Coronavirus: Real Life "Panic in the Streets"
This past week, we watched Panic in the Streets (1950). The movie takes place in New Orleans, where Dr. Clint Reed is called in to overlook an autopsy of an unknown man who had been murdered. Dr. Reed discovers that if the man had not been shot, he still would have died of pneumonic plague. Revealing his discovery to the mayor and city officials, Reed is informed that he has 48 hours before the public will be told about a potential outbreak. Dr. Reed and Captain Tom Warren run around to find out where the unknown man came from and who he could have spread it to. I noticed that everyone that was questioned in the movie was an immigrant. Immigrants seem to take on the role of the villains and spreaders.
The Coronavirus outbreak has brought Panic in the Streets (1950) to life. Coronavirus or COVID-19 broke out in Wuhan, China and has continued to spread across the world. The Asian culture of “wet markets” and people of Asian descent have been ridiculed and blamed for the spread of Coronavirus. The United States has started to ban travel so that the “villains and spreaders” will stay out of the country.
- Talk about how Coronavirus has changed how you think and interact with people.
- The same type of wet market that has been credited to starting Covid-19 “are considered breeding grounds for new and dangerous infections” by health experts and are also said to be responsible for starting SARS in 2002. Do you think these wet markets should be shut down?
- Although the first Coronavirus was in China, why do you think Chinese people and people of Asian descent are taking so much heat for this? I don’t remember people of African descent receiving so much hate for the Ebola virus.
- Can you think of an epidemic or pandemic that compares to coronavirus?
- How do you think the recent outbreak of Coronavirus will change the United States in the future?
- Is senior year over?
- Expand on any ideas you have.
I don't think the coronavirus outbreak has changed how I think about people, but it has changed how I interact with the world around me. I've definitely become more cautious about what/who I'm interacting with and how often I wash my hands or sanitize the areas around me. I didn't know that much about wet markets, so I did some research, and it seems like in general wet markets are places where meat, fish, and produce are sold as compared to dry, durable goods such as fabrics and household supplies. I found some varying information about the health risks of these markets. In general, there are health "risks" associated with selling any kind of produce or livestock, because animals can carry diseases and perishable goods can lead to diseases if not stored or consumed properly. Additionally, these markets tend to be exposed to the elements, which allows easy access for flies and other insects to interact with the produce. It's interesting that the wet market in Wuhan being credited as a source of the virus has led to negative ideas about wet markets, because these markets are not unique to China or even Southeast Asia - wet markets exist almost everywhere, from Asia to Latin America to Europe to Oceania. I wonder if the backlash surrounding these markets is more targeted than we think. I mean, I haven't read anything about shutting down European wet markets.
ReplyDeleteWait I just read something interesting from the LA times: https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2020-03-11/coronavirus-china-wet-markets
Deletesome quotes that I thought were helpful / interesting:
- "[wet markets] are a cornerstone of China’s food distribution system and have benefits for society both tangible and intangible, from improved nutrition for children to stronger interpersonal relationships. So-called for their open-air origins, where the ground was hosed down throughout the day, they are the traditional backbone to China’s food supply system."
- (in talking about blaming disease on the consumption of exotic meat) "Yet a taste for the exotic is not the problem. Where I’m from, in South Florida, people now patrol backyards in search of iguanas for the dinner table; restaurants serve BBQ alligator ribs; and it’s possible to order overnight delivery of muskrat, bobcat and rattlesnake on the internet."
- "But this is a wildlife regulation problem, not a wet market problem."
honestly, the whole article is a good read and is very informative! I'd recommend checking it out.
