Representation of Human Values in the Times of COVID-19 by Digital Platforms
The novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 or popularly known as COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan, China, in the final months of 2019 and has since then swept through nearly every country in the world, with more than 13 million confirmed cases and close to 580,000 attributable deaths, as on 15 July 2020 as per the Johns Hopkins University. The disease was declared as a “pandemic” and forced governments across the world to impose restrictions to contain the infections. Such is the overarching influence of the disease that the words such as ‘quarantine’ and ‘social distancing’ have come into common parlance, and the mask has become an indispensable sartorial addition. People have been forced to work from home, schools and colleges have been shut, and established businesses have suffered insurmountable losses. It is then not an exaggeration to deduce that the world has now been divided into newer temporal markings of pre-COVID phase, COVID phase and post-COVID phase.
Human values are the quintessential principles or standards of behaviour that make us humans. These include respect, consideration, appreciation, affection, empathy and love towards other beings. A moment of crisis brings out the best in us and also the worst. It is also the ultimate test of our human values. This is true of the current pandemic of COVID-19 as well. These unprecedented times have pitted us against an invisible, microscopic organism. Though we surpassed our human limits in a few, unfortunately we failed in others.
The news media presented stories of exceptional display of human values. We witnessed examples of generosity and kindness. People involved in the first line of defence against the fight against the virus — the doctors, nurses and healthcare workers — were seen selflessly risking their lives, sometimes with even substandard personal protective equipment (PPE). They were immediately dubbed as “Corona Warriors” 1 for their daunting courage. Through their relentless work beyond shift hours, they took time to comfort dying patients, whose families were not allowed to be with them out of fear of contagion.
To laud their contribution to the society, people came out on balconies to express their gratitude the world over. In India, the Armed Forces showered flower petals from its choppers towards the thousands of healthcare workers battling the coronavirus pandemic.2 In the Brazilian capital of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue paid homage to medical workers by projecting a medical outfit onto the statue and thereby transforming the Jesus into a doctor.3
Image 1: A small comic strip depicting the dedication of the doctor
Source: Twitter (@MahnazYazdani)4
A 99-year-old war veteran Capt Moore also raised a staggering £15m for National Health Service (NHS) staff in the UK after reaching his goal of walking 100 laps of his garden for his 100th birthday on 30 April.5 In a contrasting display of emotions, doctors were callously treated and they were also forced to vacate houses by their landlords.6
The phases of lockdown compounded by the fear of contagion have forced the Hindi movie industry, Bollywood to halt its production of movies forcing many Bollywood stars to stay indoors. Few shared their stories on Instagram on how they were keeping fit and what they were doing. However, Sonu Sood rose to the occasion and began a daunting task of sending migrant workers home as a part of his ‘Ghar Bhejo’ campaign. He pledged to continue working until the last migrant reaches his village and said that this is “the least we can do for our true heroes who work day and night for us and the betterment of our state and city”.7 He, along with his friend Neeti Goel, a Mumbai-based restaurateur, and their team sent around 50,000 people home by buses, trains and even flights. He also helped airlift 177 stranded girls in Kerala reach their homes in Bhubaneswar. One pregnant lady, rescued by him, was so moved with his humility that she named her newborn after him. His extraordinary display of human values helped him earn many epithets with a real superhero, man, “the messiah”8 “a superhero”, “a real hero”, 9 and “a man with a golden heart.”10
Image 2: A meme comparing Sonu Sood to a god who has come to the rescue.
Source: Twitter (@ImAnayt)11
The journey of Jyoti Kumari Paswan is not only another story of unparalleled love for her father but also a triumph of human values against the odds. The 15-year-old pedalled on a bicycle carrying her wounded father and covered more than 1,200 km from Sikandarpur in Haryana to her village in Sirhulli, Darbhanga (Bihar). She was also praised by Ivanka Trump, who described her accomplishment as “a beautiful feat of endurance.”12
Hockey player Jasjit Kular earned accolades in the media as he extended his sympathies for the stray dogs. He got in touch with a Jalandhar-based Animal Protection Foundation and along with his five friends and fed approximately 500 dogs on the 25-km Grand Trunk road near his village Sansarpur in Jalandhar.13 His story proved that the feeling of compassion goes beyond human beings.
