I don’t think we’re ready for a zombie apocalypse.
I’m not trying to be funny or anything, but the response that I’ve seen from my fellow Americans in response to the COVID-19 outbreak leads me to conclude that if a universally fatal pandemic were to befall society, pandemonium and lawlessness in the United States would rear its head VERY quickly. If a zombie apocalypse were to occur, I’d estimate the half the country would succumb within 48 hours.
Why am I saying this? For two reasons: 1) we make it our priority to lay blame before finding solutions, and 2) many of us use times like these to fulfill our selfish desires instead of considering the safety and well-being of others. So no, it won’t be the pandemic that will take us out — our behavior will be the cause of our own demise.
COVID-19 is a influenza-like respiratory virus that presumably originated in Wuhan, a city in the Hubei province of China, and quickly spread across globe through droplets ejected from human saliva and nasal discharge (WHO, 2020). Because of this, the virus proliferated across many nations within weeks and killed over 10,000 people while infecting several thousands more (CDC, 2020). Those that are the most at-risk are children, seniors and other individuals with weaker immune systems caused by underlying health conditions such as cancer, diabetes and other ailments.
But this blog post isn’t supposed to be an educational one. I’m writing this to reflect how disappointed I am in the conduct of my fellow Americans as we try to navigate through this difficult time. As I walk through the aisles at the supermarket, I see entire shelves of what used to be meats and toiletries — completely empty.
Bottled water that’s usually in an abundant supply on any given day? Vanished without a trace.
Soaps, sanitizers and other cleaning supplies? Raptured away.
I looked online and discovered this poor soul that bought over 17,000 bottles of sanitzer in the hopes of selling them during a time of mayhem for several hundred percent more than what he bought them for — using a crisis to satisfy his own selfish greed in the name of capitalism.
I am disgusted.
I believe that this virus really brought out the monsters that live in many of us. Not all, but many. Greed is borne of a crisis. With no regard for the lives and well being of our fellow man, many of us take it upon ourselves to look out for our own best interests, notwithstanding the limited resources that are available to us. In days of peace, it is easy for us to say that we love one another. However, in days of crisis and calamity, a dog eat dog mentality emerges and the selfless spirit that we claim to have vanishes as quickly as COVID-19 toilet paper.
What I have seen in the past couple of weeks have left me speechless and uncertain about our future. Not only the lack of concern and incognizant decision-making stemming from our political leaders, but also the seemingly absence of humanity displayed by the panicked American with a heavily individualistic focus. If there is strength in numbers, then we as Americans have already lost the battle. In many of the zombie movies I’ve seen, zombies work together. They sometimes eat each other, but they work together.
Next time a pandemic occurs, let’s be like zombies and work together…without the cannibalism, of course.
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