Right now, all my thinking is centered toward coronavirus. It’s hard to think about anything else when everything that I have been doing for the past few days is because of the virus. The past few days, I have only been out of my house to get takeout or to visit other people in their houses. When I go in the restaurant to pick up my food, I am conscious of everything that I touch: the machine that I slide my credit card into, the button that I press that says, “okay, I accept this transaction,” my phone that I touch after touching all these things, the pen that the cashier gives me to sign the check, etc. I do not think that these wet markets should be shut down, and these markets have been going on since forever. However, if the health experts have not succumbed to any biases and are only coming to these conclusions based on hard evidence, then the best choice would be to shut the markets down. People of Asian descent are taking heat for the spread of coronavirus because some people need someone or something to blame. I think that coronavirus could be an excuse for people to exercise racist thoughts that already existed but could never be expressed. In our lifetimes, I don’t think that there are any epidemics or pandemics that compare to coronavirus just because of the wide, deathly impact coronavirus has on the entire world. I can only think of the swine flu and the Ebola virus, but both illnesses did not affect everyone on a global scale. I think that the recent outbreak of coronavirus will change the United States in the future because it will pave the way for the government to be better prepared in case of another epidemic. I don’t think senior year is over.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have definitely become a lot more grateful for the experiences I have had thus far in high school due to the Coronavirus. I never realized how quickly high school goes by, and I have often not been thankful for the experiences school has presented me with. Now that I am no longer able to go to school, I realize how lucky I was to be able to attend a school like Poly which provided me so many opportunities, introduced me to so many amazing people, and gave me so many experiences I can cherish for the years to come. I definitely interact with people differently now. For one, my interactions with humans are done mostly through technology. The only people I can talk in person with are my parents and brother. I really miss being able to see my friends and hangout with them. I like socializing in real life, and thus, the Coronavirus is not doing me wonders. On the other hand, I am incredibly thankful that I am a young, healthy, and financially stable person because I cannot even imagine how hard this epidemic must be for people who lack the privileges I have.
ReplyDeleteI can't think of many epidemics that are like Coronavirus. There are definitely certain epidemics like AIDS and Ebola which were far more dangerous but also far more concentrated. Thus, they did not spread throughout communities as much as the Coronavirus has. Polio was a very contagious epidemic that was also very scary at the time. The difference is that we have social media and constant news coverage. In the late 1940s, people did not have those things and thus did not have the same reaction to Polio as we do to Coronavirus. If Polio was an epidemic now, I would assume that the reaction would be far worse than the reaction to the Coronavirus has been.
In the future, I feel that people will be more hygienic due to the Coronavirus. Everyone is washing their hands now (for the proper amount of time too), and too often in the past had I seen people exit public bathrooms without washing their hands. Our generation will raise a generation that is incredibly cautious with health and the environment.
I think there should be a whole discussion dedicated to question number 6. What happened to the senior class was incredibly sudden and it is something that we should be able to talk through with one another. On Monday, we were being told school would likely not be cancelled. On Wednesday, we were suddenly emailed that in-person schooling would end until the beginning of April. Based on what is going on with the rest of the country, in-person schooling will likely be cancelled for the rest of the year. In a sense, yes, our senior year is over. The exciting and fun part of senior year is over. The course taking (at least academically), will be continuing. It is very sad that we will most likely not get to experience the most unique, exciting, and fun aspects of senior year at Polytechnic (prom, senior trip, senior projects, senior week, honors day, graduation, social gatherings, etc), but at least we have gotten to experience Senior year thus far. There were so many things that I wanted to do that I was saving for this part of senior year that I will no longer get to do. There are so many high school experiences and LA experiences that I wanted to partake in before I leave Los Angeles for a very long time and before I leave Polytechnic forever. Now, I will no longer be able to do these things (still keeping my fingers crossed that this all goes away soon), but as I said before, at least I am healthy. I am so grateful that my family is safe and healthy.
The outbreak of the coronavirus has mostly just made me unsure and generally worried. I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of conflicting information about the virus and how to deal with it from different people and sources. I don’t feel like I know exactly how to react or cope with it, because I know panic doesn’t help anyone, but an underreaction to the severity of the situation can definitely cause harm in spreading the virus. Because I feel unsure about the nature of the virus in my community, I don’t know what my role in dealing with it is. News and information about the virus is also everywhere, which I think makes the issue more all-consuming, especially in a time where we are all required to be shut off and isolated from others in our homes. The situation is also confusing and upsetting for me because there are so many different outcomes that I would’ve never expected an illness to create. We’ve seen the economy plunge, workers lose their jobs, families unable to keep up with our society’s panic buying, and unfair blame placed upon China and Chinese people for the sickness that is in many ways, affecting us all. All of these unfair outcomes are ones I really hadn’t considered in terms of illness before, and it makes me think about how I’m sulking about not being able to see my friends or carry on with the life of a second semester senior while many can’t afford or can’t find groceries and are losing a stable income for their families. I hope senior year is not over, but based on the way things seem to be worsening and the information my family and friends are giving me, it seems that that might be the case. The seniors have been looking forward to this time for years, which is frustrating, but it's also important to remember that this affects everyone and that we have to act for the benefit of everyone.
ReplyDelete1. I don’t think these wet markets should be shut down. They are important places of business for a huge number of people.
ReplyDelete2. Rather I think the super powerful Chinese government should implement more restrictions on how these wet markets operate their business as far as cleanliness and day to day operations.
