Not Everyone Has The Means To Stay At Home
By Antonia Angel
Writing about the current world situation is emotional and challenging. Despite trying to keep up with the latest news, statistics, and facts about what is happening globally and locally, I still feel uninformed. I am uncertain about our future and I am uncertain about what my role is in society right now, and how I can possibly help the situation. I keep seeing and hearing aggressive statements like “stay the f#&ck home” and “stay in your da%n house”, and honestly it breaks my heart because I know it is necessary, but I also know not everyone has the means to be safe and healthy by staying home. In fact, not everybody has a home at all.
In the United States, homelessness is singled out as a rarity, and the homeless are looked down upon and ignored by the rest of society. This is a huge issue, but most people ignore it while they post from their smart-phones how “responsible and solidary” they are for staying at their comfortable homes. In other countries, homelessness (or an unstable housing situation) is more common than we might think. I grew up in Medellín, Colombia, where we have a huge displaced population that has had to quickly find the means to build tiny homes out of scraps and cheap building materials, into which they fit 5 or 6 family members into a single bedroom. Many of these people do not have access to running water or electricity, let alone wireless internet or a stable income during these times.
I am worried for these people as I recognize my privilege. If I get sick with COVID-19, which probably will not happen because I am social-distancing from the comfort of my own home and entertaining myself through various technological resources, I will probably be alright. The chances that the illness will send me to the hospital are low, since I have had the luxury of consuming a diet high in nutrients and I have access to medicine, and if I do require emergency medical care, I have health insurance to provide it. However, I know this is not the situation for most of the world. How can I complain about having to stay home when I know there are going to be people starving because of this crisis, people that have no options, people that cannot ensure their own safety and the safety of their family? I feel like I am in a bubble of DIY activities and home-workouts to pass the time while others struggle to figure out what they are going to do with 6 young babies and no child-care.
I know we all have our ways of coping, but I really do feel like we are ignoring the bigger problems and focusing on the smaller problems. Being in the USA right now, I hear people complaining about not being able to go to a concert, or get their nails done, and I understand these are frustrating issues for people, but in reality the problems that this pandemic is creating are much bigger. It has already been shown that people of color are being disproportionately affected in the USA, and this only shows that once the virus gains momentum in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, there is going to be a bigger problem. Social inequality is now a bigger problem than it has ever been. It has always been a matter of life-or-death but right now specifically it is showing its true consequences. I check my privilege and I feel disgusted, but lucky, and I am grateful, but miserable. I hope people at risk get the help they need and the empathy and recognition they deserve as human beings.