designer slash piles

What Does a Graphic Designer Do When There’s No Graphic Design To Do?

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And after he finishes arranging slash piles, he spends a few minutes looking at stats and getting pissed off:

As of yesterday in Spokane County, there were 220 confirmed cases of Kung Flu (Coronavirus, COVID-19, Wuhan Virus, Chinese Virus, Chinese Lung Rot, Bat Stew Flu, Mao’s Revenge, Chinese Commie Cough, or whatever you wanna call it) and 12 deaths total.

Spokane County has a population of over 471,000 people (that’s a 2010 census number so it’s probably higher).

220 cases / 471,000 people = .046% of the population
12 deaths / 471,000 = .0025% of the population

Statewide, the numbers are:
9,097 cases / 7.6M people = .12%
421 deaths / 7.6M people = .0055%

Governor Jay Inslee declared a state-wide shutdown of “non-essential” businesses on March 17 as well as a lockdown of all residents in their homes. A week or so later, he extended the order to be in effect until May 4.

I have no work. All my clients and potential clients are on lockdown, so I have no way of obtaining design work. Because most people are worried about the economy (because no one is working anymore), discretionary spending is waaaaay down, which kills my pet portrait business.

I’ve got no income and no prospects, and I’m not alone.

It’s common for many to claim that “even one death is too much” which is rubbish: We accept death in many areas of life because we understand that living involves risk. But when it comes to the economy, how much economic death are we willing to endure? How many lives are we willing to destroy economically?

I assure you many lives have been pushed to the brink of ruin because of this economic quarantine. Some have no doubt already been destroyed.

All because a “pandemic” has struck .046% of the local population, and .12% of the state population.

It’s time to ignore the government tyrants and get back to work. To hell with these assholes. They have no right to prevent us from our pursuit of happiness through work.

About the Author

topdog

Topdog is Steve Merryman, a graphic designer (retired), and illustrator. Living in the woods, Steve can often be found working on portrait commissions. In his spare time he paints, writes, shoots guns, cuts trees, hikes with his dogs, savors a beer or two, and searches for the perfect cheeseburger. He studiously avoids social media and is occasionally without pants.

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