We have all faced the brunt of covid; be it in the flesh or in the family but none can deny how the state of its virulence has transversed beyond the bounds of being a physical hazard alone. Yes, we are talking about the steep mental impact of the pandemic leaving the common folk drowning in a cesspool of fear and uncertainty.
This is what many might call the birth of a taboo.
Neighbours ostracizing homes that tested positive, shopkeepers refusing to service family members of patients, the blame game of determining the source played within households, and people having travelled recently being barred from entering residential complexes are few among the many unjustified instances for the same.
We have reached a point where the mere possibility or hint of having contracted the disease is more horrifying than actually testing positive for it; citing a personal example, allow me to explain-
One fine evening, after having lost count of my endless days of quarantine I decided to act on my yearning for fresh air and accompany my family to the grocery store.
Needless to say, the trip was very conditional, I was made to bury myself inside a cluster of personal protection equipment; two surgical masks (with a spare in pocket), a bulky face shield, hand sanitiser and a pair of thick rubber gloves that made my sweat crawl all over my skin like it were a host to a brood of termites.
Some pretty intense precautions and rightfully so, but I cannot fathom how hoarding this much safety equipment in such an unsustainable manner can help keep me any safer. But Alas, the definition of “safe conduct” has been widely open to interpretation nowadays, almost as if not-being-able-to-breathe-at-all is supposed to be a better alternative to breathing carefully. Not to forget how people take the liberty of taking so-called “calculated risks” whenever it meets their convenience.
Anyways, huffing and puffing I made it to the store. Now friends, if you wear glasses just like me, I’m sure you can relate to the utter discomfort of one’s lenses fogging inside a face shield. It's quite preposterous, walking with clouded vision while your breath mirrors the heat of the steam your mother forces you to inhale everyday. At this point it feels like my head has been put inside a portable oven. Not to forget the pre-existing torment of the summer heat.
But wait, the worst is yet to come, wearily dragging around a shopping cart my innocent hopes of feeling the sensation of fresh air started to withdraw and the right ear loop of my first mask broke. Now if you haven’t explored it yet, let me guide you through the anatomy of a face mask! We’re already familiar with the little strings that run around our ears, i.e. the ear loop, then there is the sheet portion of the mask that does all the protecting upfront and finally, at the top you can find a nose-bridge-hold, meant to securely position the mask over your face.
Now, what they don’t teach you is that when an ear loop breaks from one side, the mask starts hanging diagonally from the other and if that mask is layered under another mask it’s best to expect the outcome of the break to lead to an extremely awkward and uncomfortable positioning, which in my case turned out to be the nose-bridge-hold tickling the tip of my nostril.
I’m sure you can predict what happens next, I let out a shrill sneeze that pierced through the frozen-foods aisle, knocking my outer mask down to my chin and suddenly all eyes in the room were on me; people of all ages, masked AND UNMASKED (the audacity!) taking a step away from me, glaring as if I had single handedly robbed them of their lives and livelihoods. To such an extent that you’d expect them to scream “Bloody murder!” at me any minute (which thankfully they didn’t).
Flustered and desperate I hurried out of the store waiting for my family to finish shopping.
Now I’d like to point out the crux of the matter, that sneezing isn’t even an actual symptom of covid!!
Then why was I meted out this incriminating treatment?
The answer is simple, it was fear.
People fear what they cannot understand and it is this culmination of fear and ignorance that makes covid a social taboo today. This is just one casual manifestation of covid taboos in everyday life.
It isn’t an “ignorance is bliss” situation where you’re better off not knowing the damages and implications of the hazard!
All of us must educate ourselves to be rid of such taboos not just to avoid everyday discomfort but to ensure that pragmatic action is collectively taken to hasten the process of dissolving this devastating crisis.
As a psychology student I cannot help but practically apply certain concepts in this situation that used to be mere theories inside our textbook.
The above incidents can easily be correlated to what is known as ‘Somatic symptom disorder’ and ‘Illness Anxiety disorder’; conditions in which sufferers of the former end up relating persistent body related symptoms to some serious medical condition that may or may not even be true, while the latter group ends up having an excessive preoccupation about developing a disease which keeps them under a constant state of fear, worry and even paranoia.
Nevertheless, one needn’t acquire a formal education to be aware of the kind of symptoms the virus triggers, the kind of measures taken to protect oneself as well as others around you, and the appropriate quantity and the kind of supplies required. A simple google search could answer these things but people would rather believe a message on Whatsapp rather than sifting through the rubbles of information thrown at hand in today’s world.
Why do you wear a mask if you’re eventually going to take it off to click pictures with your friends at a restaurant? Why do you place your faith in one bottle of hand sanitiser when your hands touch several people and surfaces at different gatherings and parties? Why does your blame for the pandemic instantly trace its way back to any and every person of Southeast Asian descent just because it allegedly originated from China?
Matter of fact, crimes against Asians worldwide have tripled in the past year due to the hateful stereotypes with more and more attacks perpetrated on Asian people of all ages in rage against corona. The former president of the United States even termed the disease as the “China virus”. Even our own people from north east India have faced blatant racism, abuse and slurs thrown at them by other Indians even though they literally come from the same nation as them.
All this is a product of prejudice, idiocy and hypocrisy at its finest.
This is the power of a social taboo, it spews venom into the minds of the youth and elderly alike while everyone else inadvertently ends up reinforcing it.
However, as much as it creates unrest; it can never dominate our lives eternally. Just like the popular movement #StopAsianHate emerged with the onset of 2021, with countless people binding together to counter the violence perpetrated against Asians, no taboo can withstand people standing in solidarity with one another.
It is the responsibility of we, the people to dispel any misinformation, use our voices to call out discrimination and step forward for those mistreated due to the corrosive grasp of ignorance.
A taboo’s role is to divide and conquer, something that can be easily fought once we unite as one people; humankind.
-Ishaan Sharda
Instagram ID: @ishaansharda
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