In these unprecedented times, I am begging companies and institutions across the country to stop using these “Pandemic Phrases.” In every email, headline, or speech I’ve stumbled upon, there’s always three key phrases that are being repeated ad nauseum. One such phrase, “In these unprecedented times” sticks out rather spectacularly, as it’s been used everywhere from official Arcadia emails, to government PSAs, to even presidential speeches delivered by both Trump and Biden. The main reason this phrase irks me so much is simply due to the fact that it’s incorrect! Unprecedented, according to the Merrimack-Webster dictionary, means “not done or experienced before” and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this is certainly not the first pandemic the U.S. or the world has experienced, nor will it be the last.
Let’s rewind the clocks a bit and visit 1918 real quick. A lot is happening this year! The First World War is coming to an end, America’s wartime production has skyrocketed our economy, and people are getting sick! Wait, people are getting sick, you say? That’s right! People are reporting increasing cases of a new flu that is steadily creeping its way across the globe and being in no way particular about who it infects. This global flu, or the Spanish flu/influenza, was up until very recently known as the most severe pandemic in modern history. (This flu is also what Edward Cullen, the vampiric main character of the Twilight series, was suffering from prior to him being turned into a vampire.) Anyways, the importance of me mentioning this prior pandemic is to highlight the fact that what we’re going through now isn’t unprecedented, in fact, there’s an incredible amount of precedent!
Up next in the top three pandemic phrases I am sick and tired of hearing comes phrase number two, “The new normal.” I cannot recall the first time I heard this phrase, but I do remember that it was early on in the pandemic and I was naively hoping for it. However, now almost two years into the pandemic, it causes such a visceral reaction in me that I wanna take these three words and throw them into a blender until they’re nothing but mangled shreds. My main issue with “The new normal” is that it feels dismissive and insincere, as it is both impossible and inadvisable to return to the “normal” that we once knew pre-pandemic.
The reason I say this is because the pandemic has brought so many issues to the forefront of the public’s attention. Be it the issues in our medical infrastructure, the importance of mental health, media misinformation, public cleanliness, the treatment of essential workers, and countless other aspects. With all of these issues brought forward, it’s vital that we give them the attention they deserve and try to address them, rather than just ignoring them and hoping they go away on their own. This is why when I hear people push for “The new normal” I can’t help but roll my eyes at the sheer absurdity and improbability of it.
The third and final pandemic phrase I have had enough of is the call for “An abundance of caution” which I think is rather redundant and was taken a bit too literally by some people. In regards to it being redundant, I think the wording conveys that people aren’t being cautious, and thus, need to ramp it up. I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing, per se, but it falls a bit flat when everyone I know and myself have been minding Covid precautions.
In regards to people taking the call of “An abundance of caution” too literally, I would like to harken back to the beginning of the pandemic when people were stockpiling and hoarding toilet paper, sanitizer, and other such materials. This is the biggest reason as to why this phrase bothers me so much simply because it conjures up unpleasant memories of empty shelves and crazy shoppers.
All in all, I know there are many things the pandemic has brought about; the good, the bad, and the crazy. However, I would love it if people could stop overusing these pandemic phrases and let us know some peace.
Featured image credited to Antonio Solano via Vecteezy.
