It’s me, not you. I call BS on that!

I once had a medical specialist tell me how hard life was in the middle wage category. You know what I mean, don’t you? The middle, not poor and not rich. His implication was the poor get looked after and the rich can afford it and the middle go crazy trying to figure out what they can do. The middle class is stuck so that is why he kept his prices reasonable, to help people like us (he considered he and I were in the same category).

He implied once again he would be in the same position if he needed the treatment, and he truly believed he was reasonable in his pricing. He was. for some people like him but not for me. He genuinely did not see the difference. Fortunately for me, he at least was smart enough to know his job.

Differences

People think differently. We know that. We are different, socially, economically and culturally. Most times differences are great. I love learning and experiencing different cultures for example, and I love different social experiences. I’m sure most of us do. Differences exist. We need to recognise and respect this but there are times when differences must be put aside because they don’t matter, like now. We are faced with a common enemy, an enemy, viral enough to ignore boundaries, one without ethics and definitely missing pity. Corona in this case isn’t a beer.

The right thing

Every day brings incredible examples of people doing the right thing and yet every day we are also told about those doing the exact opposite. They claim ignorance and/or confusion. Considering the bombardment of media, I don’t see how any excuse is possible, except perhaps a language mishap, and even that I doubt. I was the translator in my family from the age of four. My father struggled to learn the language but even when he did, he checked with me. It led me to teaching English as a Second Language and in this day and age most people have their own translators, or someone to ask. I know this for a fact. I think we have clarity, but some people are still pretending ignorance. I’m sorry I don’t understand why. In this I am confused.

So, I sat down and started thinking about how it can be made clearer although I actually think our politicians are doing a great job explaining things.  Maybe I thought to myself, the problem lies in them explaining the situation but not really making it clear about our roles. Again, I think this is being made very clear as the days go by. We have been given a set of instructions and the reasoning behind it. We want to come out of this intact, all of us or as many as possible. This is pretty self-explanatory.

Football, Jenny from the block and trick photography

Yet today the gods of football apparently believe July could have us cheering. Let’s see, last time I checked this involves a team with families. Do their players not go home? That’s a good idea but wait a minute they play against a whole other team and then again against another team, and another. What’s wrong with this picture? How about we can’t be sure about July, or August or September or the month after that?

If this is designed to bolster our mood, then rest assured, it doesn’t. A display of naivety is not what we need. Don’t get me wrong, I love football but we are a long, long way from the goal line yet and will be until a vaccine exists. Keep the players training and away from other teams. Let them enjoy their families, finish courses, start courses while a plan is put into place for a huge season next year. In the meantime, they can do what everyone else is doing – #slowthespread. We have the rest of our lives for football and Olympics, and basketball, and the list goes on.

My all-time hero Jennifer Lopez was caught going to the gym (wearing a mask, keeping a distance but this was in America) and I was devasted. America is in real trouble and there will be tears for a long time. People, and a lot of them, are going to pay with their lives because the right thing was too slow in getting started. Of course, social distancing and harsh rules will make life uncomfortable but if it halts a grieving process, we can suck it up. Yes, we need to be normal as best we can but reality check, the people that broke the rules can afford a home gym, they can have personal training via the net on a cinema sized television.

I was so upset by this behaviour that all day I kept hoping someone had made a mistake; I hoped it was something I could blame on trashy media for trick photography. I am still hoping because in a country that looks like a war zone, mixed messages were sent, and it was painful. If we don’t obey the rules we dance with the devil, and hell is a dangerous place. I’d rather be a wallflower.

It’s not me, it’s you

Do you know the expression, it’s me, not you? This is designed to make the other person feel better. Well, I call bull shit on that and say it’s you, not me. I don’t want to make you feel better about doing the wrong thing. What you do could hurt me, and that hurt spread to damage those around me I care about. It’s you causing that to happen, not me and that action has the potential to explode into a domino effect that has nothing to do with a Cadbury’s army of chocolate all set up in a pretty little garden.

Our garden began with a live marketplace and the dominos have been sharp and vicious and are still gathering momentum. When they fall, they want to take as many of the me as possible. Let’s not let them. #inthistogether #stayhomesavelives

Alla prossima

Take care and stay safe,

Barb