If you weren’t sure before, it’s clear now: Twitter and coronavirus do not go well together. It’s absolute chaos on the social media platform right now, from working-from-home tips that include getting dressed (but why?) to medical advice from someone whose knowledge amounts to one conversation with their cousin’s boyfriend who met a doctor once. But the most eye-roll-inducing? Productivity twitter.
It started with one fateful tweet: ‘Just a reminder that when Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear.’
Guys, just in case you’re watching Netflix all day in between bouts of not being able to breathe properly … just remember… you’re lazy. If Shakespeare can write one of the world's top-five-ever plays while his skin turned black, you can find a side-hustle with a dry cough, just saying.
Naturally, the memes rolled in: ‘When Robyn was quarantined in 1665 because of the plague, she wrote dancing on my own [sic]’, one user joked. ‘Remember: when Shakespeare was quarantined he wrote “Stars Are Blind” by Paris Hilton,’ another added.
And while many are laughing at the suggestion that we could all be writing critically-acclaimed literature during self-isolation, there’s also a more serious side to this productivity debate.
Because, it’s not just this one tweet – there are tons of people suggesting we should be finding a way to earn money or work harder while dealing with coronavirus. 'When Isaac Newton had to leave university because of the bubonic plague, he invented calculus and defined the theory of gravity,' one social media user added.
‘If you're quarantined at home, instead of Netflix and chilling, perhaps use the time to start a side hustle earning income online,’ another suggested – attracting nearly 17,000 likes.
There are people on the other side, of course, with one journalist replying ‘If you’re quarantined at home with Coro or any illness I beg you relax. I promise that capitalism will still be there in two weeks to step on your neck.’
And that’s the crux of this issue really, isn’t it? So many of us are under pressure due to our low-paying jobs and subsequent demand for a side-hustle that even during a global pandemic people can’t just sit back and relax. This is the same society that has seen so many on zero-hours contracts lose their entire source of income in the last couple of weeks.
What’s more, Twitter is now filled with the self-employed unable to find any work because of self-isolation and social distancing – and fearing not being able to make rent. Our economy should not be this fragile, we should have laws that prevent people from being in such precarious working situations and networks to support people financially.
Yes, this is an unprecedented situation – but surely a society that prides itself on being one of the world’s greatest economies shouldn’t have so many people living in fear that they can’t pay their mortgage after a couple of weeks lost work.
And on a lighter note, don’t we deserve a few weeks of Netflix bingeing and staring into space? Must we always be writing a novel or sewing Instagram bikinis or crafting necklaces? At what point are we allowed to not be productive, guilt-free? Surely, a global pandemic is that point.
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Click Through: The books you need to read before coming to TV...
Books To Read Before They Come To Screen - Grazia
1 of 11Bernardine Evaristo - Girl, Woman, Other
Depicting modern British life from the perspective of 12 different individuals - most of whom are black women - this Booker Prize winner was one of the highest-selling releases of 2019. Gail Egan and Andrea Calderwood's UK production company Potboiler Television won the rights the this best-seller and are said to be 'delighted to be working with Bernardine on bringing this vibrant and joyous novel to the screen.'It is a vivid and authentic as well as important story of our times,' they said. Details about when the adaption will air are yet to be known, but you'll definitely want to read the critically-acclaimed novel for yourself first.
2 of 11Sally Rooney - Normal People and Conversations With Friends
Rooneyhas had huge success with her novel Normal People. The TV adaption of this book is set to have 12 episodes and air on BBC Three and Hulu at some point in 2020. Set in Ireland during the economic downturn on the noughties, the story follows the complicated relationship of Connell and Marianne throughout their schooling and university education.
3 of 11Vikram Seth - A Suitable Boy
The man who adapted Les Miserables for the small screen - Andrew Davies - is now bringing us the epic A Suitable Boy, condensed into six episodes for a new BBC1 period drama. This classic novel is set in India in the 1950s and follows the lives of four families as the country prepares for a political election during its new found independence. Expect it in June 2020.
4 of 11Thomas Perry - The Old Man
The book is being adapted by Hulu for a TV series starring Jeff Bridges later this year. The premise of this thriller novel is that a former CIA officer (Bridges), who now lives off the grid, is forced to confront his past when an assassin tries to murder him.
5 of 11Ian McGuire - The North Water
Don't miss Colin Farrell playing Henry Drax in BBC Two's four-part mini-series adaptation of McGuire's novel this year. Drax, an amoral, murderous whale harpooner, sets sail with Patrick Summer (Jack O'Connell) on an ill-fated journey to the Arctic. Read the book before the series comes out to find out what happens on the water!
6 of 11Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses
The adaption of Malorie Blackman's Noughts and Crosses premieres on 5 March 2020 on BBC One. The novel is set in an alternative history where black people (crosses) rule over white people (noughts). The TV adaptation focuses on the core themes of the book: prejudice, racism and forbidden romance.
7 of 11Sally Rooney- Conversations with friends
Conversations with Friends by Rooney has also been picked up by the BBC and will be made into a 12-part series. This story humorously comments on the bitter reality of relationships and friendships, told through the perspective of four main characters.
8 of 11Celest Ng - Little Fires Everywhere
This arresting novel is poised to set your screens alight in March. The show is based on the novel by Celest Ng that delves into the life of a free-spirited single mother who moves to Ohio with her daughter. The story revolves around the challenges they encounter when their lives entwine with a middle-class family in the neighbourhood.
9 of 11Eleanor Catton - The Luminaries
An adaptation of Eleanor Catton's novel The Luminaries is set to air later this year on BBC Two. The story is set in the nineteeth century gold rush in New Zealand and focuses on the character Anna Wetherell, who sails to New Zealand to begin a new life and is quickly drawn into a tale of love, murder and revenge. It will star Eva Green and Himesh Patel.
10 of 11Anais Nin - Little Birds
Little Birds is a collection of short, erotic stories from Anais Nin. The stories have been adapted by Sky Atlantic into a dramatic television series that stars Juno Temple. The infamous tales confront a selection of topics and themes and weave together stories of love, desire and politics.
11 of 11Jo Bloom - Ridley Road
Ridley Road will air as a four-part thriller on BBC One, but the release date is still TBC. The series is based on Bloom's novel of the same name and is set in 1960s London. The story focuses on the life of Vivien Epstein who is forced into undercover espionage when she follows her lover into danger.