Theatre | The Guardian: Once considered simply a vital bodily function, coughing could be joining the list of unacceptably disruptive behaviours in theatres, along with excessive rustling, talking and using your mobile phone, as people have become more concerned about contagion risk due to Covid.
5 comments:
This article caught my attention because of its title. I thought it was outlandish to compare yelling fire to coughing. But, the further I read on the more I realized just how right it was. I have caught myself flashing the evil eye to people who cough around me and even felt guilty when coughing in public myself. I hadn’t thought of how certain disruptions like coughs affect the tone or even the timing of a performance. The idea that a pandemic of all things is the reason this issue is being resolved is slightly comical. With that said, I do think it is valuable that people are learning more about what it means to be sick. As someone who has always powered through being sick (especially during rehearsals), it is important for me to be aware of how much this affects others. It is well known that if one person gets sick within a theatre department, everyone is going down with them. I believe that one of the things this pandemic has taught us is how to not become sick or if you do how to handle it safely.
In my personal experience, I definitely feel more insecure when I cough in public. I’ve heard many other people say “it’s not covid!” after coughing. It’s in a joking manner but it’s clear people are at least a little anxious about others thinking they’re sick. In the theater, I understand how constant, loud coughing can disrupt a performance, especially a more serious or quiet show, and when you’re an audience member who will be sitting next to them for a few hours, it’s more than irritating now that we know coughing can indicate a Covid-19 infection. The latter part of the article talks about people possibly adopting more hygienic habits due to Covid-19, which I definitely hope continues. Personally I’ve started paying more attention to the things I touch every day like door handles and stairway railings, and avoid touching my face when I know I haven’t had a chance to wash my hands recently. After wearing masks for so long I can’t believe I used to sit in a doctor’s office or hospital without one on.
For some reason, the sounds of coughing, sniffling, and eating have always been a source of great distress for me. I believe it is called misophonia. While it saddens me that the sound of coughing now makes me stressed for a very different reason, I am somewhat glad people are less likely to do it in public. The suspicion that now accompanies a cough may keep sick people at home, god willing, but it will also be a new annoyance for people with specific chronic illnesses. I worked at the urology office during my gap year, and during my first week I was constantly convinced my patients had covid because of the coughing, but most of my patients were older and there a lot of non-viral non-contagious illnesses that cause people to cough. Hopefully these people do not get too much grief for their illnesses as it is something that can not really be helped.
This article is one of the more interesting articles that I have read in a while. It highlights a change in society that is common among many nations and customs. Before the Pandemic I recall people asking others “if you are okay” upon completing a coughing fit. As pointed out in this article, that is no longer the case. The attitude change is both by others but also something that is brought on by ourselves. I have noticed that I tend to make sure I am further distanced from someone if they begin coughing but I have also been on the other side of a coughing fit because I choked on water or my own spit and felt embarrassed and also tried to contain or control this bodily function that is reflexive. I have also felt the judging/fearful eyes. It is interesting to hear the experiences of others noting that they felt there was less coughing during theatrical performances now than there was pre-Covid. I look forward to seeing if I notice a difference in audience behavior myself when I have more opportunities to go to live theatre.
The title of this article is as funny as it is true. I remember going to the movie theater this summer and getting a tiny piece of popcorn stuck in my throat and being petrified to cough. To think that just two years ago people could cough or sneeze near us and many people wouldn’t bat an eye is wild. I think COVID has taught us all how to be amazing germaphobes and this mindset it has gifted us will stay around much longer than the virus itself. Everyone has become much more aware of shared surfaces and standing close to people at the store feels illegal. I wonder what the children who will have their earliest memories be of the pandemic will feel about the idea of germs being everywhere, will we have a generation of germaphobes? Luckily, being a germaphobe is a great and smart thing to be these days – so a generation of germaphobes who believe in science sounds great to me.
Post a Comment