It often seems that the Kafka Pandemic is a lesson in social psychology that 100 doctorates stacked on top of one another could never match. When you experience it, your view of human reasoning and behavior is forever changed.
No matter your knowledge of the scarcity of thought in humans, it is never enough. Reflective interlocutors reduce themselves to stimulus-response machines, intelligent ones to a morass of non-sequitur prejudice. Jaw-dropping is inadequate as a description.
Here is an approach that will work occasionally. Rationality might not break through, but it might nag them. Make them feel uncomfortable. Make them pause before trying again. Even if only because they know they won't get away with it next time.
Whenever you hear an irrational statement about the disease in question, say, "Would you say that about AIDS?"
The idea is to lure them to where you have rhetorical parity. If the answer is yes, you are on solid ground. If the answer is no, you are on solid ground. If the person evades the question, you are on solid ground.
Samuel
I'll have to try that one sometime. It may take a while, though. There aren't too many people left who are willing to say dismissive things about the pandemic to my face.
ReplyDeleteLove it!
ReplyDeleteI always refer to my syndrome as "HIV-Negative AIDS." None of my family, friends, former colleagues, community members ever reply: "Oh I have that too." They are usually scared-to-death by just the sound of it, and then continue to ask me a lot more questions about my illness. I always happy to answer in great detail!
ReplyDeleteEven after 15 yrs I never found the right words to explain symptoms that change daily. I may try your terminology; but dont want to scare anyone, necessarily.
ReplyDeleteHi LuvsBooksGrl,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
I say scare people. Because the only way we will win is by telling the truth.