At the beginning of the awareness, in the U.S., in any case, of the pandemic nature of the virus, I suspected that the accounts I read reflected a degree of hysteria. And that, indeed, the accounts might be fueling it. Which is not to deny the serious nature of what we are facing, especially as regards institutional preparedness for dealing with such a widespread health issue.
I don't want to mitigate the alarm (anxiety, apprehension, whatever you want to call it) that concerns us, and I too am affected by the social mood that the virus has generated. My life style seems healthy, but still ... And yet, while taking all precautions that I can, I want to continue to focus on my own work. And, believe me, I have plenty of it. (And it can be done at home!) So, I restrict my reading about the virus. In any case, the available information doesn't offer any certainties, but is endlessly repetitive. I even get emails from my credit card companies retailing the same information about health safety that are forwarded to me from the allergy doctor.
Whatever my intentions about focusing on my work, however, all conversations of late begin and are often totally dominated by the virus. Thus, the title of this post. The obsessive nature of our thoughts about the virus reminds me of TDS. Living on the Upper West Side of New York City and with many connections to "intellectuals" and academics, I have long found that the subject of Trump pops up in discussions that initially have nothing to do with Trump. It can be an academic presentation on an recondite subject like the Books of Hours, and still Trump is mentioned. He is a low-burning (often high-burning) obsession with "liberals," and it is amazing to me how in so many conversations they find a way to insert some reference to him, negative of course. The derangement over Trump felt by liberals resulted in the mass hysteria that went on in Congress last year. I relate this derangement also to climate hysteria and other anxieties felt by what appear to be the "smart" people in America.
Yesterday, I went for a long walk with a friend along the Hudson River -- we have a wonderful greenway extending from Wall Street up to almost the George Washington Bridge. My friend is a real Trump hater, but we generally manage to avoid politics. But perhaps because of the widespread obsession with the virus, she made some comments about what she considered Trump's failures in regarding to dealing with it. I immediately felt the kind of strangling sensation that overcomes me in these situations -- it's like all the air is being sucked from the atmosphere -- but we managed to quell things and, in the end, enjoyed our outing.
In the evening I went to what may be one of my last social outings for a while. My neighbor two buildings down and I have become pretty good friends over the last couple of years, and she invites me to events at her place. Not too long ago, for instance, there was a Super Bowl party. Last night, she fixed dinner ("smothered chicken," so good!), and, along with four others, we played a card game resembling gin rummy. And we played for money, which added a lot of competitiveness to a game that we might have otherwise been nonchalant about it. Our minds were really focused: there was a pot of $120. At some point, however, it was mentioned that Trump had been tested negative for the virus. Two of my fellow card-players expressed disappointment that the test had not been positive. To which I said, "Do you want the president to die?" Both practically jumped from their seats to say "yes!"
I am sure I will not be the first or the last to point out the connection between the kind of hysteria engendered by a pandemic and the other panic that afflicts half of the population. In connection with the latter, I have long avoided reading the news on a regular basis or following any blogs. And thank goodness I don't have a TV. I have thus for the most part been able to maintain "social distance" from politics and continue to focus on my own work. The virus presents a new challenge to the ability to keep one's distance. Still, we must try.
Image source: Leo Green
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