The violent reactions to the Coronavirus witnesses of a deep-seated need: finally, our catastrophic normality suspend.
a Sudden, it seems possible to change our business as usual photo: Andreas Arnold/dpa
does anyone still remember Greta Thun Berg’s message in the face of the impending climate collapse a year ago? “I want you to panic!”. Much has happened since then: The issue of climate change has finally arrived in the Mainstream, governments have decided to first, far from sufficient, ecological reforms, there is talk of a new politicization of the youth. But the panic did not materialize – to the creeping disaster of planetary proportions, which happens, although from a geological and evolutionary perspective, much too fast, from a human, however, too slow to lead to really drastic or even the source to Act.
Covid-19 triggers very different reactions: In a seemingly impossible thought-speed travel prohibitions, borders, universities, schools closed, public life curtailed, and international production chains interrupted. Flights are being cancelled, factories shut down: The global CO2 emissions decreased in the last few weeks – and also due to a panic, which is not based actually on the ecological Problem. Apart from virological Calculi, health, political Rationalities and the Clickbait-panic should also be the question of the extent to which not just a need to panic in our ecologically disastrous ways of life manifests.
straight to the point: The threat of new Covid-19 Virus is real, this no one can deny that. With an incubation period of two weeks at the same time a high rate of infection of the novel coronavirus strain is a virological nightmare, its spread is unlikely to stop. Current estimates indicate that perhaps up to 40 to 70 percent of the world’s infected population of this “global pandemic” (this is now the official classification of the WHO) in the end.
However, panic is extremely, how you purchases in hamsters, live Ticker Updates on the number of Infected and hasty as in part ineffective quarantine leave, out of place. In the panic affect the location of the current discourse of the disaster scenarios heat up the public mood in a way that almost all of the measures accepted uncritically (and sometimes even) be called.
But if you listen to a sober-at-heart voices such as those of infection, Pietro Vernazza, lying to the mortality rate, taking into account the high number of unreported cases of the Infected without an outbreak of symptoms, likely well below the currently estimated one percent is. We remember: Prior to one week ago, the talk was still of two percent.
The population will immunize most likely, slow and also vaccines are likely to be tested this month at Proband_Innen. It will come to a tragic number of dead, but whether or not the number of Victims of domestic violence, ecological damage, traffic accidents, or simply other viruses exceeds that of the world at the very same time, it remains more than questionable.
It solid even already – admittedly a bit on the hair – against the bills, stating that because of the Corona Virus and the environmentally positive effects of the restriction measures, less people will die than if it had not been for the Virus.
How can it come so to this often panic-stricken response in the light of the Corona Virus? The philosopher Isabelle Stengers refers to the emotional attitude of our ecological disaster, aware of the expectant companies as “cold panic”. We fly in airplanes, wealthy consumer societies to belong to, and of global economic inequalities benefit, aware of our complicity in the slow Eco-disaster, which will not roll-over only, but we mitrollen all. It is the normality of the large ecological footprint of the disaster. But what is normal, you can get hard in a panic.
Sometimes it seems almost a kind of romantic relief to all of the Cancellations, flight lock, and to feel production stops. It seems now to be suddenly somehow possible.
Symptomatic of this state of “cold panic,” there is obviously a great longing and media demand for catastrophes. But actually this fragile state, causing the disaster is too diffuse and too complex, as the object of the panic, sick. In this Hyper-nervous state we rush greedily to all sorts of other potential panic sources: in addition to the easy-to-activate, racist motives of a so-called “refugee crisis” is the Virus especially good –and in some cases even the same Register of an “intruder from the Outside” against the you need to foreclose.
but Why then the panic to Corona is higher than for SARS or the swine case flu was? In addition to the virological character of the Covid-19 Virus is a Declaration of element may be the eponymous Slogan Thun Berg: The awareness of the ecologically disastrous state of our planet has risen since the new environmental movement – and with it, the “cold panic”.
Could it be that the violent reactions to the Corona Virus also spring from a need to suspend the catastrophic normality? Sometimes it seems almost a kind of romantic relief to all of the Cancellations, flight lock, and to feel production stops. It seems now to be suddenly, somehow possible, to change our disastrous business-as-usual. If not by Friday for the Future, so stop with Covid-19.
But you have to be careful not to mix the two problems. A Virus needs other measures as the ecological disaster. The aim of the government measures is to slow the spread of the pandemic so that it is fractional of health systems comes to an Overload or even a together. Flatten the curve – this is a Slogan that has spread viral than the Virus.
The new and old leaders to shape the policy stage as a Messianic protector in a rigorous surveillance state.
A panicked reaction overlooks the fact, however, the dangers of the massive interventions into public life that are accepted by the greatest majority uncritically. For example, the number of victims of domestic violence in the case of quarantine increases sharply, the social depravity in the supermarket queues and the Flare-up of between the human mistrust and racial stereotypes (compared to Italy and Asian women) are a real threat. And in case of excessive hamster the supplies could be purchased by the company, due to the Virus, but due to the wrong lived panic collapse.
Plays the “cold panic” from our ecologically precarious Situation in the current Corona-crisis, we are in danger of slipping into a dystopian scenario, Then all culture will be closed for events and educational institutions, public life curtailed, and new-old leader of the policy making stage as a Messianic protector in a rigorous surveillance state, while other urgent issues, such as the situation of Refugees in Greece, the necessity of an ecological change, or even just the sensible handling of a pandemic will fall under the table.
The modern society is to find Covid-19 – as already with the swine flu or SARS, in all likelihood, a deal. In terms of the ecological disaster we are heading but continue unabated to the point of collapse. Here, we can learn even from Corona: Yes, It is possible to prohibit flights, productions, down, and other drastic bans. But the panic in the wrong places is dangerous.
