Dear Greek Life at UNC,
Y’all are so fucking annoying, in almost every aspect. We will always have beef, but I don’t think any one specific action has enraged me more than your response to this pandemic. In the beginning of the semester, which seems so long ago, you knew how easily this virus could be spread and the mandates in place to prevent said spread…and y’all actively went against it, and even worse, you were actually stupid enough to post it! You held parties to welcome the new school year and to get drunk with your friends even though I would put real American dollars on the fact none of your participants had a deprived summer. Even when we got sent home, you all got to stay in Chapel Hill and continue with your fun, while I moved back in with my parents and had to go back to my part-time job. But I am so happy the people who can afford to spend $6000 a semester to pay for your friends get to stay. You’re so blissfully ignorant with your privilege, despite knowing this virus affects every person differently, no group of people are immune, and the specific groups of people who are especially vulnerable to the disease.
I had Corona virus, back in March, when hardly nobody knew a thing about it. I became symptomatic the day we were supposed to return to campus from spring break. I would have been a headline, probably reading “one student’s return from spring break caused super spreader event.” I don’t think I could have lived with myself if I gave the virus to all my friends and then they took it back home to their families, so I am at a loss for words how y’all party so comfortably. My experience couldn’t be compared to having a cold for a few days, despite the assumption young people will “be alright.” It was the worst two weeks of my life and I genuinely cannot remember what happened late March to late April, and I was cooped up in my house the entire time. I couldn’t get out of bed and couldn’t walk down my stairs without needing to sit back down and catch my breath. I had a fever for fourteen days. One day I woke up and couldn’t taste or smell anything. I turned on the news and I swear to God as soon as I did, David Muir was telling me how the loss of smell and sense of taste was a new symptom. Every day I would wake up and something else would be wrong with me and the news would tell me it’s a confirmed symptom. Even after myself and my brother recovered, my mom was still sick with the virus and almost needed hospitalization, and we were all praying my dad remained asymptomatic because he has the most underlying conditions. I had weeks of catching up to do with my schoolwork, and I couldn’t tell you how it all got it done. Obviously y’all don’t care about how the virus could impact other people; so, I guess if there was one thing I could tell y’all to hopefully stop being absolute idiots, it would be that if you contract Corona, you won’t be able to taste your Natty Lights or enjoy an inhale of your watermelon Puffbar. Stop being so blind to your privilege, and just to be clear: I really wish y’all didn’t exist.
Fuck you a million times over,
Lily Lehman <3