Social Distancing vs Quarantine - the Power of Words

I promise this will be a short post because

a) I don't want to write about COVID-19 (but how can I avoid it?)

b) I don't want to write about schools in Ontario closing down for two weeks after March Break (yet that's on my mind a lot)

c) I don't want to write about my student-teacher (although last Friday was her last day - congratulations SC on a successful, albeit weird, placement!)

d) I am just not up to it (no links, no supporting documentation)

The original title of this blog post was "The Danger of Being Bored". I'm worried that I will run out of things to do during this extra-long "break". I don't do well with unstructured time because that's when I start coming up with odd plans. I've seen the posts on social media that claim that during enforced isolation, Shakespeare wrote King Lear, and Newton invented calculus. Knowing me, I'd do something ridiculous and unsustainable - like buy a dog. (My husband lives in fear of this scenario coming true. Before you dog-lovers chime in to say what a wonderful thing this would be, realize that after a few weeks, most of the burden of care would fall on hubby, who is NOT a pet person.) When I last had spare time, I applied for a second, part-time job. (Luckily, I didn't get hired.) Before that, I offered to babysit twin babies. I know there are many posts out there about things to do and ways to segment your day so it doesn't seem like forever. I have a few plans for me and my family: playing a few role-playing games together, reading some books from my pile, finishing my Kindergarten AQ online course work, cleaning the house, trying some new board games from my closet, and working out at the gym (if it is still open).

And this leads to my point about words. 

James (my husband) was arguing against the use of the term "social distancing", in favour of the word "quarantine". He complained that social distancing was a "weasel word" that lacked clarity. People under quarantine know what's expected of them, unlike those who practice social distancing.

I was more in favour of the term "social distancing" because I felt that the word quarantine had too much history and weight to it and that using it would lead people to panic more. 

His retort? People don't take social distancing seriously as much as quarantining. Plus, people panicked quite thoroughly when it was announced that all Ontario schools would be closed. Try finding toilet paper in stores right now. 

I read an article (I think from The Atlantic) that supported his point. The author consulted with several experts and there were no consistent answers to questions such as "Should I stop visiting my elderly relatives?"

Words impact how we think. If there are 25 different words for "snow" (as I have heard claimed), it leads you to think about snow in much more nuanced ways.