As an adult citizen, I don’t like being “scolded”, as if I were a child who has misbehaved. Former President Cristina Kirchner was quite fond of that procedure. She enjoyed telling us off. When I say “us”, I obviously mean the ones who hadn’t voted for her. And now Alberto, the man she chose to be the presidential candidate, follows in her steps when he scolds runners, the “villains” of the Covid 19 soap opera. “Go out and run, but then face the consequences”, he warned.
It’s all right for them to take care of our health, but not just the physical one. We’ve been locked up for ages now, in need of some fresh air, some sort of relief, a bit of hope. That should also be taken into account: our psychological wellbeing. The authorities should sound more empathic, even if they just pretend to have some kind of sympathy towards us. A bit of make believe would do us good. A pat on the back, from time to time. Paraphrasing Julie Andrews: “A spoonful of sugar helps the virus go away”. We are clever and cautious enough to distinguish right from wrong. No need to remind us all the time. Please, Mr President, don’t underestimate us.
Published in Buenos Aires Times