I took Paco and Nadia to get an H1N1 vaccine today at a local high school. The whole thing was a phenomenal (and scary) study in group, mass psychology.
The clinic was to open at 4pm but knowing that Obama had raised the stakes by declaring swine flu to be a “national emergency,” I suspected that the experience would be vastly different than when I went a few weeks ago.
I knew there would be a line and, fortunately, brought the double stroller and a boatload of snacks. I thought I’d be #100 or so.
Well, by the time I got there at 3.15, the line was out the door and around and down the block. At least 500 people were there.
Rumor had it there were only 1000 vaccines available (unconfirmed), but seeing the line, those who were arriving then had a hurried way about them.
You could just tell the thought process was “I need to get to this line because that guy in front of me could get the last one.”
There was a tension for that.
Once we got in line, another problem arose…one that attacked people’s sense of fairness.
Periodically, you would see individuals or families walking their way toward the front of the line. Some were talking on their cell phones, looking for people up in front.
The question then arose: is line jumping appropriate?
I was genuinely concerned that a fight might break out. The police were out in force (helicopter included), but soon, there were some verbal confrontations between those waiting
One guy responded, “my friend is up there.”
I have to admit, I was bothered by this. Really bothered by this…as were many others around me.
Not only did it attack my sense of fairness (why should you get to go in front of me when I was here first?), but I think there is a larger ethical issue.
If there are only 1000 vaccines available, why does the fact that you know someone at the front of the line mean that you may get a vaccine and I (or in this case, my kids) won’t?
So, in a situation of scarcity, what is the most equitable way to distribute a potentially life-saving resource?
- First come, first serve?
- If I go out at 10am, can I hold a spot for my kids? What about my friends?
- Does it matter that I can work from home/remotely/using wi-fi/cell phones?
- What if I hire someone to go out at 10am and hold my place in line?
I honestly believe that had the police not been there, the order of the line would have broken down and things could have gotten REALLY ugly.
The medical screeners were up at the front of the line, so you would have waited more than hour to potentially discover that you were not eligible (it was only people 2-24, for example…among other things) and you could see the look of frustration on people who found out they weren’t eligible.
Well, after 2 hours of waiting (and Paco and Nadia were GREAT), we finally made it.
Still, I think the behavior that I saw today made me nervous…You can see how, when things get rough, people have the potential to turn away from civilized behavior and on to each other.
Here’s the video on the way in…
Here’s the line…
Subscribe to RSS Feed