People will find jokes in just about any circumstance. It's human nature and people are playful by nature. We've all seen cartoons and skits making fun of ourselves in quarantine. We've seen the lampoons of our leaders being clueless. Caricatures of even the most respected still bring a smile and even a chuckle. I remember, years ago, visiting with my uncle and discussing the news of that week, the Challenger disaster. I said, everyone would remember where they were when they heard about that and one way to tell how seriously people took it was, there were no jokes about it. Then, being my uncle, deflating his oh so serious nephew, he proceeded to tell me five or six jokes he'd heard in the last few days. So much for that idea. He also had a theory that the majority of dirty jokes, at least, came from guys in prison. Mabee so.
My favorite joke about this current mess is; "I was told there would be a handbasket." It's just so absurd it makes me laugh. My mother used to say, "The world's been going to Hell in a handbasket since Day One." She was a shrewd euchre player and a big believer in never getting too excited or too discouraged.
Excited and discouraged. That certainly describes a lot of what we're seeing but I think fear explains more of what we're seeing than anything else. I'm old. There really isn't much you can do to me that would interfere with my plans or aspirations. A few years ago my doctor was cautioning me about some risk or other. "Doc, at my age, to hear you tell it, getting out of bed in the morning is like stepping in front of a moving bus." I think that's when he just gave up. It did make me think about being a younger man with a lot more in front of me, a lot more in my basket.
I've been taken aback by the outright belligerence we're seeing, torturously dressed in some grotesque form of patriotism or other outright bullshit. Why?
How would I feel if I were 30 years younger, which most people are. If I had a family, future expectations that I was responsible for. I'd be worried to death. A cough, a sniffle, a random fever or a summer sneeze would become a major threat. A threat I would take personally. Throw in the loss of employment, financial ruin, the prospect of homelessness. Frightened people are suspicious, resentful, unreasonable. If you frighten people for months on end it's understandable some, at least, will become irrational.
What do we do about that? I don't think we should belittle our friends and neighbors dealing with those, seemingly unrelenting, very real fears. We can only support them and keep reminding them of the proper response. Get your shots, limit your contacts, wash your hands, wear a mask and pray when it's appropriate. It's the least we can do and you can usually count on frightened people to do the least.
