Interesting take on the public reaction to Coronavirus Fear and Panic from writer and social philosopher Frank Furedi
Bookmakers predicted that the lockdown would lead to a baby boom, but according to Laxman Narasimhan, the owner of Durex condoms, people are having less sex because of the coronavirus crisis. Is Covid-19 killing sex?
Epidemics of viruses have a nasty habit of not only impacting on our sex lives, but also of fostering a climate where we become scared of coming into physical contact with other people. As one psychotherapist, Dr Dana Dorfman, observed, “Humans are contaminating each other with something invisible, and we’re being conditioned to not let anything penetrate us.”
What’s at stake is not simply the fear of penetration. When people say ‘no more hugging’ they are not simply joking; they are also sending out the signal that any form of close physical contact is a threat to human health.
Some social scientists warn that the coronavirus pandemic “could spell the end of hugging and handshakes for years.” Is it any wonder that some psychologists are concerned that fear around hugging and touching could be the long-term consequence of Covid-19?
Risk-averse
In the aftermath of a pandemic, when social distancing has become normalized, there is an awful danger that sensible precautions about managing human relations will give way to risk-averse fears toward physical contact and sexual relationships … Continue reading >>>
