Informal Prompt: How did culture shape my Covid-19 experience? Consider how we define culture. Has it impacted how you perceive Covid-19? Are you committed to a biomedical world-view? Have you been socialized into Western medicine? Has your political background impacted how you’ve dealt with public health mandates, etc?
Culture is defined as the way of life. Culture encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies. I want to reversely tackle the question, how did culture shape my Covid-19 experience? I think COVID-19 shaped our culture. Covid 19 was an environmental factor that entered our lives and changed the way in which society interacted. Pre covid, the idea of hugging your friends and family or shaking the hand of someone new you meet was so normal. Post Covid however, has led individuals to fear those normal social behaviors. Covid 19 created a culture shock in America. Way back when Covid guidelines and restrictions began to open up, the idea of seeing people go to public places like the grocery store seemed to be the craziest and scariest thing ever. If you told people back in 2019 that going to the grocery store was going to be seen as a momentary uncommon culture norm, they would think you were crazy. Covid entered our world and changed our societies culture. Living in America I have definitely been socialized into Western medicine. Western medicine is a system in which medical doctors and other healthcare professionals treat symptoms and diseases using drugs, radiation, or surgery. Being socialized into Western medicine has made me committed to a biomedical model of health, which focuses on purely biological factors and excludes psychological, environmental, and social influences. However, the first few weeks of this class have opened my eyes to the idea that we can’t exclude psychological, environmental, and social influences, as they do in fact impact our health. Being a democrat, I’d say my political views have led me to deal with public health mandates in a specific way. I am a believe that science is real! During the depths of Covid, I followed the CDC mandates. At UNE, I followed the Covid mandates. I am vaccinated and boosted. Not just my political background, but simply my care for the rest of society impacted how I dealt with public health mandates during Covid 19.
