You’ve got to be careful reading the news at times like this. Media outlets have a vested interest in getting us to visit their sites, and they know the kind of words that will draw us. Today’s keywords seem to be “panic” and “chaos.” To read the news you’d think there has been panic at every grocery store and chaos at every airport.
There’s no doubt that there have been some moments of poor behavior as people have realized they may not be able to easily purchase some of life’s necessities. Hence, “Panic As Shoppers Fight Over Toilet Paper!” There’s no doubt there have been moments of confusion as airport lineups have swelled in response to stricter policies—“Chaos at America’s Airports!” But it seems to me—and I have been following the news very closely—that such moments are relatively few and far between. When measured across America, or North America, or the Western world, we see very little true panic and very little true chaos. To the contrary, the great majority of people are acting in measured and responsible ways.
One thing we need to carefully guard against at a time of uncertainty is the irresponsible use of hyperbole.
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