Social distancing or class divide?

Humanity is undergoing an amazing experience, unprecedented in scale. A situation where everyone must be wary of everyone else, neighbours, family, fellow workers, friends, customers, cashiers, any and every contact runs the risk of catching or transmitting the virus, and many do not even know they are ill and contagious. This general state of wariness seems quite similar to descriptions of life in totalitarian societies, except that the risk of social contacts is different. Instead of an Arctic labour camp, the consequence may be a hospital ventilator, and both can be terminal. It is not the exchange of ideas that is dangerous and possibly fatal, it is merely about spittle and snot, not what one says, only where one coughs. But the state of anxiety and suspicion can be just as extreme, and the psychological impact just as debilitating.

Humans are used to being and coming together. They enjoy gathering in large crowds for entertainment or to experience the power of numbers. Most people spend their time mingling, and the hermit’s isolation needs a particular, often mystical, mind-set. Very few are mentally prepared for a prolonged confinement. Fortunately, there are the virtual communications of print, sound and video. All those digital messages racing round the planet had already created a form of social distancing, where the screen obliterates the surroundings. Many already had a more intense life on-line than in the real world, especially among the younger generations. They will probably manage the best in isolation. And it so happens that they are also the ones least likely to have severe symptoms if they are infected by the virus.

This global quarantine is accentuating the importance of communication networks, cable and Hertzian. It is also showing the world what is essential to its survival, and how life is possible without the perpetual movement of fossil fuel consumption. And it has glaringly highlighted the fact that the workers who actually keep things running are among the lowest paid categories. They are the frontline heroes, and simply clapping for them every evening will not raise their wages. This springtime 2020 is pinpointing a number of realities that may be quickly forgotten once the pandemic abates, or maybe not.