When civilians around the world found their lives upended by the pandemic, two groups of people emerged.
There were those who respected the recommended safety protocols like wearing face coverings and avoiding large gatherings to protect themselves and others who are vulnerable to the viral pathogen.
And then there was the demographic who believed the virus – which has now claimed the lives of over 381,000+ Americans – was a hoax.
In the early phase of the pandemic, a trip to grocery stores around the country revealed the chaos of panic purchasing, with customers fighting over precious commodities like toilet paper.
It has come to this.
Curious to know about the input from strangers on the internet, Redditor OneAngryBlutbad asked:
"What has the pandemic revealed to you about humanity?"
Fragile Systems
"That most people are dependent on very fragile systems."
"The systems are fragile because they were not built to service the common man, they were designed in a way to keep the top 1% comfy."
Two Demographics
That the 'Us vs. Them' concept is definitely a valid thing. Being in a group can be an integral part of identity, so much so that one can think their whole identity is the group. Doing anything against that group (including support or neutral stance toward another) provokes great fear of losing that part of your identity."
Perception Of People
"I thought people were entitled, selfish, shallow, and terrible before the pandemic... but now? Holy sh*t."
"That the selfish, shallow, terrible people in high school didn't change."
Brilliant And Stupid
"That we are a mixture of brilliant and incredibly stupid."
"The stupid side seems to be more vocal. There are people I know that I will never be able look at in the same way following this."
Anti-Maskers
"I work in retail and I have worked during the whole pandemic so far. The pandemic has revealed to me how rude and selfish people can be. I have met so many people who refuse to wear masks and abuse the exemption rules. All of a sudden, EVERYONE is medically exempt. People were abusing this way out of wearing a mask by lying. And let me tell you, its easy to tell when people are lying about being exempt from how rude they are and how much they yell at you for store protocols that you don't make! If someone has a medical issue so severe that their life could be at risk when exposed to [the virus], I'm sure they would take every precaution to stay away from the public. It really frustrates me to see how many people don't care about this virus and don't care who they transmit it to. I have to work because I need to pay rent, but by doing that, I am putting my significant other at risk, my family, my dad who has diabetes, and many other people."
Questionable Health Issues
"This, and the amount of people claiming exemption for breathing issues, for f- sake... If you have breathing issues and can't wear a mask, you definitely should not be in public. Some people can't tell the difference between having their 'freedoms threatened', and a mild personal inconvenience for the sake of humanity."
In The Event Of A Climate Disaster
"We are in no way prepared for imminent climate disaster."
"Unless you are a merperson and water is your thing."
Refusing To Believe
"There is a widespread denial and disbelief of science and fact, which is a dangerous thing in any society."
"I discovered few of my relatives that are suspicious about the vaccine and they still think that masks are not really useful. I tried to spread a lil of science infos to them but is like to talk to a wall."
The Unbelievable Reality
"That a single man can dispute science with no facts and have millions of people believe him."
"I wouldn't have believed it."
