I didn’t have any similar experience when I went covid-prep shopping; I was happy to tell people my reasoning, iirc. I think maybe one of the roommates I was with expressed some concern that I was spreading panic, and should avoid explaining myself. But my memory is fuzzy on that point.
I do remember that one cashier gave some serious pushback, saying people were “running around like chickens with their heads cut off” (or some similar expression) all due to “a cold virus” (or some similar phrase). The person behind us in line (not a roommate or acquaintance) backed us up, saying something like “that aint no cold virus, people are dying”.
Later, an ex of mine who I occasionally keep up with was like “so you’re one of those preppers who ruined things for everyone else by buying all the toilet paper”. I experienced some indignation and a desire to defend my strategy as the one everyone should have followed.
A friend of mine reported that he discovered he was not nearly so ready to violate norms as he expected: suiting up to buy groceries felt viscerally wrong in a way that threatened his self-image as someone who readily violated norms. He formed the impression that really, he had just fallen into a role where he was the guy who “didn’t fall into rolls”, playing the part at parties, etc.
I didn’t have any similar experience when I went covid-prep shopping; I was happy to tell people my reasoning, iirc. I think maybe one of the roommates I was with expressed some concern that I was spreading panic, and should avoid explaining myself. But my memory is fuzzy on that point.
I do remember that one cashier gave some serious pushback, saying people were “running around like chickens with their heads cut off” (or some similar expression) all due to “a cold virus” (or some similar phrase). The person behind us in line (not a roommate or acquaintance) backed us up, saying something like “that aint no cold virus, people are dying”.
Later, an ex of mine who I occasionally keep up with was like “so you’re one of those preppers who ruined things for everyone else by buying all the toilet paper”. I experienced some indignation and a desire to defend my strategy as the one everyone should have followed.
A friend of mine reported that he discovered he was not nearly so ready to violate norms as he expected: suiting up to buy groceries felt viscerally wrong in a way that threatened his self-image as someone who readily violated norms. He formed the impression that really, he had just fallen into a role where he was the guy who “didn’t fall into rolls”, playing the part at parties, etc.