A Sociologist's Perspective on Covid-19

I went to Sam’s Club yesterday for a regular grocery shopping trip. I go once a week, because there are seven of us in the household. Don’t ask me to stock up on two week’s worth of groceries all at once. I. Don’t. Have. Room.

There was no rice on the shelf. It was gone. I desperately needed rice. I’m a weight lifter and a macro-nutrient counter. Rice is a staple. There is no negotiating rice. I’ll be damned if this stupid virus is going to make it difficult for me to simply live my day to day life. I mean, I’ve already resigned myself to cutting flat sheets into squares for washable ass wipes.

As I was lamenting the rice shortage of 2020 at house church, my friend made note of it, and texted today that there was now rice on the Sam’s Club shelves. After pumping out my upper body I went to the store, ‘cause rice...

I’ve been educated about both sides of this virus. Be worried, its unknown… don’t be worried, the flu is worse.  I am a researcher, after all. I am tired of hearing about it. I might have given in to the shopping frenzy a little. My 50 pound rice bag trophy inspired me to buy the last bag of potatoes in the bin. I might NEED those potatoes! (I’ll bet they only bring out one bag at a time. Crap. I got tricked into buying something I didn’t need!)

Here’s the deal, though. Nobody is talking about the social reasons this virus could be dangerous. I am a sociologist. I am trained in the scientific method. I can’t employ this for the sake of this article because there isn’t enough research out there yet. Also, I might be a teensy bit apathetic about proving my points.  Plus, I’m in the mood to channel my old dead sociologist friend Karl Marx. He was more of a prophet than a scientist. His predictions based on observation are relevant to our society today. Observation and speculation are good ways to begin researching a phenomenon. I am speculating, I am rambling, I am simply thinking out loud. If you’re into it, read on…

There was absolute panic in the grocery store. I could feel it permeating the air. A side note: its interesting what people stock up on in case of emergency. 20 boxes of Eggo toaster waffles, anyone? Me, I bought broccoli. I skipped the dog food. If we do end up quarantined and starving, I might eat them anyways. I wonder why we are being told to crowd ourselves into small spaces to “prepare for the worst” if the whole point of avoiding sickness is to stay out of crowds?  I wonder if creating panic  is the point of the pandemic? Perhaps we are meant to feel desperate and afraid.

My first speculation (dare I call it a hypothesis?):  Fear keeps people under control. I don’t think people are fearful of getting sick. They are fearful of doing without. That is why telling folks to stock up on necessities is effective. We will spend all of our money at once, and be more dependent on the economy to provide for our perceived needs.

People are getting more creative at not spending money. This virus has caused an economy boost. Whoever owns the means of production for toilet paper is pretty happy with their stocks right now. (Somebody else who likes numbers, go find out if Charmin’ stock went up. Look up Eggo's stock, too. Leave a comment with the stats!)

My second speculation (hypothesis, anyone?): Wait for the economy crash. Nobody has any money left after their Eggo waffle shopping spree.  People will be broke, stressed out, and bored. All of us regular citizens (if you like fancy words, Marx called us the “proletariat”) will be working overtime, building our savings back up, and incapable of taking time off. Who benefits from this? Well, it’s the property owners (bourgeoisie).  They make money off of our panic. They benefit by creating a situation that requires us to work more. This makes us less independent and more controllable.

I had to pee so bad in the grocery store, but I was afraid to use the restroom. No, not because of germs. Are you kidding me? There’s SOAP in the bathroom. I really wanted to wash my hands too. But, if I left my cart, someone might have taken my rice. Or my last bag of potatoes. After all, I had the LAST ONE! Google Marx’s thoughts on commodity, if you want to know more!

My third and final HYPOTHESIS (I just went for it, that time.): We don’t trust each other. Divide and conquer. When the social classes begin to see that we are being oppressed and used by the wealthy we become a risk to the functionality of the system. We are more likely to resist and protest the way things are. Scarcity has been cultivated, and now we are working against one another for our own well being, instead of the well being of our fellow proletariat.

 Look up the video about the folks fighting over toilet paper. Come on ya’ll, she just wanted ONE PACK.

Okay, great. I feel better getting my thoughts out in the open. Since everyone was waiting with baited breath to hear what I think, I’m sure you feel better too. Here's the deal: be careful. I mean that in all senses. Wash your hands. Be smart. Buy what you need to be secure, just in case. But don’t forget what we’re dealing with here. There are things happening that require more depth of thought, and insight. We need to employ more intention in our actions. Let’s tweak our perspectives and try to see through a broader lens, than that of fear.

                Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go admire my giant rice bag trophy. And also, eat some.