[Quarantined] til July sounds like a bunch a bullsh!t. I'm sorry but, it's a [COVID-19] virus, I get it, I respect it. But, at the same time, even if everybody gets it, people are gonna die which is terrible but, inevitable.

-Vanessa Hudgens, Instagram Live, March 2020

A Filipino American woman went off script to confront the possibility of her death by COVID-19 and to critique the absurdity of selective isolation. Several folks on social media overreacted. Vanessa’s past relationships with famous white men exacerbated the jealousy and angst that many (not all) white women have harbored against her and tensions increased. The media picked up the story and sensationalized a fleeting moment that would have otherwise passed as conversations naturally do.

There is a hint of truth to Vanessa’s statements. Prolonged social distancing or isolation will help stave off the inevitable spread of the virus by social contagion because it can live on surfaces for up to nine days…but the reality is that Starbucks and Chick-fil-a are still slinging coffee and fries. Target is still open for business and so is the local dry cleaners. I have frequented these establishments myself since the outbreak. These are working class people in service roles on an hourly wage or owners of small businesses tasked with handling money, making food, and interfacing with the general public…by the hundreds everyday. Who gets to stay home? Who suffers the most from lost wages resulting in hunger and late bills, eviction and repossession? Some struggle to pay for childcare or feed children on school lunch programs since schools have closed? Staying home slows the inevitable spread of the virus, but the luxury of staying home comfortably is not afforded to all.

The media has lied so often to the American public, that I do not blame anyone for misinterpreting how serious this virus can be to a person or a population. Let’s not forget the pandemics that have plagued history via colonization or racist medical experimentation. I cannot blame anyone for believing theories from bio-engineering to bio-warfare when history has seen Afro-American communities deliberately infected with syphilis or Pacific Island communities deliberately infected with leprosy etc. So, I do not hate Vanessa for her words and I am not offended. Please conduct your own research and follow proper guidelines for staying safe and healthy.

Have a Pleasant Day
-Rae Pleasant