Marin Voice: Coronavirus reality show would make victims real for all of us
The coronavirus pandemic should make us very frightened right now. Why don’t we understand that yet?
The COVID-19 cases and deaths just keep piling up, and I think I know at least one of the reasons. Most of us haven’t seen the reality of what happens to the infected victims up close and personal.
Most of us have neither known nor observed an infected person, nor have we seen anyone who tests positive for the dreaded COVID-19 on television.
Anyone testing positive is immediately self-isolated until they either get better or they disappear into a hospital and an uncertain fate.
The infected become as invisible as the dreaded virus itself.
Maybe we would be scared enough to change our behaviors if we watched an on-going COVID-19 “reality show” where television news and social video media follow several victims as the virus gets a grip and fights a life-and-death battle with its host.
Most all I see on TV are second- and third-hand stories about people who have contracted COVID-19.
The fact that we haven’t witnessed the horror might be the reason there are so many naysayers, “plan-demic” conspirators, and mask-free political rally attendees standing shoulder-to-shoulder in solid blocks of denial.
We need to watch people as they progress through the viral gauntlet from the moment they test positive.
We need to hear them share their day-to-day thoughts and fears as the virus takes over their lives.
As any fan of reality shows like “Lost,” “Survivor” or “Deadliest Catch” knows, we would be glued to the “reality news” because it’s now and we’re in it.
We would discuss the participants during our Zoom meetings or during our socially distanced mask meetings.
We would feel the pain as we worry and watch with white knuckles as the reality show participants get better or worse.
We would wonder who might pull through, if the affected mother will be able to deliver her baby, or, perhaps, how those who we helped pull through with our prayers are faring a few weeks later.
Some of our new victim friends will only have flu-like symptoms; some will get sicker.
Some will get so sick they will disappear into a hospital. But, this time, it will be with a gowned film crew in tow.
We will watch some of them as they are sedated into a coma before being intubated on a ventilator; some will live and never be the same again, and some will die.
We’ll see them all at different stages of illness, and we’ll discuss each COVID-19 victim with our friends, hoping that our favorite character gets off the ventilator soon, or that another character didn’t accidentally transfer the virus to her family and friends at her wedding before she was tested positive.
We relate to television personalities, especially to real people who are like us.
We need to bring the victims into the forefront of our viewing, into our discussions and into our collective psyche because seeing is believing, perception is reality and neither believing nor perception will occur until and unless it is right here in front of our eyes.
Perhaps it would be better to watch a COVID-19 reality show on the news, so that we don’t have to watch or experience its dreaded effects on our loved ones here at home.
Then many of those who aren’t wearing masks, washing their hands and socially distancing will finally get scared to death and change their lives accordingly.
The COVID-19 reality show is long overdue.
Jeffery C. Hardy, of Novato, is president and founder of the nonprofit Care for Peace. Email jeff@careforpeace.org.