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Alternate History and Pandemics

Your point that in the stories the virus is manmade is probably a thing that feeds the current conspiracy theories about this virus coming from a lab because that's the only experience we have of it, in fiction (outside of the countries most affected by SARS, avian flu and swine flu). It's also part of the 'comforting' idea that even when we're not in control, we are in a weird way, since it's humans behind it and we're not at the mercy of a capricious nature.

Also, the hoarding of bottled water. I really don't get it. What, like, the water treatment plants are going to close? And those things are heavy to lug around and incredibly pricey.
 
Also, the hoarding of bottled water. I really don't get it. What, like, the water treatment plants are going to close? And those things are heavy to lug around and incredibly pricey.
Oh, in the End and Afterwards, the utilities all fell over as well due to the pandemic taking down too many of their workers, and the hoarders were guessing that was about to happen.
I’d have guessed that people might have feared that in this pandemic (more so than toilet paper running out). After all, in natural disasters, it’s often bottled water that gets taken up first and runs out; even if there’s no real chance of the taps running dry, the panic buyers might not reason that far.
- Bottled water gets bought in mass in disasters
- I’d better get some to be on the safe side.
- Oh, crap, that guy there is filling his entire trolley with water. Better get some more before it runs out.
- [Everyone dives in and takes all the bottled water]
- [As with toilet paper in OTL, the supply chains aren’t set up for everyone overbuying]
- [Bottled water shelves are empty and pallets are bare]
- [Broadcasts of empty shelves fuel panic]
- [Everyone else panic buys]
 
No, no, I'm not disputing you featuring it, I saw someone panic-buying right in front of me and I was completely puzzled. It's the logic of it that escapes me, but you do sum it up well.
 
I wonder if part of it is that bottled water is a necessity in just about every other natural disaster scenario.

Earthquake? Better stock up on bottled water in case the pipes are cracked.

Floods? The water treatment plants could be contaminated, better stock up on bottled water.

Forest fires? You'll want bottled water

Hurricanes? Bottled water again
 
And you're damn right about the montage of the-apocalypse-is-inbound tropes all happening now, without the need for a billion people going Crossed.

Also a thing I've noticed in stories, especially the zombie ones, especially a big chunk of World War Z: the masses are complacent and caught out because they don't want to accept it. Except now we've seen a lot of the masses go "OH SHIT", in many cases before it was confirmed how bad it would get in our countries.
 
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