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EESTI ELU reedel, 15. mail 2020 — Friday, May 15, 2020
Filthy lucre
only cash. As one who prefers cash transactions, distrusts online Now that is a term for money purchases, rightfully so con that is hardly ever heard sidering how historically crimithese days but is still very nals have penetrated even the applicable. An internet search best online firewalls and securirevealed its Biblical origins ty, the undersigned felt vindiand the fact that it was in com cated. Until coming across the mon usage from the 16th cen following line while researching tury on. The Free Dictionary the issue on the net. In 2017 defines it as money acquired CBC reported, “even though it by dishonorable means, re is legal currency, the Bank of ferencing St. Paul’s Epistle to Canada says it is not mandatory Titus (1:11) where the apostle for Canadian businesses to acchides and criticizes those cept cash”. What? It certainly is who teach things which they in the U.S. The almighty dollar ought not for filthy lucre’s cannot be refused. Here though, sake. Later the term, ironi according to our central bank, cally, was used for money in both parties must agree on the general. form of payment. Methinks the Relevant today, as unscrupu- merchant has the upper hand. lous scamsters gouge the public, Reference even then to a desire hoarders sell their wares for to move to a digital, paperless massive profit and those taking world is made, certainly the advantage of the all-pervasive case today. atmosphere of anxiety are bilkBecause of physical dis ing the gullible on the internet. tancing, the shutting of bank Makes one ashamed to be a branches and the interminable member of the species. line-ups even at ATMs one was However, it is not the crimi- forced to register, sign up for nal aspect today that suggested internet banking. Many of us the title here. It is that most distrust the system, ATMs are retail outlets allowed to operate shunned, and cash is preferred. are refusing to take cash. As is banking in person. But we Because it is dirty, it might are given no option. Even our carry the dreaded coronavirus. local Circle K will not accept And here is where we enter cash for four liters of milk. into an interesting argument. Somewhat stupid to use a debit/ Many of us, knowing that cash credit card for such a picayune is legal tender, not wishing to sum. use hackable credit or debit We have long known that technology, do not like this ap- money was dirty. Most of us proach. Yet we have to go along had that hammered home in with the merchant’s request, for childhood. Curious, how in the it is understandable. It took a middle ages it was standard to major hack two weeks ago to test gold coins by biting on delve further into the legalities them. The softness of gold was of not accepting cash. The Beer key – counterfeit coins would Store’s computer system was break your teeth. However, no compromised and as of writing one in their right mind would they are presently accepting put paper money in their mouth.
Cashiers have gloves, and those that do not always seem to have hand sanitizer available. So why the over-reaction? Most of us have legal tender in our wallets. If the virus, as speculated, hangs around for 72 hours then those bills by now should be COVID-19-free. Sure, toddlers put lots of things in their mouth but as our coins are essentially worthless there are few if none lying about as temptation.
Mass panic is a myth; times of crisis can bring out the best in people
and censoring information to avoid what they feared would be mass panic. Yet good in formation, widely shared and trusted, is essential to fighting this virus. The theory that media hysteria around the coronavirus is worse than the virus is slightly undermined by the fact that the earliest epicentres of the outbreak did not have a free press who’d be allowed to talk about coronavirus. As far back as 31 December, the Chinese social media began blocking messages that contained any keywords relating to the outbreak, such as “Wuhan pneumonia”. A day earlier, a doctor in Wuhan, named Li Wenliang, tried to advise medics that they should take extra precautions due to the outbreak, but he was later arrested for “severely disturbing the social order”. He later died of the virus he tried to warn about. It wasn’t until 20 January that the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, spoke publicly about the virus.
Adam Rang, Estonian World We have nothing to fear but fear itself. At least that’s what I keep hearing about the coronavirus when I open up the social media. Many people think the coronavirus is not as bad as the media hysteria and mass panic around it. Elon Musk, for example, is one of the most vocal proponents of this theory after first declar ing that the “coronavirus panic is dumb” in a tweet two weeks ago that has already aged like milk. I don’t have any expertise in viruses, but I can tell you a few things about how people really respond in times of crises – and it’s not panic. I’ve been trained in crisis management throughout my career in communications and I’ve been involved in quite a few major ones myself. The golden rule of crisis communication is to trust the public with as much accurate and up to date information as possible. That’s because people, generally, act rationally in times of crisis, especially if you give them good information. Mass panic is a myth.
