The knowing virus
Friday 27th March – 7.30pm
It is upsetting to realise that this virus knows us better than we know it. I have already pointed out that we know nothing about it – its habits, its behaviours, its state of mind, its position on the Middle East or the Albigencian heresy. But it knows us quite well. For example it knows that when challenged we want to spring into action. Our instinct (of which it is astonishingly aware) is to band together, lock arms and face the enemy. Call me old-fashioned, but that's bloody clever. It knows that when threatened, we get in a tight group – the perfect formation for spreading itself further among us. Not only that, but we get our blood up, start yelling and waving clubs, shouting, singing and expelling virus-carrying sputum from our mouths. And when we look around, there's nothing there. I was fascinated at the American reaction. "Let's go and buy a sub-machine gun, Honey. The virus is coming." And so they queued up in close proximity to one another spreading the virus very effectively indeed. Clever virus. Of course it's not so different from our own reaction here. "The virus is on the way Cecil. Let's queue up for toilet paper." Again, we line up in the closest proximity to one another. The panic the virus spreads shows a knowledge of our instincts and our psychology. Uncanny. This virus has an edge.
It is upsetting to realise that this virus knows us better than we know it. I have already pointed out that we know nothing about it – its habits, its behaviours, its state of mind, its position on the Middle East or the Albigencian heresy. But it knows us quite well. For example it knows that when challenged we want to spring into action. Our instinct (of which it is astonishingly aware) is to band together, lock arms and face the enemy. Call me old-fashioned, but that's bloody clever. It knows that when threatened, we get in a tight group – the perfect formation for spreading itself further among us. Not only that, but we get our blood up, start yelling and waving clubs, shouting, singing and expelling virus-carrying sputum from our mouths. And when we look around, there's nothing there. I was fascinated at the American reaction. "Let's go and buy a sub-machine gun, Honey. The virus is coming." And so they queued up in close proximity to one another spreading the virus very effectively indeed. Clever virus. Of course it's not so different from our own reaction here. "The virus is on the way Cecil. Let's queue up for toilet paper." Again, we line up in the closest proximity to one another. The panic the virus spreads shows a knowledge of our instincts and our psychology. Uncanny. This virus has an edge.
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