Social distancingis a novel idea to most Indians; perhaps as novel as the virus that has necessitated it.
In the past two weeks messaging regarding social distancing has intensified from all sources – from the authorities, from doctors and health professionals, from well meaning individuals and even letters floating from people in other countries who have borne the consequences of ‘going about life as usual’ when the threat of a community outbreak was imminent. Yet somehow the message seems to be evading us.
I am not referring to the class of people who do not have the luxury of ‘working-from-home’. It is the sight of the people huddled up together on their evening walks, play-parks full of toddlers, teenagers exchanging books and board games as they freely make their way in and out of homes of friends, the news of quiet in-home birthday parties, the half-hearted Holi celebrations that are surprising. This is a segment of society that is literate, well informed, well read about the consequences and who also enjoy the luxury of being able to work from home, stay at home, have no dearth of entertainment.
Hence with this segment of society, socialising is not driven by need or lack of information about its consequences at an atypical time like this. A possible reason could be that there are perhaps cultural beliefs at play that influence behaviour and come in the way of social distancing.
As a consumer researcher, I find such behaviour intriguing and wanted to explore some of these beliefs for two reasons: a. to just understand what is the kind of thinking that is at play here and b. many-a-time we have held these beliefs for so long that we are oblivious of their effect on our decisions and becoming aware that many others feel this way is the first step in the direction towards change. Hence, I spoke (telephonically J) to people about this issue and here are some beliefs I gathered…
Living in India, being amidst a crowd is the natural orderof things.
“When there is no crowd in a place, that means there is something wrong with that place.” Given this mind set, being amidst a crowd feels normal. Cutting off and sitting at home is unnatural and perhaps a strong reminder of the fact that something is wrong.
What if everyone thinks like meand no one ends up going to the little child’s birthday party, how bad that would be or what if no one thinks like meand my child and I are the only ones missing the fun. We are constantly thinking about what others would do, how they would feel or think as a yardstick for our decisions.
Unfortunately at times like this with everyone feeling strained in some way or the other, the lines between right and wrong also become more rigid in our mind and judgements are quicker to come by.
We are a very collectivistic society as compared to the west. Collective thinking can very often overshadow or dilute individual decisions.
“We had planned to go to a wedding. When the news about the virus was in the news, if I was on my own I wouldn’t have gone but it was very difficult to convince my in-laws not to go”
For some women – it is the working mom’s guilt that overrides rational arguments.“Life has been so busy off late, we’ve hardly had anytime to socialize. Now that I have some time with my child why not do some fun things with her”
Keeping away from the very people we have known seems like an extreme step to take when the danger is only a distant reality. ‘Being in balance is a virtue that is celebrated. ‘Do everything but in moderation and you’ll be safe’ is a phrase that is often heard in many situations. Being an outlier or an extremist is socially and culturally frowned upon.
“We were going to a party with an educated, informed audience. I knew I was taking a risk but a calculated risk. I am also aware off all the precautions to be taken. I prioritize and socialize only on certain occasions and keep a distance for the rest. So one fun celebration with my baby and family when I know the precautions have been taken won’t hurt.
“Actually this Corona Virus has created unnecessary fear amongst people. We can’t stop living”
And the last and one of the strongest beliefs that is hardwired in our mind and a difficult one to combat is ‘if we have led reasonably good lives with enough good karma, nothing terribly disastrous will happen to us’. Faith is the ultimate shield against anything.
With the official numbers of the positive test cases being small - there is a huge gap between the extent of threat that one is faced with and the action we are all expected to take. ‘Stay at home’ is such a simple thing to do, but it seems punitive and unnecessary at this time. It is analogous to telling a 5 year old not to touch the knife that is sharp and will hurt. The 5 year old has never experienced ‘sharp’ or ‘hurt’. For him these are just empty words floating in space devoid of any real meaning and hence will not heed to the caution until he has experienced it for himself and by which time it would be too late. Lets not do the same as adults.
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