Public health people are often accused of "enjoying" the pandemic. Now some say that anxiety about reopening is actually "fear of normalcy."

Thanks @ChuckWendig for this perfect antidote to the stupid, unsympathetic idea of pandemic "addiction."
http://terribleminds.com/ramble/2021/05/05/yes-virginia-there-is-still-a-goddamn-global-pandemic/

The past 15 months have been extremely traumatic to all of us, and not just because of "fear." Of course fear is one part of what's made this so awful, but there's also: loss, grief, isolation, etc. It's entirely cruel and unsympathetic to suggest anyone is "addicted" to trauma.

And many of the people preaching this addiction gospel also position themselves as optimists. One person even created a hashtag #FONO ("fear of returning to normal") to further pathologize a completely normal reaction to trauma and suggest may be a worse epidemic than COVID.

And the apparent treatment is a scathing dose of "optimism and hope" in the form of a lecture about how you should just get over your trauma and anxieties and embrace the new COVID-free world without fear. In other words, "If you don't like being depressed, try smiling more!"

What I love most about Chuck's essay is that it makes 2 great counterpoints captured in this one perfect passage. The idea that we need mass "optimism" to overcome collective trauma is insulting and cynical, much less that we are "addicted" to said trauma.

Anxiety & fear are among the expected responses to trauma. We don't expect people to overcome trauma instantly by throwing meaningless hashtags and platitudes about optimism at them. So stop minimizing the impact of this trauma & stop judging people for coping in different ways.

And I'll just add that I cannot fucking WAIT to stop wearing masks everywhere and get back to "normal", whatever that looks like post-pandemic. But if someone else's reentry process looks different than mine, that is JUST FINE! Take your time!

Nobody owes anyone else an explanation for their own recovery from the profound toll the pandemic has taken. But the pundits who have suggested this is an "addiction" owe everyone a goddamn apology for their unkindness and lack of human compassion.