A Hypocrite Hypochondriac
“There are a thousand things a day that can kill you, and I don’t see how you don’t see it.” — Grey’s Anatomy
The COVID-19 pandemic was an event we all shared. Although living in different places with different people and different government responses, we were all isolated yet united, going through varying degrees of anxiety, fear, and precaution.
Despite the way most people carry on with their lives nowadays — four years after it officially began — it’s been said we’ll bear these scars for the rest of our lives.
Some of us might jerk our head at coughing or sneezing in a public space. Some of us might mask up, or at least carry one in our bags along with sanitizing gel. Some of us might still suffer adverse effects from excessive washing, breaking down the thin layer between the outside world and the inside of our bodies.
Although I consume media with anxious, paranoid characters and absolutely empathize with their struggles and particular trains of thought that lead to catastrophic conclusions, I’ve also found myself annoyed by them.
There’s Stuck Together, a French comedy focused on a cast of odd families trapped together in their apartment building in March of 2020; one of them is Martin, a character meant to be laughed at when he sprays disinfectant into his mouth or nearly gets arrested for pointing an infrared thermometer at a police officer.
Or the Korean drama Mad for Each Other where, though not a hypochondriac, the female lead Lee Min-kyung behaves in paranoid ways after a traumatic experience, driving her to compulsive behaviors like taking pictures of her closed windows before leaving the house.
I feel angry at myself for getting annoyed by them because they’re me. And I understand the burden I was, and the help I needed.
Is it hypocritical for finding them infuriating?