The images of unparalleled human values had started coming from Henan province in China in February itself. Liu Haiyan was seen giving her daughter an “air hug” at a distance to show her affection. The concept of “air hug” shows the indomitable power of the human emotion that finds new ways to express itself and the incontestable human values. In a video tweeted by China’s Xinhua News, the nurse is seen extending her arms in the air to console her daughter, who is crying uncontrollably. The child reciprocates and tells her mother that she misses her a lot. “Mum is fighting monsters. I’ll be back home once the virus is beaten,” the mother tells her daughter. Both of them are seen wearing protective masks and headgears.14
Amidst the pandemic, the nadir of human values was also witnessed. The plight of migrant workers represented a humanitarian crisis that was the fallout of the lockdown imposed by the government to curb the spread of the pandemic. The return of the migrant workers has been a process of suffering and chaos etched in memories through the image of a weeping Ram Pukar Pandit, a construction labourer who worked at a cinema hall site in Delhi and was struggling to reach home in Begusarai during the lockdown.
Image 3: Image of Ram Pukar Pandit, who became a symbol of India’s migrant crisis.
Source: The Hindu15
The heart-wrenching images of a failed humanity continued unabated as a baby was trying to be breastfed by his mother who lied dead along the railway tracks in Damoh district of Madhya Pradesh. The widely circulated image of scattered rotis, which belonged to the migrant workers run over by a goods train near Aurangabad district of Maharashtra, lying on the stretch of the railway tracks prompted Existential questions. The incident had taken place 44 days after lockdown. These incidents are emblematic of a collective loss of human values.
Many stories also emerged of people hoarding medical supplies and PPE, and dramatically marking up the price so as to turn an exorbitant and unjustified profit from the pandemic. This showed how the human values were sacrificed at the altar of a few monetary gains. Recent reports also suggest black marketing of Remdesivir, which has been authorized for emergency use in India and other countries for people with severe symptoms of COVID-19. A news channel reports that a drug for Rs 4,000 is being sold for as much as Rs 60,000.16 Recently, the Hyderabad police arrested eight persons and recovered 51 Remdesivir 100 mg injections, nine Actemra 400 mg injections and four 80 mg injections, apart from 180 strips of FabiFlu tablets, 100 pieces of COVID-19 rapid testing kits, apart from net cash of Rs 55,000.17
The media has come under the scanner for its reportage of the migrant crisis. The prioritisation of the need to get a story rather than give a heed to human values has been a recurrent criticism of the media. However, there were journalists such as Salman Ravi of the BBC who caught up with one man walking barefoot with his family and couldn’t resist giving his pair of shoes to the man.18 Salman Ravi proved that it is important to retain human values even while reporting a story and professionalism and humanity are not two mutually exclusive categories. A media personnel can report and yet be human.
Image 4: The cartoon portraying the apathy of the media.
Source: Indiawhispers.com19
The COVID-19 pandemic has both exposed and created deep rifts in the society. The digital divide, the dilemmas in allocation of scarce resources, the exposed medical systems, the loss of a sense of security and the prevalent trust deficit are all testimonies of the same. Amidst these, we have witnessed an incredible triumph of human values and at times, we have failed too in a successful dispensation of these. However as we come out of this temporary phase of hibernation, a thrust on the deep critical thinking regarding the future course of our life will certainly prompt a complete reboot of human values. Till then, one can only hope for a better version.
References
1. Agnihotri, Vivek. “The corona warriors”. The Hindu. 10 May 2020.
https://www.thehindu.com/opinion/open-page/the-corona-warriors/article31544102.ece Accessed 15th July 2020
2. “Armed forces conduct flypast for corona warriors, choppers shower petals”. Times of India. 3 May 2020.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/indian-armed-forces-conduct-flypasts-across-india-to-honour-covid-19-warriors/articleshow/75515486.cms. Accessed 15 July 2020.
3. O’Kane, Caitlin. “Christ the Redeemer statue lit up as doctor to honor frontline medical workers during coronavirus pandemic”. CBS News. Accessed 13 April 2020.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/christ-the-redeemer-statue-lit-up-as-doctor-to-honor-frontline-medical-workers-during-coronavirus-pandemic/ Accessed 15 July 2020.
