'Positively negative' and 'Social Distancing': misnomers
Connotation of many words have changed in the recent times. It brings melancholy in everyone’s life, if they come to hear that he is found ‘positive’. Quite logically, the mention is about COVID test. How a term like ‘positive’, which has been glamorized heavily and become a part of sermon of each guru, spiritual or management, has come out with a totally different connotation is baffling. Everyone wants to hear that he is ‘positively negative’. A melody to ears, and a sigh of relief to all kith and kin. How the two opposite words, depicting a state of mind, which is poles apart, have come together is interesting. Can we somehow keep negativity out of our life and keep positive a solution to all ills? Let us not be positively negative but stay positively positive. And, let the report be read ‘infected or not’. Let us remain positive and let not 'positive' become a negative word and 'negative' a new positive.
Another catchy phrase, which has found a lot of significance is ‘Social distancing’. This has been projected as panacea to pandemic. The term ‘Social distancing’ was a measure taken to sustain class differences and was to mark, emphatically, the distancing of elite with the lower-class strata in the society. Sociologist Karl Mannheim, in 1957, described it as a means to maintain power hierarchies. In India, this phenomenon could also have been witnessed in strong caste discriminatory demonstration in the past. But, in pandemic, this term ‘Social distancing’ got unnecessary prominence and has been wrongly interpreted. What, rightly, should had been ‘physical distancing’ has been popularized as social distancing! If we literally maintain social distance in the pandemic times then it is going to be more dangerous than the virus itself.
Humans are social animals, and if they are forced
to stay in isolation, without any social contact, then the propensity of them
getting insane is high, unless they are Sage. The best way to keep one’s
head leveled and to survive when physical contact is totally prohibited is
through social interaction. With the technological advancement, now there is no
need to be in physical proximity to entertain and interact. Another term ‘Social
Media’ has filled the gap of physical distance, and turned the whole globe into
an accessible village. In fact, the social media do not let anyone maintain Social
distancing. Everyone is in a virtual room now, so social distancing is a
misnomer. Hence, prevention in the pandemic is not through social distancing
but instead through physical distancing. So, why not we switch on to ‘physical
distancing’ and stop the usage of a highly contentious term ‘social distancing’. Hope, by picking wrong terms or giving a negative meaning to a positive term we are not letting cynicism overpower us.
Sir
ReplyDeleteSocial distancing is distancing taken into consideration the needs of society while physical distancing is the mutual exclusive distancing in all aspects.
Social distancing is a wider aspect which covers physical distancing. We cannot say medical front line workers were physically distanced as they worked even during the peak of pandemic. They were involved in social distancing with the institutions of society i.e. spouse, friends, community. If they followed the norm of physical distancing, the fatalities of COVID would have been unpredictable.
So I feel social distancing is the relevant term as physical distancing may have been relevant for people in Pvt sector (that too in April to June, after which lockdown eased and physical distancing got converted in social distancing) but not for people in health sector and bureaucrats who worked all year long.
Suchita
I do agree... however, sociologically social distancing with particular section of the community would mean total cut off from them. It would be a sort of boycott or ostracism. It is more reflection of power dynamics. I think, medicos did not want to totally discard a community. It was safety measure adopted to keep distance and minimize physical interaction. They interacted with everyone and anyone they liked to interact with, by usage of technology, and perhaps, that saved them from breaking down despite isolation.
DeleteI don't mean to say that we have to practice social distancing with a particular community.
ReplyDeleteEven the official site of CDC (Centers for Disease Control ) has used social diatancing as synonym for physical distancing.
But I have taken a wider sociological view of social distancing.
Social distancing is physical distancing practiced keeping in consideration the needs of society.
Physical distancing is the mutually exclusive isolation of person from society.