Covid – Understanding the Young - A Suggestion

After my Idiots or S***heads blog, in which I asked, “What should one wish all those, who do not even have the decency to respect the discomfort and the fears of others?”, I had a response from a friend of mine, that surprised me. Using rather strong language, he passionately objected to what I had written. He described how the lives of young people, such as his children, were significantly affected. He labelled the requirement to wear masks as a “muzzling ordinance” and spoke of the enormous impact on our social climate, which is increasingly characterized by fear and authoritarian official hyperactivity. In further correspondence, the extent of his anger became even clearer.

 

Is he right? Indeed, in this pandemic, the older generation – provided it stays healthy ­– is paying a much lower price than the younger ones. The retired are not losing their workplaces, and their income, in most likelihood, remains unchanged. Lifestyle-wise too, young people are required to give up more. As you get older, you normally stick to the friends you already have. Youth culture is very much about meeting new people, trying out. All of that, they are expected to give up. This is not easy. Nor, of course, is it easy for the old who live on their own, for whom, lockdowns can be very lonely.  

 

And this is where it becomes even more difficult. Most of those getting really sick are the very old and frail. So, why should the young, who can afford to get infected, as they are extremely unlikely to die, even if they do get infected, be prevented from going on with their lives, as usual?

 

This has become a moral dilemma. A dilemma leading, not only to creaking, but to real cracks.

 

Hospitals’ inability to handle too many cases at once, are the main reason for drastic lockdowns. To prevent Italy and New-York style hospital meltdowns, governments heighten our fears. But, as young people rarely get hospitalised, this fear message is not really convincing them.

 

Perhaps we should rethink.

 

Perhaps the way to go about it, would be for young people to be permitted to continue with their lives, whilst putting all the emphasis on defending the old? That is, defending the old, without keeping them locked inside their homes for the next six months. To that end, part of protecting the older people, would mean ensuring that when young people are out in shops, buses, restaurants, or any general-public crowded areas, they stick to the rules, wearing masks etc., with no ifs and buts. Not half-heartedly, without faking it, out of respect for the rest.

 

Regulating differential conduct within society will not be easy to implement. But it may reach many of those, who currently cannot be convinced. It could, therefore, be easier to promote and also easier to enforce.  

 

This is not an operational plan, but a concept, and I am eager to hear your reactions.