OPINION: The Hunger Games of Hoarding

Breaking News: Toilet Paper Stocks have shot through the roof!

Ever since the coronavirus was announced a pandemic, people have gone into a panic mode. They've been buying hand sanitizer, soaps, cold medicine, Ibuprofen, and wet wipes. However, one specific product's revenue has shot through the roof since mid-February, namely toilet paper. Yes, you read that correctly. Toilet paper.

The situation seems farcical for many. A copious amount of memes and news articles about people buying entire stores of toilet paper and hand sanitizer have gone viral. A multitude of stores are scrambling to restock the Bedroom/Bathroom sections. People have even started to bring knives to stores to fight over custody of specific products. But why are people panicking so much over something as simple as toilet paper, or any other appliance, for that matter?

Frances Mao from BBC News describes the situation as a "herd mentality", where societal behavior influences one's emotions and rational thinking. Once one country starts to panic and hoard supplies, other parts of the world are affected by their actions and panic as well. As Trevor Noah said, "...another thing, stop hoarding everything guys. If we all panic, no one has anything, and if no one has anything then there's more panic. It becomes a viscous cycle". Similar to peer pressure, societal pressures affect our thought process and clear judgement. Hoarding toilet paper may seem necessary at the moment, but what people don't consider is the dark truth hidden deep beneath the continuous impulse to purchase more items- society's constant unrest over the virus. What people need to understand is that panicking over supplies will only spur more fear of the virus. And if we let this fear overwhelm us, we will be unable to overcome this crisis.

Other than flexing that I very obviously have a wide knowledge about the coronavirus, what I'm trying to convey with this post is that hoarding and panicking over supplies only leads to more fear over the virus, and, with the way that the virus is affecting us right now, we need more reassurance and positive vibes than ever. So rather than freaking out and buying more supplies, support your family and friends during these difficult times. That's all I have to say for now, but I'll be back with more blog posts later on, so don't worry; you're not rid of me just yet.

Peace and love,

Shreya K.