When Fear Replaces Hope

By Diego Garcia III | Editor of The Brownsville Beacon

Yoda probably said it best. He said, "Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

We have really tried to stay away from posting a lot throughout the COVID-19 crisis. There are too many voices speaking at once, and sometimes the cacophony of all those voices mashed together just leads to confusion and fearmongering. 

There isn't a whole lot we can say other than we want everyone to practice the social distancing measures put in place and stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. City, county, and state leaders are doing everything they can to try and combat the crisis. 

We weren't prepared for this. There's no way we could have been prepared for it. Those criticizing our institutions' leaders need to realize they're doing the best they can with the resources they have. I certainly wouldn't want to be in their shoes. 

There is no rhyme or reason to this pandemic and the ensuing outbreak. I understand tin-foil hat wearing conspiracy theorists believe Nostradamus predicted this outbreak. If that is true, Nostradamus wasn't a very good oracle, since there have been, at least, 15 different life-ending events that were supposed to happen within the last four decades of my life. The planet has managed to survive all of them.

One of the biggest issues we're facing as a community, and as a society as a whole, is having to wade through all the misinformation, rumors, and hearsay that has been circulating through the information superhighway and social media. There are so many stories people are posting about things "they" say and things they hear. There were already confirmed cases of people testing positive for the virus before there were any official cases of people testing positive for the virus; the city was going to be on lockdown before anybody had issued the shelter in place order. 

All of this misinformation has led to the panic that we see all throughout the city. Store shelves are being stripped bare by people who are needlessly hoading supplies. Those who are hoarding supplies are causing people who would normally not panic-buy items start panic-buying items because they don't know if these items are going to be available the next time they visit the store. 

This is, in turn, leading to more panic and now people are starting to fabricate new crises coming up just over the horizon. 

Cameron County and County Judge Eddie Trevino was holding a press conference earlier. The Brownsville Herald was streaming the confrerence live. In the comments section of the live stream, someone mentioned Brownsville is on the cusp of another crisis. He mentioned our power grid is frail and on the verge of collapse. He states the demand and strain placed on the grid by everyone's cranked-up air conditioner units will cause the grid to overload and will lead to a blackout which will, in turn, lead to mass hysteria and social unrest. In addition to the rioting and looting that will happen in the streets, he mentions the city and county should strongly consider upgrading our infrastructure to include alternative forms of energy (wind and solar power).

We are in the throes of a global pandemic and this person thought it would be a good idea to spread this unsubstantiated consipracy theory. There is absolutely no proof that the power grid is on the verge of failure. There have been no articles posted or no press releases telling people to conserve power. If anything, with the current shelter in place order, it would make sense the grid would have already overloaded since plenty of people are already staying home more than they normally would. 

My point is this: People are already frightened about the impact of the pandemic, there certainly isn't any reason to start spreading rumors of impending blackouts and riots because our power grid is failing. You might as well start saying we're going to be getting a Category 5 hurricane when the season starts in June. Oh, and we're also in line for a meteor strike from outer space.

Articles posted on social media have also led to other types of hoarding and panic. A few weeks ago, the president said an antimalarial drug was the answer to the COVID-19 crisis. Doctors panicked and began writing presriptions to themselves, friends, and family in the effort to start hoarding the drug. This led to shortages of the drugs, one of which is necessary in the treatment of patients with lupus. 

Yet another online article posted by some irresponsible Facebook user said a couple, "James" and "Vanessa" gave their entire family Vitamin C supplements because they were all infected with the Coronavirus. They took the Vitamin C, and lo and behold they were all cured. When I asked this person to provide some sort of medical journal article supporting their claim, he couldn't provide any information, but his faith in James and Vanessa remained unwavering. 

Please be careful what you read, and, more importantly, be careful what you believe. Just because you see something written in an article or posted on social media doesn't mean it's true. More often than not, it isn't true at all. 

You also have to make sure you know the difference between an opinion and a fact. Yes, people are entitled to their own opinion, but they aren't entitled to their own facts. Facts don't change because of someone's belief system.

Demand proof. If you read something that someone posts, ask them where they got the information. If they are unwilling, or unable, to come up with their source, believe the information at your own risk.

The world, the country, the state, the county, and the city will be forever changed because of the pandemic. This isn't something that will be over in days or weeks. It will be months, or probably the better part of a year, before some sort of normalcy returns to society.

There is already a whole lot of fear, anger, hate, and suffering in the world. Don't add to it by believing stories that are unverified or untrue.

Stay safe out there. We will be here trying to sift through some of the garbage put out there.

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