Fuckery in the Pandemic
Yeah, I get it, we’ve all had a case of the “quarantine crazies.” We’re allowed to – there’s a pandemic happening.
But sometimes, these “crazies” cause us to do things that bleed into the category of “fuckery.” These crazies are often times questionable, and sometimes, maybe should not be allowed to happen.
Activities that constitute fuckery can range from those that are kinda weird to those that are really just quite crazy (ya know, Florida man level crazy). To me, these are worth highlighting, because some of them are just really funny, but also because some of them are just flat out harmful and deserved to be called out.
So, the other axis of describing fuckery is “Scope of Destruction.” Humans tend to engage in self-destructive behaviors (e.g. giving themselves bangs or drinking an entire pack of hard seltzers in one sitting), but the actions of one person can be harmful on a cultural or societal level.
Most of our everyday dumb quarantine activities fall in the lower left corner of the graph, fairly insignificant and innocent. Primarily, actions high on the fuckery scale, but low in its scope of destruction make for good laughs and fun reading material. These lead you to ask the question, “Why?!” but are not the worst thing on the planet.
BUT anything high on the scale of destruction truly add no value to the world, warranting the question, “Why?!” and eliciting zero shits and giggles from outside observers. In this case, real people, often certain groups of people, can and do get hurt. They aren’t just the butt of a joke, but the receivers of direct attacks that also often have a blatantly negative effect on the world that we all share and live in.
Why on earth, when the universe is already shitting on us, would people engage in actions to deliberately hurt others? Often, it’s probably to make their own lives questionably “better,” thought it comes at the cost of others’ lives and well-being. Seeing videos of privileged citizens coughing on or cursing at essential workers or reading articles about Asians being scapegoated for the coronavirus makes me angry. At a time like this, we shouldn’t be taking advantage of or blaming others for events that are out of our control. Each of our actions impact everyone around us, sometimes in more in significant ways than we might expect.
So next time you don’t want to wear a mask because it’s “annoying,” think twice. Engage in fuckery, but please limit your scope of destruction.
We can do better.
By the way, all of the things on this chart have actually happened:
Centre Daily –Angry shopper leans under Plexiglass to spit on grocery worker, Pennsylvania cops say
New York Times – Spit On, Yelled at, Attacked: Chinese Americans Fear for Their Safety
NPR – Man Arrested for Camping at Abandoned Disney World Island
NPR – Missouri Sues Televangelist Jim Bakker For Selling Fake Coronavirus Cure