Misleading slogans from the media: Part 1
Stay Home Save Lives:
What the media or those who have promoted this slogan do not realize is that people die at home every day. Over seven years ago, my dad passed away at home due to a battle with cancer. Hospice came to our house and provided a bed for my dad so he could feel comfortable during his last days on Earth. Now where he passed away did not have anything to do with this current slogan (Stay home save lives). What the media wants us to believe is that if we stay home as much as possible, there will be far less positive COVID-19 cases and more lives will be saved. I have a relative who stayed home nearly ALL of this time and he still tested positive for COVID. Thankfully, he is young and seems to be bouncing back well. His parents (whom he lives with) rarely leave the house and when they do, they mask up and socially distance (which are also being pushed). So, how could my relative get COVID when he stayed home as much as possible and everyone in his household took precautions to keep each other safe? Someone else I know recently tested positive for COVID in spite of taking the necessary precautions we have been told to take. She masked up everywhere she went, social distanced, and stayed at home as much as she could. Again, taking all these precautions does NOT guarantee that we will not get sick! Are they effective? Honestly, I don’t know because I’m not a scientist and there’s too many differing views on the effectiveness of staying home, wearing a mask, or social distancing. This year is a presidential election year so of course, I believe there’s a lot of politics involved. I wouldn’t be surprised if politicians and their parties have gotten the media and others involved to push their agendas.
The issue I have about the “Stay Home Save Lives” slogan (motto) is that it is false advertising and I feel that it has done more harm than good. This slogan may have had good intentions hoping that by doing so, the virus would slow its spread and positive cases would not increase, but millions of Americans have lost their jobs or been temporarily laid off from their current jobs(myself included) which has cost them their livelihood. Many are struggling financially to pay their bills and keep food on the table. Due to unemployment and being stuck at home, there are other issues to consider. There have been increases in suicide (2 people in my church recently committed suicide), drug overdoses and relapses (I’m involved in my local Celebrate Recovery and several people have admitted to struggling in that area recently), domestic violence, etc.
How about “Stay Home Stay Safe?” This slogan is more accurate but still a bit misleading. As I mentioned earlier, people die at home every day. Many suicides, domestic violence deaths, child abuse deaths, and accidental deaths happen at home. For people who are victims of domestic violence and child abuse, staying at home is not safe for them. Mentally ill people who live alone may not feel safe and may experience suicidal thoughts. I know; I've been there before.
On a somewhat humorous note, staying home is not necessarily safe for me because I can be a klutz. I’ve had two falls in the last few months. Of course, I need to watch where I’m going and declutter so I’m not tripping over stuff. During one of these falls, I scraped my back and was in such pain that I had to stay in bed the next day. A few weeks ago, I tripped over a cord in the dining room area because I did not watch where I was going. I skinned the same knee that I skinned a few months earlier in another fall (not at home).
The “Stay Safe Save Lives” slogan sounds more realistic and should remain. Just plain common sense. I briefly skimmed the article about this slogan.
