Those in charge of major airlines have gone on the record stating the CoronaVirus pandemic has and will cripple aviation more so than September 11th. During his time as a Federal Officer with the TSA, Anthony Galima saw first hand the condition of the traveling public getting on and off airplanes, what they brought onto airplanes, as well as how these airlines ‘cleaned’ the planes between flights. To say it was disgusting and disturbing would be an understatement.
According to Mr. Galima, it is impossible to thoroughly clean these planes between flight loads with the current time restraints, practices, and standards in place. The uric acid, piss, and fecal matter on seats, coupled with germs on tray tables makes airplanes more unsanitary than many public bathroom toilets.
One thing that can be done, instead of overcompensating after this pandemic by utilizing harsh chemicals, would be the use of ‘ultraviolet germicidal irradiation’ (UVGI). This disinfection method uses short-wavelengthultraviolet (UV-C) light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital cellular functions. UVGI is already used in a variety of applications, such as food, air, and water purification. To date NO airline has ever used this noninvasive solution to clean the planes, as well as purify the air and their water.
As a result of the CoronaVirus (COVID-19) global pandemic and markets crashing; within the wake of self-quarantining, “social distancing,” hoarding necessities, and the temporary restrictions imposed upon domestic and international travel globally, we at Business Anthropology, Inc. were interested in hearing Mr. Galima’s thoughts and solutions moving forward. Specifically, will life “return to normal,” what can we learn from this, and what will forever be changed?
The “free flow” of people and commerce is an essential part of both economies and modern-day life. The CoronaVirus pandemic has clearly disrupted this, crippled global economies, isolated people on an unprecedented scale, destroyed many small businesses, and created a fear that has remained unseen in this century until now.
Mr. Galima predicted a pandemic/event of this nature within his ongoing research titled; “The Making and Unmaking of the Modern World Through Advances in Medicine and Technology.” Anthony began our discussion by saying, “Throughout this century, many technological advancements we have embraced on a global scale, are rendering us into idiots.” He has seen first hand how the advent of e-mail, followed by instant and text messaging, to now social networking platforms and emojis have simplified both language and thought on a global scale.
“Social networks have also nurtured a dangerous ‘groupthink’ and ‘cognitive dissonance.’ They are largely controlling the popular narrative and pawning off editorialized opinions as fact.”
People have voluntarily created “profiles” within social networking platforms sharing information both consciously and unconsciously which is collected and analyzed. These social networking platforms have redefined human relationships, friendships, and coupled with “Netflix and chilling” have made people voluntarily stay home and become “less social.” Before the advent of social networks, the only individuals within society who had complex dossiers and profiles were of a “criminal class.”
Mr. Galima believes “social distancing” to be extremely dangerous; in fact he stated it is “more dangerous than the CoronaVirus we are trying to contain.” “I am reminded of the 1995 Chicago heat wave which led to 739 heat-related deaths over a period of five days. Most of the victims of the heat wave were elderly/poor residents of the city. After additional analysis what is most interesting are the neighborhoods which reported the fewest fatalities and in some cases no deaths whatsoever. These neighborhoods had elderly and poor residents as well; but what made them different? ‘A simple knock on the door.’ These communities were very close-knit; the residents knew their neighbors, and not only did they pool resources, but they frequently checked up on one another in a physical fashion during this crisis. We will not know until this CoronaVirus pandemic is over how many folks will have died alone within their homes and apartments.”
“‘Social Distancing’ is an extreme measure that is unrealistic to maintain. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this measure is yet to be seen, and the logic behind it uses a lot of specious reasoning coupled with falsities which have been pawned off as fact. People really believe ordering take-out is safer than walking into a restaurant, or limiting the number of individuals in a supermarket at any given time can safeguard your health.“ According to Mr. Galima, this is a falsity.
“Common sense measures should be taken to prevent the spread of this virus, but life as we know it cannot stop. Someone could have coughed on your take-out food packaging, or coughed moments before you entered the supermarket; the risk is still present. Now is the time to display empathy, compassion, and embrace that which makes us ‘human.’ Now is the time for the scientific community to pool together the information we know to be true, and inform the populace of these facts.“
Wearing masks and compulsively utilizing hand sanitizer can increase your chances of getting sick. How is that possible? “We practice more risky behaviors with a mask on because we falsely believe we are ‘protected.’ What kind of mask are we wearing? Are we wearing it correctly? How long have we been wearing it? Only a minuscule number of masks on the market are FDA approved/of a surgical quality, and known to prevent the passage of ‘some’ airborne pathogens.”
According to the CDC, many studies show hand sanitizers work well in clinical settings like hospitals, where hands that are not soiled or greasy come into contact with germs. Data also illustrates hand sanitizers only work well against certain types of germs, but in community settings, such as after people handle food, play sports, work in the garden, or go shopping, when hands are soiled or greasy, hand sanitizers do not work well. Washing your hands with ordinary soap is still the most effective measure.
What Mr. Galima really wanted to discuss most are solutions that can be implemented moving forward to mitigate the spread of airborne pathogens that are non-invasive, and will offer something better than the false senses of security currently imposed on societies through quarantines, social distancing, and shutting down entire cities.
“The governmental and self imposed quarantining of citizens gives us the opportunity to create solutions and think differently. Traveling in airplanes for most people is a miserable experience. Forget the fact seats are crammed together, meals are rarely served, and you can’t get a full can of soda; planes are a Petri dish of filth and disease. Today, any person willing to pay a small fee can turn just about any animal into a ‘service animal,’ so in addition to filth, dirt, and disease, we now have cat and dog allergens being recirculated flight after flight.
Although no solution can be 100% effective, utilizing ultraviolet germicidal irradiation within aviation, sporting areanes, public transportation, and places where large groups congregate would be an excellent start. We can also use seat covers constructed with recycled paper and coated with non-toxic disinfectants.”
“People are going to catch the flu each year. The CoronaVirus has not yet run its course; but outside of the box thinking and techniques that bring the human family closer together, rather that further distancing ourselves is more necessary today now than ever before. If not, we are at risk of becoming cold and uncaring like the technologies we have so happily embraced. Implementing new procedures and technologies can help prevent a ‘patient zero’ from infiltrating our borders and infecting the masses. But closing the beaches, restaurants and bars at 5pm, and other outdoor venues is a pathetic attempt only creating a false security.”
For more than 20 years, Anthony Galima has been one of the world’s leading Business Anthropologists. He has meticulously studied global cultures, societal demographics, social norms, and technological shifts/trends. It is his hope a major airline, or brilliant individual like Richard Branson or Mark Cuban will contact him to assist in setting new benchmarks in aviation/sporting venue standards and mitigate the spread of airborne diseases in the future by implementing simple and effective measures.
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Anthony Galima
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