Band Aids | THE VIRAL Journal, Part 3
By Steve Coonan
Another day passed, and Rose and I were back on the trail. This time the “zombie” faces were less shocking. Somewhere along our way, reflecting on yesterday’s walk and mentions of a band aid fix, an idea struck me. Wearable billboards (shirts) for passers-by to take in messages of peace and connection. it’s aim? To wash over their mounting Coronavirus fright and solitude.
In the short term, yes, the relief might only be for a moment; a small “band-aid” for something as grave as a pandemic. But if I can pass by a single person each and every day, goodness can build virally. The same premise applies when getting more people to wear the shirts. If people wearing these shirts start doing virtual happy hours or social posts with them on, then the feeling of good vibes spread. This virality, can also passively remind people to wash hands and do generically better behaviors.
It’s also a reminder that we’re not each other’s enemies. Instead, it’s the Coronavirus. We’re still mostly loving neighbors from pre-pandemic times. Throughout history, hard times were won through unification. In the long-term, looking back we’ll discover this period, filled with projects like mine, is just like all the rest of them.
That said, how can we unite if we can be together? Just because weren’t not near each other doesn’t mean we can’t have a rally cry or voice in our communities. Maybe we can’t have a verbal one in most situations but we can certainly have a visual voice with these shirts anywhere in the world. Hopefully, these “shirt[boards]” can be the voice of Americans looking to passively make society a better place to be during this unprecedented time.
So, let’s make the word viral a positive one in our current climate by supporting ShirtBOARDS by GOOD GONE VIRAL!
Come t,
Steve Coonan
>Share Steve’s state of mind? Keep spirits up by taking home a BE UNITED ShirtBOARD.
Our e-journal documents the COVID-19 pandemic from our viewpoint within our community. In the short-term, we hope it promotes connectivity and contrast within our shirtBOARD network. In the long-term, we hope it gives timely interpretations of the event to provide insight and understanding for future generations.
