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Daily Living: Keeping Clean and Talking About Vaccines
The term “hygiene theater” was recently coined to describe performative cleanliness that gives the impression of reducing risk while not actually doing so. The coronavirus primarily spreads through respiratory droplets, not surfaces, so the value of constant cleaning has been called into question. At Forge, however, writer Allie Volpe argues that it’s okay to be overcautious. Doing so inspires empathy in others, clarifies boundaries, and can help us cope. As long as it’s not unsustainable for yourself or others, she writes, “scrub away.”
Last week, my colleague Alexandra Sifferlin wrote about the key difference between anti-vaxxers and people who are vaccine hesitant. The latter aren’t entirely opposed to vaccines; they are, for legitimate reasons, not sure they want to get one. At Inverse, science journalist Emma Betuel offers science-backed advice for talking to vaccine-hesitant people in your own life: There’s the cognitive approach, which focuses on the science, and there’s the social approach, which emphasizes that people they care about will get the vaccine, too.
