Canadian psychiatrist J. T. MacCurdy noticed that traumatic events, such as bombings, divide people into 3 groups: “direct hit”, “near miss” and “remote miss”.
“Direct hit” victims are killed. “Near miss” victims are traumatized with long-lasting effects.
And what if you hear the sirens, see the explosions – but you’re fine and your house isn’t damaged?
These “remote misses” wind up feeling not traumatized, but invincible.That’s how many, perhaps most, people are responding to COVID-19.
They look outside, see that *their* world hasn’t changed, and wonder “Why are people acting so weird?” From this dangerous perspective, maintaining normalcy feels not only comforting, but noble – as if they’re defending civilization itself. Those who demand behavioral changes seem to have sided with the enemy.
Those who experience “remote misses” ignore the tremendous danger to the neighborhood and judge only the seemingly meager danger to themselves. They imagine that the changes they *can* afford are somehow worse than the avoidable disaster they really *can’t* afford. They hear the stats and dismiss them with false claims about hospitals making money off covid, etc. Trump’s lies (and those he borrows from others) merge perfectly with human nature and our habit of denial – which is convenient, aggressive, and easily manipulated.
During WWII, these “remote misses” allowed Britain to function despite very real danger. Maintaining normalcy felt heroic.
During the pandemic, however, maintaining normalcy is a bad idea – and tragically, many people won’t understand that until they’ve experienced a “direct hit”.