epicenter of the novel virus had occurred.
It wasn’t till the following night (March 13th) where I found out more disturbing information (at the time) about COVID19. It was clearly like oh shit, and that point I made a critical decision to #StayTheFuckHome till at least April 3rd at the earliest (assuming the date would get pushed out.)
Between the Media Services and Techie Crafts gigs, I’ve kept myself busy, but at the same time got really confused on who to believe in since nearly every American has a distrust to government, and the media, of which we have to big villains before, during and after this crisis; whenever that is, the “Deep State”, and “the media”. Because oh-my-gawd, if the current commercialized media is themselves getting inaccurate information, because OMG; if the scientists are getting fooled by nature; they can only predict so much; and your geriatric parents can’t stop themselves from consuming dangerous and raw content such as cable news and the 6:30pm shows.
I see many individuals in this country not taking the matters seriously. I see a couple things
- Americans are rigid, and cannot be bothered to change their already rigid behaviors; only when convenient. The “Stay at Home” or “Shelter in Place” orders has caused so many of the people to be so stir crazy, that they feel they are entitled to go outside county lines, even there’s no order to do so, and not feeling any responsibility if an event they are “carrying” the virus to other locales, even if they have no asymptomatic conditions.
- Propaganda-esque “All Jobs are Essential” – That phrase; from apparent rednecks in the state that gathered against the shutdown in mid April; felt that broad-brushed inclusion; masquerading as hyper-generalization would I guess be a way to unite? In reality; some jobs are only “essential” according to them, to be blunt. I don’t see a clothing store for the college age demo to be considered “essential”; given said demo are the ones that typically work there; and their risk tolerance is very high, notice that the Gen Z (born after 1995 to present) mirrored older Baby Boomers; believing “the media” made this all up and yet there was increase of severe cases to said generation?
Jobs that were considered to be “essential” should’ve implemented procedures of not allowing visitors to come in; workers at like meat packaging plants should’ve had employees literally stay on site; nurses or doctors to stay somewhere away from family (some have); etc. I suspect protection of essential workers was not discussed
3. Delays to reopen began because inpatient American individuals refused to take it seriously. Not to single out particular politicians; many up till early March said to live lives normally and waited to close schools and other businesses till March 17th. Remember the epicenter of New York’s pandemic began in the neighboring suburb of New Rochelle, Westchester County.
First in, Last out
I also predict a couple other things, while NASCAR is expected to resume competition in Charlotte in a couple of weekends; recall that sports was the first to pause the season; and could be the last to resume. Not to be selfish,but one of the reasons why I’d like to see the NHL cancel so the Bruins doesn’t get closer to the cup if an event we won; but heck, maybe this pause would make the Bruins go at the bottom of the barrel.
End of result, Massive Recession, Some really crappy cost-cutting, and a reset for individualism
Our President could be a premature lame-duck POTUS, and one of the reasons why delays were caused, oh-my-gawd, if we halt the economy, my Dow will go into record lows, not record highs. Remember in March and April, where he made some really reckless statements about “record highs” and “highs that no one has ever seen” BS? For a sane, and thinking person, you knew the Dow made record intraday point and percentage gains since March. The market capitalization has been volatile sense particularly on the NASDAQ Composite and S&P 500 indices that measure on market cap, not same-day price gain like the Dow.
Cost cutting will be the norm too. Airlines are seriously struggling, so they are in a bind between socially distancing their customers; and the cost to carry people 30k feet in the air at 500mph. The New York Real Estate market is officially toast. It’s more dangerous to hold millions of people in skyscrapers now. Trading floors are decimated. The New York Stock Exchange, despite not being as crowded before computers, may be shadow of it’s former self, and maybe the ol timers who are self employed traders may spend the rest of their professional lives on the floor and the big banks may go back to Midtown, or worse, work at home and be based in Midtown virtually.
Lastly, people have been concerned for me given what’s going on and my condition. I’m fine, thank you, however, I like many have basically killed the economy too. Except for purchasing some stuff online with my birthday money from last year; I’ve only spent stuff on essential items, or paid off only the non-essential items prior to the COVID19 Shutdown from my credit card of some dating 45 days, and the little income that comes in; on paper, I’m consuming, in reality it’s just deferred payments because I used plastic. Regardless, I’m this close to maxing my credit card because I used 90% on essentials, to avoid using cash to prevent the spread. And actually it was all Apple Pay.
During all the uncertainty, the most anxious I gotten was the lack of response of being responsible by staying home and contacted my day program about my decisions and was open and to the point via email. They never responded. COVID19 was an opportunity for them to write me off as someone with an “invisible disability” as if he’s too high maintenance for them to serve. They never shut down, and claimed to be an “essential” entity; and that’s where the next part of the story will pick up.