During lockdown, we saw how the pandemic was leading to new forms of social solidarity. In addition to claps for carers and rainbow pictures, the very act of staying home was a demonstration of a collective responsibility to protect the vulnerable. It was a sacrifice for the “greater good”, adhered to by all but a well publicised minority.
However, in our ongoing research – in which we’re exploring public attitudes to COVID-19 and social distancing – we’re finding that people are stigmatising those who might have the disease or might transmit it. At its core, this stigmatisation is based on what social scientists call “othering”. This is where we define, often negatively, certain individuals or groups in terms of how they are different from us. Othering is at the root of stereotyping and discrimination.
So very true, I recall being stigmatised because of my cough now COVID19 as made it worse and very axiety provoking if you go out. Guess peoples fears will die down given time. Now I worry incase my cough is a sign I have the virus not just my normal lung diseaese cough.
That's horrendous. I don't know what's wrong with people. Why do some people think it's ok to be abusive and so unpleasant.
At the start of all this I expressed an option whereby it's difficult for me to wear a mask. The reply was, well if you have health problems you shouldn't travel. Wow. So anyone with respiratory problems, autism, visual or auditory impairment, or indeed any other health problems should just be shut away at home? Not go out to work, shop, visit a doctor or friends and family? Incredibly, people with health problems do still have a life, just like everyone else. It can be really difficult for some people to go out. To be confronted with such unpleasantness and hatefulness could be devastating.
Ahead of driving the child up to London to get her line taken out in Mid May - so still well within lockdown - I had to go and get petrol for the first time since we’d gone into shielding. The forecourt was awash with signs in capitals saying all customers MUST use the gloves provided. Three things struck me as I filled the car up:
1. The forecourt was rammed. All 12 pumps in use, plus at least 6 cars parked about just to use the shop. It’s the last petrol station in our neck of the woods before accessing one of the main A roads into London and down to the south coast, but at 11:30am it still seemed a suspiciously high number of customers to all be essential workers, imho.
2. I was genuinely the only person actually wearing gloves (that I’d brought from home)
3. I was the only person wearing a mask - although, ignoring the rule change from Monday because I haven’t been out since then, that often remains the case anyway - and began to feel decidedly uncomfortable that I was going to get accosted the longer I stood there, due to all the blatant stares and side-eye I was getting. They’d clearly decided because I was wearing a mask, I must be a threat. Only people that were fine were the staff, also in their masks.
As a species, we think we’re so inclusive and accepting of others, when the reality is that we consistently still don’t deal well with people who are different somehow.
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Were you affected by the air pollution last week?
Feeling Deflated 
Hugs (poem).
