Thanksgiving is a very traditional holiday. Most people typically celebrate it the same way every year, and for a majority of Americans that means traveling to visit family. This year, there are significant externalities to travel regarding the pandemic. A large number of college students around the nation like myself, will be heading home for Thanksgiving, and many of them will not return to school until late January or February. However, the tight window for travel from essentially today to next Wednesday presents an enormous opportunity to spread COVID-19 which will present negative externalities for every American for the foreseeable future. To avoid this externality, and personal harm, many families (especially older members) are choosing not to gather this year.
This is not the only avoided externality that occurs as a result of not gathering for the November holiday. Every year, millions of Americans suffer during Thanksgiving because one or more of their extended relatives is vegan. Creating an edible and enjoyable Thanksgiving meal is a near impossible task for anyone who has a vegan in their family. Now, don't get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with people choosing to follow a rigorous diet of any form. However, in order to make family feel comfortable around each other during the festive meal, lots of families want to make sure that everyone eats the same thing. This results in significantly less enjoyment of the meal for most non-vegans in the family who are forced to eat the food with no animal products. This year promises hope for those Americans, a year of meat, gravy and a proper pumpkin pie.
No comments:
Post a Comment