Hyper-individualism is killing America.
As cases of COVID-19 surge in East Tennessee, I find myself walking past people without masks. I got take-out at Olive Garden and waited in my car. While my windows were rolled down, an older lady and her mother were speaking. The mom said, “Oops, I forgot my mask.”
Her daughter responded in malice, with bits of Facebook misinformation thrown in.
ETSU finds itself attempting to walk the middle line between these opposing forces. Anti-maskers and anti-vaccine advocates are not inherently evil. They are products of their environment—they have been culturally manipulated by far-right media to the point of distrust.
On the opposite side, the pro-vaccine advocates find themselves attempting to talk to those same people who are most at risk. One such way to ensure the older generations are protected is to encourage younger generations to become vaccinated—even if their parents and grandparents are unwilling to do so.
ETSU’s Vaccine Challenge is a brilliant idea. He is bringing monetary awards to students so that they will protect their grandparents.
While the idea is brilliant, the fact that ETSU has to even offer the sum is worrying. The American population is growing increasingly individualistic, worrying about what is best for oneself and only oneself. The idea of treating others how you wish to be treated is dead.
During this first week of classes, I have noticed the tendency of students to not mask up. Inside the classrooms, though, many are respectful. When combining this deadly virus, unvaccinated people and many more unmasked people, this creates a deadly scenario in which ETSU becomes a hotspot.
Realistically, the inability for many ETSU students to care for other people is murdering older generations and disabled folks.
