How to Circumvent a Pandemic in the Name of Love
By Courtney Marchi
This week I watched the first episode of this season of the Bachelorette and was shocked to find myself thinking of this class' material and viewing the episode with a sci-fi, apocalyptic lense. What first struck me was, How are they going to have an in-person season of the show? What are they doing about COVID? Well, let me tell you what they did; they had every possible contestant, and the bachelorette herself, quarantine in a small villa-resort complex for two weeks before they got their official negative tests back. Each individual was isolated in a room just to themselves and given their own cameras to record personal vlogs. The show shared snippets from various contestants, all sharing what they do in a day, their thoughts, their emotions, and so on. Many shared that it was very difficult to isolate for 2 weeks; that they were getting stir-crazy, their mental health was deteriorating, and that they were lonely. While these are all valid responses, I felt a little less sympathy for them when I remembered where they were and why they were there. I thought of everyone else around the world dealing with the same emotions and responses, and thought of where they may be in their lives. I understand needing respect for everyone's emotions, but I think we, as a privileged society, need to take a step back and think about what we are saying, why we are complaining, and then work towards gratuity and appreciation.
When everyone was officially cleared of COIVD, they were all allowed to roam the complex, mask free, and go through the "normal/expected" Bachelorette process. Every contestant was beyond ecstatic to hear they were in the clear to participate and ran out and around the complex with excited giddy. From there, the show proceeded as normal. If the contestants themselves did not speak of COVID, and life during COVID, you might not have ever been able to tell it was filmed during a pandemic.
What struck my near-epiphany is that these people (and company) just created a disease and virus free world. A group of 30+ young, attractive, wealthy people (and all those involved in cast and crew) are all living in an enclosed space where they get to experience life and joys, and if they do not want to talk about it, never have to think about the suffering going on outside their walls. These people now get to focus on meeting people, trying new things, hanging out with one another, finding love, and relaxing in a private resort. And we, the general public, are funding it. We are supporting and encouraging it. We are watching it every week. We claim to be disgusted and revolted by Ginni, and her country, in Harvest, yet in reality, we are promoting and desiring to be the Ginnis of the world.