2. Although the first Coronavirus was in China, why do you think Chinese people and people of Asian descent are taking so much heat for this? I don’t remember people of African descent receiving so much hate for the Ebola virus.
1. I think because Coronavirus is seemingly everywhere and not as distant as ebola was people are struggling to find someone to blame and that unfortunately is people of Asian descent.
3. Can you think of an epidemic or pandemic that compares to coronavirus?
1. The spanish flu, which is crazy because that was about a hundred years ago.
4. How do you think the recent outbreak of Coronavirus will change the United States in the future?
1. I think the economy could go into a recession. I think people will look at how they go to school and work differently.
2. I think corporations might re consider how many employees that they have come into work physically because there may be unseen benefits to working online and from home.
5. Is senior year over?
1. probably yea which makes me sad.
Recently, I have begun to practice social distancing and have been staying at home with my family for the most part. I have been talking to people usually online, but if I happen to interact with someone in real life I do everything the same but just don’t greet them with a handshake. Just months ago, Covid-19 seemed like some distant thing that wouldn’t impact my life, but I have come to realize how wrong I was.
ReplyDeleteI do not have enough knowledge of these markets to have a definite response, but from what I have heard I think they should probably be shut down. However, shutting them down could have negative implications for their culture and communities, so it is something we have to think about before simply shutting them down.
I think African people also took a concerning amount of heat during the ebola outbreak. Nevertheless, I think people of Asian descent are talking so much heat for this because of the fear this virus has instilled in people across the world. I think it is human nature to find someone to blame rather than focussing on how to come together as people to navigate the issue, and unfortunately, Asian people were victims of this phenomenon.
Coronavirus has already had and will continue to have drastic economic implications on the United States, and it will change the way we think about so many issues and social constructions.
From what I am hearing, yes.
Coronavirus has been the dominating topic in my mind for the past week or so (and honestly I still feel like I don't know enough about it). I feel like I've felt a shift in the general mood of the whole city (or maybe it's because it's been rainy). I walked around Lake with a friend yesterday, and the feeling there was eerie. It was so empty. There were people driving still, but there was almost no one walking. While there are no current official rules saying that we can't be outside, I felt like I shouldn't have been. And for some reason I felt like people (who were also outside) were looking at me like I shouldn't be outside. I've never been one to immediately jump to racist conclusions — my first thought never would have been that they're looking at me because I'm Asian. But the way that I've seen people who look like me be treated has changed my thinking a little bit recently. I think I'm suddenly hyperaware of when I sneeze and the reaction that people have. I feel like a month ago someone could have reacted the same way, and I wouldn't have thought twice about it (I mean I don't wanna be around someone who's sneezing either). I don't think I actually believe that someone would act violently toward me, but I have a little bit of fear that I didn't have a couple weeks ago.
ReplyDeleteI just had a thought about why Asian people are getting targeted so much for the virus as opposed to the people of African descent and Ebola. I might be completely wrong about this but anyway I'll stop my disclaimer now. I think one reason might be that people of African descent have such a large history of experiencing racism — I'd say much larger (or more publicized, for lack of a better term) than the racism that Asian people experienced. Because of this longer and more widely-known history of racism, I think people were more discouraged from being racist toward people of African descent during the Ebola outbreak. It was more socially frowned upon to be racist toward black people. Asian people, on the other hand, have a more publicized history of being the "model minority" and sometimes even forgotten to be considered as a minority. I think this might have made people feel like it is "more ok" to exhibit microaggressions or just plain racism toward people of Asian descent.
I haven’t interacted in person with anyone except my family in the past few days, but the last times I’ve gone out, I’ve experienced a lot of positive and/or confused interactions. For example, when I went to Trader Joe’s last Thursday, the guy at checkout thanked me for being kind. I’ve never experienced something like that before but I’m assuming the panic caused by COVID-19 has brought out the worst in some people- especially at the market. Also, despite the initial panic I’ve noticed some good in humanity. My stepdad is part of a neighborhood page and he saw a post from an elderly couple who was having trouble obtaining supplies while self-quarantining. People on the community page immediately stepped forward to help out and keep their neighbors safe. It has actually been quite refreshing after the initial panic to see people coming together to support each other as we get through this thing together.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that wet markets should necessarily be shut down, but they must be consistently regulated to lower the chances of something like this from happening ever again. When the SARS outbreak occurred, it was traced back to Civet Cats sold on the wet market. In the immediate aftermath, the cats were banned but then the ban was subsequently lifted. Regulating then deregulating completely cancels the solution. While wet markets are an important part of Chinese culture and a source of income they should be regulated properly and consistently to keep people and animals safe.
