Current Events > The worst part of the stockpiling is this:

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Group A goes fucking bonkers over the coronavirus. They panic-buy everything - TP, frozen/tinned food, condoms, ammo, pasta, anything they can get their hands on in the event of quarantine.

Group B looks at the miles of empty shelves that Group A left in their mania. Their regular shopping has been interrupted by the mass outages caused by the first wave of reckless consumption. So when the shelves are restocked, they're buying up as much stock as they can to avoid missing out. They see their mass consumption as more noble than the coronavirus doomers, but their actions play into the ongoing shortages and panic and create more "noble-minded" mass shoppers who are worried about missing out.

Group C can't get to the store in time. They work long hours, and maybe they have a boatload of kids. The commute to go shopping might be upwards of 15 minutes just to get to the store - and that's on top of the long hours they work. These people are almost always the people who need these supplies the most, and it could be argued that they might be the most at risk of contracting the virus due to chronic exhaustion lowering their immune system, or being around multiple vectors of disease like children or germy surfaces.

Because the panic-buyers of Group A and the "won't miss out again" crowd of Group B are stripping the shelves clean, Group C are shit out of luck. Best case scenario, they can get that smooth tube pasta that people seem to be leaving behind (unless that's just an Italy thing). Worst case scenario, these people actually do run out of TP and food, and conditions get so bad they're not able to get their hands on some.

And it's Group C who are the most vulnerable to Group D - the dregs of Group A and B who bought all this shit up, just to sell it for disgusting prices online instead of out of any actual fucking need.

The panic buyers create more panic buyers, because their excessive consumption breeds the fear of more panic-buying related shortages in those who otherwise see no reason to hoard so much shit. While well intentioned, they play into the shortages along with the panic-buyers, leaving the truly needing consumers without essential supplies. Those people are them forced to turn to scalpers to get their essential supplies, which empowers those scalpers to keep mass-buying essential supplies and sell them for disgusting prices.

All of that stems from stupid fucking doomers who are worried that they're not going to have enough toilet paper for a maximum of two weeks.

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