Finding Answers through PopCulture: The Resilience of mankind against insurmountable odds. (or how to be a hero in the time of Covid-19) 

Hello my friends. For the past several years you have come to this site for reviews and observations on the world of Pop Culture. While this not expected to end anytime soon, things are certainly getting strange out in the world around us. Every day we are faced with a certain uncertainty that is both frightening and, frankly, confusing as hell. Now normally I try to keep this site as free of the ‘real world’ as I can but for some reason I could not carry on working on future articles until this was written. Don’t ask me why, maybe it was that I felt like the site was ignoring the current issues of the world or it was a way for me to ground my constant anxiety about it, but here it is.  

Finding Answers through PopCulture:

 The resilience of mankind against insurmountable odds.

In our new reality we are faced with one of the biggest threats we have seen in modern times. This new Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) is hitting us all with a ferocity the likes very few of us have ever seen and every day it feels like being on the bridge of the Enterprise waiting for the next damage report to come in. While it is scary and uncertainty abounds, is in times like this that I can only fall back on my pop culture knowledge, specifically that of horror and science fiction.

‘Now how can horror and scifi teach us anything?’ you ask. Horror and SciFi do seem like an unlikely source of inspiration when it comes to modern fears and issues. So many of us never see past the Hollywood specifically that surrounds every film. Many scifi fans only see the lasers and aliens while many horror fans only see the creatures and blood. The thing is, there is much more to these genre’s than many believe. They hold truths and a constant message through the most of them. While there is no secret answer to the question that ails us at the moment, save 42 that is, there is one unifying theme in every horror film and every scifi epic. That Theme? Just as the title says, it is the resilience of mankind against insurmountable odds. 

You see in nearly every scenario that has happened in these genres, hope prevailed time and again. Think about it, In nearly every horror film it is that small thread of hope that has managed to keep humans alive to make a comeback. In nearly every scifi story humanity has found some way to overcome every obstacle in their way. Sure this may be fiction and no The Doctor will certainly not save us in the 11th hour but we really don’t need a Gallifreyian Time Lord to save the day…we just need to rely on each other.

When I say ‘rely on each other’ I mean that in the most universal way possible. From corporations to individuals this is the time to unify against this threat that is larger than life. Like humanity did in Independence Day, we too can rally together and defeat this threat (well rally apart from one another but I’ll cover that later). This time instead of aliens from space it’s an alien from within but, if pop culture has taught me anything, we humans are a scrappy bunch. We can beat this as we have beat a plethora of global threats but only if we act in the best interests of everyone.

But what can I do?  You ask?  I am only one person, surly my actions will not be enough to stem the tide. Tell that to Ripley in Alien, or to Kirsty Cotton in Hellraiser.  In the end they were alone, and yes, a lot of people died, but through their actions they were able to beat back the big bad and live to fight another day.  While we are not in a knock down drag-out fight like theirs, we are indeed in a fight for people’s lives and your actions can help. 

First step is to listen to the CDC, WHO and your local authorities and the guidelines they provide. They are on the forefront of this and, frankly should be your primary source if information. Start practicing RUMOR CONTROL.  Not everything on the internet is real or even reliable so be sure to vet any news or recommendations you see (yes, even this one).  There are going to be a lot of rumors and theories out there but now is not the time to give in to conspiracy.  Simply put, be vigilant but be smart. I have listed some sources at the bottom of this article that can help so please keep these 

One of the most vital steps to protect yourself is cleanliness and disinfecting of anything that you come in contact with on a regular basis. You know those scenes where the hero gets a full decontamination to protect themselves from the threat? Yeah think that but on a much smaller scale. Washing your hands is the very first step to insuring you don’t get sick and ultimately infect others. While you are keeping clean, try not to touch your face if you can as this can also transmit the virus through your nose, eyes and mouth.  Who knows what you’ve picked up on your hands so better safe than sorry right?

Plus, don’t forget to disinfect things like your cell phone, door handles etc. One thing we are doing in our home is stationing a bottle of hand sanitizer at the door for when we come home. While it may be considered ‘extreme’ we have also instituted taking our shoes off in the house and taking showers upon arriving home from work or shopping. Not mandatory in any way but certainly not a bad thing as it keeps the house more germ free that way. 

One key aspect of all of this is Social Distancing. Social Distancing is vital if we are going to survive. What is Social Distancing?  Think of this as the defining moment in Alien when Ripley insisted that the infected crew members be quarantined before boarding the ship. Remember what happened when she was ignored? Yeah, you don’t want that. If you are sick or feel like you might have been exposed, you really should keep your distance from others. Heck, even if you don’t think you have been exposed, if you have even been out in public, you should probably act like you have.  Otherwise this Viral Xenomorph will just keep moving from person to person, potentially killing those that can not protect themselves with their natural immune system. This applies to corporations, offices, businesses and the like as well. Think about it this way, Had the crew of the Nostromo practiced proper Social Distancing it would have been a vastly different story. If even one of your crew arrives to work with this virus, your reluctance to Employees ‘working from home’ is gonna seem silly when many of your staff is too sick to work.  You know that guy on the banner, yeah, don’t be like him. 

Those that can legitimately not do their work from home, wear proper protection like gloves and, above all, Wash Your Hands and avoid touching your face! If you have to go out in public, it’s best to stay at least six feet away from everyone as much as possible.  This will help prevent you or anyone else from getting sick.  Why six feet? Well, according to the medical experts germs can spread as far as six feet away when someone sneezes.  I mean, sneezes are powerful things!  So if you are at least six feet away, you will minimize your chances of getting infected. 

There are a ton of other recommendations out there but these are some of the most vital to remember. Keep in mind, while each of us on our own sometimes seems insignificant, if each of us does our part, we can make it through this intact.  For the first time in our modern culture we are facing a threat that literally every human on the planet is fighting at the same time.  We can make it through this but we have to be a unified front. Like those epic stories where humanity joins to fight for against a common enemy, this is our time to do just that.  While I had hoped that this unifying moment would come in the form of an alien invasion or robot uprising ala Issac Asimov, instead we got a Michael Crichton story along the lines of The Andromeda Strain. Go figure right?   So, lets fight to ensure we don’t end up in a Stephen King novel and join together by staying apart.  Let’s all form a united front from our homes allowing the medical professionals time to find a way to help us all.  I know it is scary, but, As the good Doctor once said, “Courage isn’t just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It’s being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.“

Think about it this way, if we pull together, we will be able to tell future generations about that time we each helped Humanity in saving the world. 

Thanks for reading.  If you want more information on what to do in this crisis, here are some resources for you.  Above all, listen to your local authorities, and try to keep in mind, we are all in this together.

CDC WEB SITE

WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

COVID 19 TRACKER 

Johns Hopkins University

Now time for the shameless plug, if you are stuck at home and want something to occupy your time, feel free to browse my blog. I can’t say it’s any good but it’s here for you if you want. I try to respond to any and all comments as I can so if I don’t answer immediately, know that I am not ignoring you. 

I have a weekly series called Key Movies Of My Life that comes out every Thursday and also check out some retro tv goodness with the ongoing series Retro TV Reviews.  I also have a series Music Reviews that might help you find another band you may have missed. Regardless of what you do to stay entertained, remember that you are not alone.  The entire world is going through this with you and we will make it out on the other side together, stronger and more unified than ever before.  As John Lennon once said, ‘War is over, if you want it.’

As always, please feel free to comment below and share your experiences, thoughts, feelings all I ask is you be respectful. If you just happened by, tell me what you think! Don’t Forget To Follow us if you like the blog!

Thanks again,

Late To The Game 3/22/2020