Don't Hug Patrick Mahomes
I remember as a little kid going to Disneyland and seeing my favorite characters; Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Pluto and Cinderella. They were obviously humans dressed in costume but to me it was more fun to pretend they were real. My first impulse was to hug them and never let go until my mom shouted at me to stop and to give other kids a chance. Shortly after forcing my affection on these fuzzy facades, I'd hold out my signature book with my giant Disney pen or pencil and they'd sign it and move on to the next snot nosed child without hesitation.
They were more than just cartoons brought to life, they were our idols and held a civic duty to give us what we wanted: hugs and autographs. As unsanitary as it was, germs surely clinging to Goofy's large snout and Mickey Mouses giant oversized white gloves, there was never an afterthought. It could be considered a "mental lapse," or an inherent human desire that when you see someone you love or admire, you hug them.
This is not today's standard. In fact, it's quite the opposite. My mother won't even give me a hug during this global pandemic. There's no one to blame, everybody has a different level of comfort of how to navigate these times, but there surely won't be any snot nosed kids hugging Goofy anytime soon. So how do we stop ourselves from these mental lapses? It's clearly not easy, as we saw last weekend when New England Patriots star cornerback Stephon Gilmore gave props to Kansas City Chiefs star Quarterback Patrick Mahomes after their game, giving him a handshake and a hug. Gilmore tested positive for COVID-19 the next day, and Mahomes, obviously concerned about this contact, chalked it up to a "mental lapse."
For years, decades even, this was a common gesture among peers. The half hug and a handshake. Now it's elbow bumps and distanced air fives. Pattycake Mahomes (his mother would cringe if she read this) and his fiancé are sleeping in separate beds until it's confirmed he's tested negative. For Gilmore, in that moment, Mahomes was his Goofy. Mahomes is almost everyone's Goofy. Since coming into the league, almost every football fanatic, fantasy football manager and NFL player has gone goo goo for Mr. Patty Cake, not matter what team they root for or play on. Whether it's his lovable boyish swagger, his kermit the frog like voice, his insane sidearm passes and perfectly thrown fifty yard darts to receivers, or his improbable Super Bowl comeback leading to his first title and MVP; he has garnered the attention of the entire country, if not the world, and is deserved of every ounce of respect and love he receives. His aura is so powerful that even another star player, who is certainly another kid's Goofy, couldn't resist that overwhelming childish urge to hug Mahomes, even after having been in close contact to another player who tested positive for COVID.
If we can't hug our Goofy or our Mahomes or even our own mothers, what is our society going to look like years from now? With constant paranoia and fear mongering pumped out by the media and corporations like the NFL not wanting to risk any star player from playing or getting sick, we are being taught to un-love each other. To stay away from each other and shelter your family. To fight those impulses of wanting to hug our Goofy and never let go until somebody yells at us. That's the harsh reality that we face; years from now nobody will be hugging their heroes anymore.
No matter what side of the coin you're on, it's nobodies fault. We've been getting away mental lapses for years without consequences, but now there are consequences and the mental lapses will exists if we continue to pretend to live in the same society we did before Covid. There are bigger things at stake than just getting the virus or dying. This goes beyond us. There's cultural and societal values that run deep in our blood that could permanently disappear. Human qualities like love and affection could become obsolete, inching us closer to becoming robots. Is this all worth sacrificing our short term desire for sports, fantasy teams and entertainment that distract us from the real truth? Is this all worth living in fear? Or should we fight to save these sentiments? It's all confusing. We can play a contact sport, we can still bungee jump and sky dive and drive cars and fly in planes; we can do things that contradict and tempt fate, but you better stay the fuck away from Patrick Mahomes.
For me, I can't imagine living in a world without my Goofy. The joy and memories it brought me were worth the risk of any germs that the next snot nosed kid could have potentially spread. If we are taught not to hug our children, or our Goofy's or our Mahomes, are we sacrificing our identities for the future generations? Actions cause reactions that can affect people for life. I implore you to ponder what you've already sacrificed, not just for yourself, but for the future of humankind. If you saw your Goofy, would you hug him? It's crazy to think how we lived with such mental lapses before, but is it so crazy to think we shouldn't live without them for the betterment of mankind?
