When Public Service Messages Become Twaddle

Alone Together. I'd love to meet the advertising genius who came up with this one. It sounds so warm and fuzzy. So cozy and comforting. So group-huggy. A virtual and universal kumbaya chorus. Hashtag: Don't worry, be happy.

Yup, I'd really like a one-on-one with the public relations pro whose awareness of group psychology led him or her to compose this two-word emotional analgesic, with its suggestion that every other human being on earth can feel my pain and has my back.

Should my wish for an introduction be granted, I would abandon all social distancing guidelines long enough to offer a hearty handshake. I would then exploit this grasp to execute a judo-like hip flip, sending said sloganeer to land squarely on their bottom with a gravitational thud.

Why the vitriol? Well, I happen to be sequestered with no company aside from my cat. And while JJ's a swell companion, he's a lousy conversationalist. He does offer the occasional cuddle, but it's always on his terms.

I realize that having a pet puts me in a better position than thousands, perhaps millions, of companionless others who feel marooned, bobbing in an ocean of vacant space. But prolonged lack of human contact is my point. And I will presume to speak for many when I proclaim to the omnipresent Ad Council, "Being alone together is small comfort to those who are ALONE. You might want to think about that the next time you sit down for a Skyped brainstorming session with your overpaid buds in the biz."

Bottom line: There are mental and emotional health issues to be considered alongside the physical health concerns that are important to all of us. Many people suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder or agoraphobia, from depression and insomnia. How dramatically has the 24/7 media frenzy over COVID-19 aggravated their conditions or added to their ranks?

Before I exhaust the subject, one interesting tidbit: The word kumbaya—so closely associated with feel-good appeals to peace, love, and unity—translates to come by here.

I'm looking forward with white knuckles and a hopeful heart to the day when JJ and I can once again invite friends and family to kumbaya.

See y'all soon?