Ladies and gentlemen, we have made it to our final stop on the COVID-19 perspective train that has slowly been making its pass through individuals who are involved with the common American family. While this may be the last individual I interview for this project, there will be more posts soon. In my hopes of always representing the common American family in the best way possible, I decided to gather a perspective from a married father of three children who works as an area manager at a fabric manufacturing mill. Like most of my interviews, I found this interview quite interesting because of how unique some responses can be to the questions I ask. It amazes me every time how each individual's perspective can be drastically different from the last. The story of this father during this time of uncertainty can illustrate some of the conflicts that can be seen from within the coronavirus pandemic. The coronavirus not only brings death and suffering but also carries along with thoughts of sadness and depression. Therefore, in hopes of combating those feelings, I always choose to start my interviews off on a positive note. My first question to this father was for him to list the positives that he has seen from this pandemic. He answered with one major positive that dealt with the speed of society. He went on to explain that society has slowed down tremendously due to the stay at home orders which has allowed individuals, and especially families, to slow down and re-evaluate the important things in life. Other than that, the father did not have much else to say. However, the extra time he had with his family that can be attributed to the virus's effects, I could tell he was very grateful for. There was not much I could contribute to this father's story at this point in the interview so I continued. Flipping the previous question to address the negatives this father has experienced during this time is where things started to get interesting. While we both did mention the idea of there being obvious answers to the question, the father still provided me with an unexpected response. He stated that the economy is suffering dearly from the effects of the coronavirus. Furthermore, he explained, the suffering can be attributed to businesses being shut down and individuals being put out of work. Not only did he address the economy in general, but also mention how people in society are suffering because they are out of work. Lastly, he mentions the added stress from his occupation due to procedural changes, additional responsibilities, and added hours. There was a lot to unpack from this response. However, I could tell he was very passionate about this topic of society and more specifically, the economy. I also noticed the added factor of stress during this response. This seemed to be a topic of which he had been paying close attention to and had been thinking about recently. I transitioned the interview by asking him my favorite question that I have utilized throughout this project. The question was asking him to rate himself on a scale from one to ten on how fearful and or scared he was of the virus personally affecting him. In this case, ten is being the most fearful or scared. He replied with a rating somewhere between a six of seven. He went on to explain that some of his fear comes from the health concern of both his parents and his wife's parents. The elderly have been known to be more at risk of death when it comes to the coronavirus' severity. Additionally, he felt confident that his immediate family would be healthy enough to fight off the virus. This response was very valid, but I wanted something more interesting. Therefore, I decided to follow up on this question by addressing his biggest concern and or worry with the COVID-19 pandemic. First and foremost, his biggest concern deals with the health and safety of his family. He wants to make sure his children and wife are safe during this time of uncertainty. His second response addresses the future of the United States and more specifically, the state of the economy in the coming months. He stated, "they keep talking about the great depression and how that might be a possibility if this doesn't correct itself soon". Now, this was the interesting response I was looking for. We talked about how the economy has been greatly affecting people and the possibility of the United States going into a recession if states do not allow businesses to be opening up. However, the topic of community health was also a factor to weigh in that decision. At this point, I was now seeing his story come together. I wrapped up the interview as I have with all my subjects by asking about his thoughts on how the virus was going to play out. Was it going to be over soon or will this continue into the coming years? In short, he hopes life will be back to 50% normal by the end of May or beginning of June. He believes the effects of the virus will be scattered throughout society for quite some time. However, he hopes the phases included in the plans to reopen states will slowly start to come into effect shortly. Over the past few weeks or so, there has been a battle waging among the citizens and politicians of the United States. While this may seem surprising, there is a divide between the American people at this point. As we know, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought both medical and economic suffering. The balance between reopening the economy and keeping people safe has sparked controversy among citizens. I believe the story of this father can attribute to part of this battle and the fear that is associated with it. This father's perspective was interesting to learn about because it not only offered many different sides to this father's personality but also addressed real-life concerns that are talked about almost every day in society. I feel this father's fear of the future is very relatable. The economy has a strong grip on the well being of our country. However, the health of the people living in that society is just as equally important. Just like this father mentioned before, the idea of balance; I believe if we as a society can balance the two opposing concerns involved with the virus, we can get through the battle within.