(This video by Vox is super interesting about virus/wet markets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpoJGYlW54)
I can’t think of any outbreak to this scale that has happened during my lifetime, but I have heard mentions of the “Spanish Flu” (which supposedly originated in Kansas) in association with coronavirus.
I’m hoping that moving forward our country (and the rest of the world for that matter) learns from this experience. Measures need to be put into place so that we know what to if something like this happens again.
According to Gavin Newsom the likelihood of out senior year being over is very high, which makes me sad, but we gotta do what we gotta do to keep people safe and healthy.
My dad was on a phone call today, and I overheard him talking about how he thinks this outbreak of COVID-19 and the radical (and rather hasty) ensuing changes that have been made to the education system nationwide will certainly change the way Americans view education. My dad was saying how he thinks that this online learning we all are doing right now (which has many other names which I’m sure we’ve all heard lately, like remote learning, distance learning, online education, and online school) won’t just be a one-time stunt, that we’re not just going to go back to traditional, in-person learning (whenever that may be) and act like we didn’t spend weeks, maybe months continuing our education in a totally new setting, with totally new tools, methods, and schedules. I agree with my dad about this. I’m not sure if this is an inherently positive or an inherently negative thing, but I think that once we all (hopefully) emerge from this period of online learning, students and their families alike may be more open to the idea of online school. Online school has existed for a long time now, but now that basically the entire country is having daily, in-depth experience with it because of nationwide school closings, I think that online learning could really transform into a new norm. Maybe people will come out of the whole COVID-19 situation preferring online learning over traditional, in-person learning. Maybe more colleges will establish online learning options where you could be a registered student at the college but you would never have to set foot on campus and could complete all your requirements from home. I’m wondering what y’all think about online learning and online education. What are the advantages? What are the drawbacks? I’m sure there’s a lot we all have to say about this, given our current situation.
ReplyDeleteIn response to Jackson’s 4th question (“Can you think of an epidemic or pandemic that compares to coronavirus?”), I genuinely don’t think the world has seen an epidemic or pandemic anywhere near what COVID-19 has become. There have certainly been scary public health moments (most of which I am most definitely uneducated about), but in my lifetime and from what I have heard/gleaned from my family and others, I don’t think anyone has lived through anything like this coronavirus situation. From the media, to the school shut-downs, to the hysteria, to the stockpiling of goods, to the actual medical side of everything, the COVID-19 pandemic is truly one-of-a-kind, and I am sure that it will be in every single history textbook in the future. The magnitude of it all is really overwhelming, but to me, the best word to describe everything that is going on is surreal.
Coronavirus has affected me a lot more than I thought it would. Initially, I thought I wouldn't have to think about it that much, and I'd probably be pretty relaxed about the situation even if it got a little worse. Now, I find myself thinking about germs much more often than I predicted. I'm practicing social distancing and I might be at the point where my parents don't let me go out at all. I sanitize whenever I hang out with someone else and I find myself overthinking the entire notion of the virus. Because of COVID-19's severity, I think senior year is over. Which is really sad; we might never have a day all together to say goodbye.
ReplyDeleteWhile at the moment Coronavirus has not changed how I interact with people, I think that in the near future we are going to get quarantined, thus making it harder to interact with people and impossible to interact with anyone other than your family in a physical manner. However, due to all the technology we have, I think that we will be able to manage, especially with the help of apps like face time, zoom, and text. Ultimately, I think that we will eventually go back to school but I would not be surprised if I was wrong about this.
ReplyDeleteThe whole experience so far regarding the Corona virus has been unlike anything else I've seen, and has been so surreal to see empty streets and stay inside my house all day. Besides stepping on my front lawn for a couple of minutes, I haven't stepped out of my house since I had school last Friday, so haven't interacted with anyone besides my parents since then, when the virus became an extremely serious situation in the U.S. However, when I was interacting with others before this, I didn't notice much of a change, there was more of a shift in being more concious of the objects, doors, and handles I was touching, and washing my hands a lot more.
ReplyDeleteAlready, I see the Corona virus having such a huge impact on our country, and the whole world. Firstly, the economy is suffering because no one is going out and spending money anywhere besides grocery stores, which are completely sold out. It makes me think about all the low income people and families whose lives could be destroyed due to this time of quarantine.