And between now and then, we have to make it through the holidaysandcold and flu season.
With the situation getting more dire by the day, its hard to know what to do next.
And yet, here we are, hittingrecord numbers of COVID deathsevery day.
If science and data arent working, we may be tempted to turn to another strategy: Shame.
But is shaming an effective way to get another person to change their behavior?
Lifehacker spoke with several experts to find out.
And interpersonal shamingbetween family members and friend groupsoperates via similar principals.
But will it work when it comes to reinforcing adherence to public health measures?
The real problem is when shame translates into stigma.
But that doesnt mean we should use it.
Stigmatized identities push people down and out of society, Brewis-Slade says.
But it doesnt work, Hardy says.
Another example is during storms, when people drive their cars through dangerous flood waters, he tells Lifehacker.
Either way, that conversation is not going to be productive for anyone.
Is shame a form of manipulation?
Almost all suggested behavior change is a manipulation, Brewis-Slade explains.
Along the same lines, Leaf says that shaming is not only manipulative its also destructive.
But where the shame strategy gets especially tricky is when people dont realize that theyre using it.
Does it matter who is doing the shaming?
Not all shaming carries equal weight.
I love how you always put her needs before yours.
How do you do this?
I want to learn from you.
Change the narrative
Hardy recommends eschewing shame, and focusing on a persons autonomy instead.
Wear the mask, and you are in control of COVID, not have it control you.
In situations like these, making a case for the greater good probably isnt going to get you anywhere.
Brewis-Slade describes this as evoking moral goodness rather than moral badness as a reason to change.
You know, were being super careful and wed hate to infect anybody else.
So lets kind of reach an agreement about how we can do this and keep everybody safe and happy.
