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5472adcb | 1 years ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 @fc4db4fc Pet theory is that we've normalized involuntarily exposing others to risk in how we've handled covid, so people who have been exposed to bed bugs aren't warning others sufficiently to allow them to avoid it. For example, in one of my social circles someone recently got covid and a few days later went to a birthday *knowing they had it*. Now, would this person also skip that party because they had a bed bug infestation? Probably not.

But. Is this a different set of behavior in regards to bed bugs than say 5 years ago? I suspect so, but zero proof on that lol.

Also, a lot of people being evicted and slumlords probably shittily cleaning flats before finding a new tenant, so 🤷 

Also also, as someone else said, a lot more people are traveling again
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19d59a84 | 1 years ago (raw) | root | parent | reply | flag 
 @15ded8bc

I get where you are coming from (frustration with people's covid behaviour) but I don't like the bed big stigma you are putting out here. Bed bugs don't spread by human to human transmission. You can have bed bugs at home and go to a birthday party without spreading bed bugs. 

Bed bugs rarely spread by like hitching a ride on clothes to another location. When they do, it's usually only if an infestation is really really bad. And lots of people regularly go into such places (shelter, social workers) without bringing bed bugs home using pretty simple precautions. 

So I gotta push back against applying stigma to people dealing with bed bugs at home. It's like unclean diseased (poor) stigma. That's bad. Having bed bugs can really suck and be really distressing, but it's also pretty routine in lots of parts of the world (increasingly I think it's fair to say if you live in city apartments you are gonna get them at least once) and spotting and get rid of them can also be pretty routine if people are well informed. Stigma hinders this.

Maybe the analogy to irresponsible covid behaviour you are looking for is more like people curbing a couch or bed they know has bed bugs, and not labelling it as such, not giving a fuck if someone takes it home with the bugs.