China’s censorship made the crisis worse The same is true now with the coronavirus. In the areas currently worst affected by the virus, such as in China and Italy, people are showing resilience more than anything else. There are wide reports of incredible acts of bravery, especially by medical workers, and most people are just adapting to the situation and trying to keep spirits up, both for themselves and others. There is concern, sadness and anxiety to a reasonable extent, but not mass panic. These people need even more and better information about the situation they are battling through, not this patronising attitude that they can’t handle the truth about what is happening. In fact, it’s the fear of mass panic over the coronavirus that got us into this mess. Elon Musk’s theory that panic over the coronavirus is worse than the virus itself was originally shared by communist authorities in China, which is why they first prioritised arresting doctors
Perhaps some are making a mountain out of a molehill. Those who, like me, distrust the digital world and internet financial transactions, prefer cheques and cash over other options, are also guilty of stubborn reaction, certainly not to the extent that some in the community outside are expressing. And it must be emphasized that in the virtual world, digital transactions depend on electricity. What will happen if there is a lengthy power failure, or hackers are even more successful? King Cash saves the day. No one can predict when financial stability will be regained, never mind the assurance that the virus has been held at bay. But until that far away day the consumer, already stretched and concerned about the unavailability of many household items and foodstuffs, should not be financially hindered. No matter what the Bank of Canada says. The one time that it is better to be a yank than a canuck. Remember what American shopkeepers used to believe. They had prominent signs by the cash register – words still in use – In God we trust. All others pay cash. Man does not live on beer alone. TÕNU NAELAPEA
Adapting to the crisis They were wrong then and Elon Musk is wrong now. It’s not the fear of the virus that is the problem. It’s the fear of the fear of the virus that is the problem.
Baltic Canadian Imprints Collection Initiative: COVID-19 – We Are All in This Together The year 2020 has become more special than ever imagined. An emergency situation has been in place in Canada and in other parts of the world for some time and the end is not yet in sight. Restrictions have changed our everyday lives and coping mechanisms. The collaborative group known as Baltic Canadian Imprints wishes to preserve these experiences for the future. Being inspired by the collection initiatives of the Estonian Literary Museum/Estonian Life Histories’ Association and the Estonian National Museum, we are calling on Baltic-Cana dians to help record these extraordinary times and share their thoughts and feelings with us. The project partners are: the Canadian Baltic Immigrant Aid Society, Estonian Studies Centre/VEMU, Lithuanian Mu seum Archives of Canada, the Canadian Latvian Archive and Museum and the Latvian National Federation in Canada We are interested in the fol lowing materials, based on the emergency situation: • written thoughts, ideas, and challenges (incl. blogs and diaries) • photos and drawings • home videos • memes and anecdotes which you have created and/or shared in social media Please share your thoughts
Since then, we have seen other authoritarian leaders repeat those mistakes by instinctively fearing how the masses would react if they knew the scale of the problem and so covering up the virus instead of combating it. It’s strange because authoritarian leaders jus tify their rule by saying they can take tough, decisive actions instantly, yet this crisis is showing even that to be a fraud. I suspect what Elon Musk really fears is the impact on his business, but panic is still a mischaracterisation of what will happen to it. This crisis will radically alter our economy and transform the market, but that’s not because consumers or investors are acting irrationally. They simply have different needs now. Business will need to adapt too. My own business is mostly focused on sauna tourism to Estonia, which has now disappeared. Instead, we are urgently redirecting more of our efforts into sauna exports, which has had a surprising boost in interest over recent weeks. Estonians are relaxed enough Is there really mass panic here in Estonia, though? Look up from your social media feed and tell me honestly if you are
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with us: • how has your everyday life changed? • how has your working life changed? • what gets your attention now more than before? • how have your relations with your relatives and friends changed? • what are your fears and hopes for the future? • how has life changed in your community? • if and how have you taken part in voluntary assistance/aid actions? • how have changes in other countries or in the world affected your life? • as individuals and/or society, what could we learn from our experiences during the COVID19 crisis? Materials can be in Eng lish, French, German, Esto nian, Latvian or Lithuanian. Please send your texts, blog links, photos and videos to (for the Estonian community): piretnoorhani@gmail.com or Estonian Studies Centre/VEMU, 310 Bloor St. W. Toronto, ON M5S 1W4. You can also post your submissions on the BCI COVID-19 Facebook event page. Deadline for submissions is June 30. Materials received will be archived with the organization to which they were sent. After we have conquered the COVID19, we’ll prepare an exhibition from the collected materials. We hope to see you at the opening!
seeing evidence of that around you. Arguably, most people are probably a bit too relaxed at this stage about the measures needed to suppress the spread of the virus. I wouldn’t even count “panic buying” as panic because most people are calmly buying what they need, relative to the circumstances. They’ve been correctly advised to stay in as much as possible, which means not eating out or going shopping regularly. Schools and offices are closed anyway so more people have to eat at home. Inexperienced cooks tend to overestimate how many ingredients they need. In addition to all that, they face the very real prospect of having to isolate at sudden notice, at which point it would be more selfish not to have their own supply to sustain themselves without going out during that period. Compared with all this, the sudden increase in food pur chases is fairly moderate and completely rational. Seeing someone buy more food than usual right now is no more a sign of panic than seeing someone put their seatbelt on when they get into a car, even though the odds of them (Continued on page 12)