4. https://twitter.com/MahnazYazdani/status/1247545748071370759/photo/1. Accessed 15 July 2020.
5. Murray, Jessica. “Capt Tom Moore raises £15m for NHS as he completes garden walk”. Guardian. 1 April 2020. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/16/coronavirus-capt-tom-moore-raises-12m-nhs-completes-garden-walk. Accessed 15 July 2020.
6. Joy, Shemin. “Amidst COVID-19 outbreak, landlords ask doctors, nurses to vacate houses; govt warns owners”. Deccan Herald. 25 March 2020. https://www.deccanherald.com/national/amidst-covid-19-outbreak-landlords-ask-doctors-nurses-to-vacate-houses-govt-warns-owners-817435.html. Accessed 15 July 2020
7. “Sonu Sood arranges buses for migrant workers to send home in UP: ‘Visuals of migrants, walking a deadly distance, made me sad’”. Hindustan Times. 17 May 2020.
https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/sonu-sood-arranges-buses-for-migrant-workers-to-send-home-in-up-visuals-of-migrants-walking-a-deadly-distance-made-me-sad/story-rs2ARQewpIsbd7BxAAAwUM.html. Accessed 15 July 2020.
8. Vij, R K. “Unstoppable Sonu Sood: The Messiah For Many Amid Coronavirus Lockdown.” Outlook. 01 June 2020.
https://www.outlookindia.com/website/story/opinion-unstoppable-sonu-sood-the-messiah-for-many-amid-coronavirus-lockdown/353930. Accessed 15 July 2020.
9. Pandey, Geeta. “India coronavirus: Bollywood actor Sonu Sood hailed for helping migrants.” BBC News. 25 May 2020. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-52783084. Accessed 15 July 2020.
10. Ghosh, Raya. “Sonu Sood trends online for helping migrants go back home. Real hero, says Internet.” Hindustan Times. 23 May 2020.
https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/sonu-sood-trends-online-for-helping-migrants-go-back-home-real-hero-says-internet-1681086-2020-05-23. Accessed 15 July 2020.
11. https://twitter.com/ImAnayt/status/1263020524759900160/photo/1. Accessed 15 July 2020.
12. Menon, Vishal. “Girl cycles father 1,200 km to Bihar — and hope follows”. Indian Express. 23 May, 2020. https://indianexpress.com/article/india/cycling-federation-girl-cycles-father-home-migrant-worker-coronavirus-lockdown-6423136/. Accessed 15 July 2020.
13. Duggal, Saurabh. “India hockey player Jasjit Kular feeding hundreds of stray dogs in Jalandhar”. Hindustan Times. 26 May 2020. https://www.hindustantimes.com/chandigarh/india-hockey-player-jasjit-kular-feeding-hundreds-of-stray-dogs-in-jalandhar/story-Cg2cnQ0Qu92QJjuIWYRBaP.html. Accessed 15 July 2020.
14. https://twitter.com/XHNews/status/1224695527402393600?. Accessed 15 July 2020.
15. https://th.thgim.com/news/national/kd8h1d/article31609522.ece/ALTERNATES/FREE_960/18THBIHAR-MAN. Accessed 15 July 2020.
16. Mordani, Sneha. “Profiteering in Pandemic: India Sees Overuse & Black Marketing of Covid-19 Drug Remdesivir, Govt Steps in”. IBN 18. 11 July 2020. https://www.news18.com/news/india/profiteering-in-pandemic-india-sees-overuse-black-marketing-of-covid-19-drug-remdesivir-govt-steps-in-2711099.html. Accessed 15 July 2020.
17. “Hyderabad: Eight arrested for black marketing Covid-19 drugs”. Indian Express. 14 July 2020. https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/hyderabad/hyderabad-eight-arrested-for-black-marketing-covid-19-drugs/. Accessed 15 July 2020.
18. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-52743506/coronavirus-outbreak-reporter-s-gift-of-shoes-to-migrant-goes-viral. Accessed 15 July 2020.
19. https://www.indiawhispers.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Migrant-Crisis.jpg. Accessed 15 July 2020.
