...I can't imagine how much worse it would be in this context to walk into work every day with that dread of "is today the day I get sick"?
Now, I have the option to choose the day I begin any precautions such as self-isolation.
If it's a nothing burger, do you also think the following facts will have no effect on your life?
There is an irrecoverable loss of productivity between Feb 10 (when Chinese New Year ended) and the present. You can't just "press pause" on a nation's productivity and then pick up again as if nothing happened.
- Various auto makers have shut down production due to inability to get parts (since the parts come from China). This could lead to higher auto prices worldwide.
- Many electronics manufacturers, including Apple, have had to shut down production. This could lead to scarcity of devices and higher prices worldwide.
- Chinese livestock farms have been unable to get shipments of feed in or of meat out, forcing some of them to make the decision to slaughter and bury their stock. This could lead to meat shortages and higher meat prices worldwide.
- A lot of people are out of work:
- Quarantined people
- Airline employees
- Factory workers
- School teachers and staff
- Anyone whose employer already went bankrupt
We now live in a world where people (and employers) are a little bit poorer, and everyday products are a little bit more expensive.
Let's imagine that this nothing burger disappeared tomorrow. Ask yourself if all the people and companies already implicated in this situation could afford to make only 11/12th's of what they expected to make this year, or if there will be a ripple effect of lower purchasing power and more bankruptcies and all the effects that has on an economy.
There will be repercussions. And we will feel them.
Maybe it's just going to be trivial stuff, like "I can't buy my favorite Old Navy flip-flops because they were made in China and I have to wait a couple of months before they're available."
Or maybe it's going to be life-shattering stuff, like someone I love can't get a simple penicillin prescription filled, so they die of a treatable illness.
Or maybe it's going to be world-altering stuff, like people rioting in the streets because they don't have food.
Right now, it's all speculation. I'll leave the actual forecasting to the experts.
But no matter what level of impact we feel, what do you think will be the response of most sidewalkers who have lived cushy lives up to this point? How much resilience and creativity will they be able to muster up in the face of this situation? They'll be practically howling for someone to rescue them.
No doubt, this is my F*ck This Event...
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