It is an important question of our times – to cough or not to cough – and also, how to cough. Who knew how important coughing would become in these times when all news headlines somehow seem to lead to the COVID-19 pandemic. A video from Australia featuring a coughing woman and an irritated man went viral recently. An innocuous enough occurrence has spurred an energetic debate about coughing etiquette and simple good manners.
This video has gone viral across social media platforms; YouTube, Twitter and more. There is a coughing woman, an annoyed man and a plethora of indignant reactions. She says she ‘coughed inside her mouth’, he thinks she is ‘disgusting’ and everyone else has an opinion about this.
They involved some ‘clobbering’ and some seeing of stars.
…Because a violent reaction is suitable for any provocation, mild or otherwise it would seem.
There is the view that coughing without opening the mouth is a lesser offence and the angry man seemed to be overreacting.
Many pointed out that the man asking the women to cough into her hand was wrong. ; that the correct way to cough was to cough into the shoulder or the sleeve/crook of the elbow.
The video was captured by a journalist. Perhaps the video-taker sensed the brewing storm. Others thought that the whole thing was staged for effect.
Many of the tweeple felt that this wasn’t even about a global pandemic; just about basic decency, good manners and public hygiene.
People also noticed that the woman said ‘I don’t have a pandemic.’ To be clear, a pandemic is a disease or infection that is widespread over much of the world. Her word choice was clumsy since typically, an individual can only be said to have or not have a particular infection.
Many also thought that the man was overreacting; some felt that he should just stay at home if he was so worried about contagion.
These days everyone is a little tense and on edge about others who may or may not be carrying a potentially deadly virus.
This is not an isolated incident either. We tend to view our fellow citizens with mistrust and alarm. Altercations erupt easily.
They try not to cough in public.
Yes COVID-19 is dangerous; yes this latest strain of the coronavirus is causing panic all over the world. However we all have to try and remember not to try and not turn on each other. We need to remain civil with each other – working together; not against one another.
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