Felipe Franco: Another kind of pandemic

Felipe Franco is a Brazilian-German Creative, Director and Entrepreneur. Since 2017, he lives in Shanghai but is currently stationed in Hamburg, Germany due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Concerned about the growing prejudice and discrimination between countries and cultures in the face of the novel Corona-Virus, Franco (pictured) is launching together with his creative consultancy – FF&CO – the campaign “Do not spread H4T3”.

Dear People,

Perhaps you don’t know it yet, but another dangerous virus is on the loose. It could also create a horrible pandemic.

No, I’m not talking about the infamous Corona-Virus, COVID-19. I am talking about a highly-infectious form of an ancient virus. It has been around for ages, but it’s constantly mutating, changing its faces and forms. And that makes treatment even more complex.

Its infection rate, well, it is as high as it possibly could be.

It is transmitted by direct and even indirect contact. Some say one of the easiest forms of transmission is via computers and smartphones. But, you can also spread it through meetings. Yes, that budget discussion, or that gossipy coffee break can infect you.

And it gets worse.

The incubation period is indefinite; it varies wildly from person to person. For some, it takes years of exposure to the virus before the first symptoms appear. For others, the effects come almost immediately after first exposure. Children are even more vulnerable. And seniors.

But don’t be fooled. The truth is: no specific group is completely immune.

This is a disease that primarily affects hearts and brains. Early symptoms are unclear. We do know, however, that it starts with irritability, tachycardia and an acute reduction in empathy. It can lead to selective blindness, deafness, loss of consciousness and even reduced brain-capacity. It may be common to develop unreasonable phobias that worsen patients’ situations and increase its infectious potential.

Groups of infected people are extremely dangerous. They can create even greater mutations of the virus and strengthen it along the way.

In the international community, this virus is known as H4T3, but really every country has its own name for it. Look for the telltale sign: this dangerous virus is fed by prejudice and misinformation.

It is currently severely affecting its Chinese and other Asian victims. But it can also attack Africans, Muslims, LGBTQ communities and many, many more. This virus spreads globally! Watch out and help victims or sooner or later it could harm you as well.

The good news is that there are effective methods to fight this pernicious virus.

Here are some of them:

• Always clean your soul immediately after experiencing any of the symptoms we mentioned above.

• Always keep your mind open. No culture is worse or better than yours. And you are no better or worse than anyone else.

• Do not create generalizations. There are good and bad people anywhere. Anywhere.

• Consume abundantly information from varied and reliable sources. Whatsapp does not count.

• Burst the bubble you live in. Get in touch with people with ideas different from yours, even during social distancing. Any subject has many different points-of-view.

• When possible again, traveling is highly recommended. Go see the world with your own eyes to understand how complex and at the same time simple life is.

Oh… I almost forgot one last thing. Luckily there is already a vaccine for this virus.

It’s universally available. It’s free. It’s called L0V3.

Do not spread H4T3. It can kill.

Stay safe, stay strong, but always stay open.