 |
By Jason Lim
 |
Seriously, the disconnect between toilet paper and anything that might be helpful to protect one's family during a coronavirus crisis is difficult to bridge. I understand people stocking up on water ― what if they have to leave on a road trip into the countryside to escape the marauding zombies? We've all definitely seen a movie or two.
I also understand hoarding baby wipes and other throwaway cleaning products ― definitely want to keep everything clean and sanitized these days. And I totally get boxes of ramen and even SPAM ― those things will last forever and still taste good. But toilet paper?
The Canberra Times in Australia quotes four experts who weighed in with different flavors of explanations.
First, Alex Russell, from the School of Health, Medical and Applied Sciences, Central Queensland University, says: "I think we're noticing the toilet paper more than the other things because toilet paper packs are big items that take up a lot of shelf space. Seeing a small product sold out at the supermarket (such as hand sanitizer) is not that unusual, and it's only a small hole in the shelf that is often temporarily filled with nearby products."
So, people are not really hoarding toilet paper over other items, but we are noticing it more because the empty spaces are bigger? Hmm. Doesn't pass the smell test. I am not noticing the empty shelves more ― I am noticing that there is literally no toilet paper to buy!
Second, David Savage, from the Newcastle Business School, University of Newcastle, says: "I think it is the perfect product. It is completely non-perishable and one of the few products that you can stock up on that you are guaranteed to use eventually. I don't know for certain, but I suspect that most people only buy toilet paper when they are just about to run out, which could be a problem if you need to stay isolated for two weeks. So I think this is just a preparation process, because we have seen that toilet paper has become a shortage item elsewhere."
OK, Savage makes more sense than Russell to me. You can't argue with the logic that toilet paper will be used eventually, as long as your body is alive and functioning. And, yes, you need some safety stock for a potential quarantine. But stocking up on a year's worth of toilet paper? When does preparation transition into aluminum foil land? I think we have already crossed it. It didn't take much, did it? Scary.
Third, Niki Edwards, from School of Public Health and Social Work, Queensland University of Technology, says: "Toilet paper symbolizes control. We use it to tidy up and clean up. It deals with a bodily function that is somewhat taboo. When people hear about the coronavirus, they are afraid of losing control. And toilet paper feels like a way to maintain control over hygiene and cleanliness."
When faced with uncertainty, one that's potentially life-threatening, we feel a need to do something to give us a sense of control. Basically, it's our way of escaping anxiety. I mean, religion is basically feeling the same need ― providing a narrative with a set of rituals to give us a sense of influence and control over an uncertain future in a scary world. Having said that, I don't think toilet paper buying qualifies as a religious experience. Why can't buying water and baby wipes give you enough psychological comfort? How did toilet paper become synonymous with achieving a sense of control?
Fourth, Brian Cook, from the Community Engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction Project, the University of Melbourne, says: "My suspicion is that it is to do with how people react to stress: they want an element of comfort and security. Stocking up on toilet paper is also a relatively cheap action, and people like to think that they are doing something when they feel at risk."
But how did it become THE action to engage in when they feel at risk? How did toilet paper buying go "viral" as the universal means to regain the element of comfort and security? How does a behavior cross national and cultural boundaries with such speed and universality that everyone's doing it in the face of a common threat? Put it in another way, how did toilet paper become the protagonist in a story that we are clutching at to recover a sense of well-being?
We know that stories are essential because they make us feel that we have control over our surroundings. They allow us to see patterns in chaos and purpose in randomness. "Humans are inclined to see narratives where there are none because it can afford meaning to our lives ― a form of existential problem-solving." I just never thought that I would see a day when we would communally buy into such an unexpected story in response to a collective threat.
Jason Lim (jasonlim@msn.com) is a Washington, D.C.-based expert on innovation, leadership and organizational culture.
![[INTERVIEW] 'Korea, US can create synergy in space industry': NASA ambassador](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/97d561c153754ca19e3c626ec734eb82.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
