How Would President Snow Handle The Coronavirus?

I’ve been reading Suzanne Collins’ prequel to The Hunger Games, Modern Philosophers, and the book really has the Deep Thoughts flowing.

The novel follows the life of a young Coriolanus Snow during the tenth Hunger Games.  Remarkable, the author manages to make the evil protagonist of the series seem sympathetic.  So clearly, it was the power of the Presidency that turned him into the worst possible version of himself.

Or maybe he was just a horrible human being all along, and it only became obvious once he was in the spotlight as the most power man in the country.

It got me to wondering how President Snow would have handled the Coronavirus.  After all, President Trump seems to adore tyrranical world leaders, and it would be intriguing to see if the two men would approach the crisis in a similar manner.

I bet if one of The Hunger Games movies was playing on a White House TV, Trump would sit down and watch it, totally mesmerized, believing it to be the offical State TV feed from Panem.  He’d then order his staff to arrange a meeting with President Snow, and wouldn’t relent until poor Donald Sutherland was brought to the Oval Office to explain that he’s not really the leader of America in the dystopian future.

Oh the tweet storm Trump would unleash after that fiasco!  He’d blame the fake news for making him believe Panem was a real country, but not until after he spent a night musing over the pros of holding his own version of The Hunger Games to teach those protestors in the Blue States who was really boss!  I bet Stephen Miller already has the blueprint for the arena on his laptop.

But I digress.  Back to President Snow and how he would handle the Coronavirus.

Coriolanus Snow does not mess around with anything that could interfere with his iron grip on power.  He would see the virus as a threat, a cause the Districts could unite behind and use as another excuse to rise up against the Capitol.

As a result, he would enforce mask wearing and social distancing laws to such an extreme extent that the punishment for not complying would be death.  After all, if the people in the Districts die, it cuts into his work force.  The Capitol needs the Districts to provide its residents with everything needed to lead the luxurious lives to which they are accustomed.

While the people in the Capitol would muse that it didn’t matter if the virus spread through the Districts and wiped out the entire population, Snow would know better.  He’d make sure every person in the Disctricts had an ample supply of masks, and he’d see to it that they were worn.  There would be no social gatherings other than to work.

Snow might be lax in enforcing the mask mandate in the Capitol, though.  While he would make sure that everyone around him was safe, so that he did not become infected, he might not mind if other members of Panem’s elite succombed to the virus.

He’d see those deaths as lessening the threats to his power, and more enemies eliminated without the need to be poisoned.  That’s less work for him and more time to tend to his rose garden, or to dream up ways to make Katniss’ life miserable.

Hell, he might even find a way to work the virus into The Hunger Games to keep them exciting and topical.  Knowing his twisted mind, he’d order the Head Gamemaker to test various Coronavirus vaccines on the tributes during the games.

And to make it seem like he was an adoring leader, perhaps Snow would promise the vaccine would be distributed first to the citizens living in the District of that year’s Hunger Games victor.  What better way to get the entire country interested in the Games?

Do I think President Snow would wear a mask?  Yes, I do because he wants to live and would understand the science behind the virus.  Besides, no one would dare refer to the leader of Panem as weak for wearing one.

Unlike, Trump, Snow is not insecure in how the world sees him.  He would kill anyone who questioned his decision to wear a mask, and everyone in the Capitol would try to outdo each other to wear the most lavish mask in order to show their unwavering support for the President.

Snow understands the power of science, and uses it to create mutant weapons to destroy those who oppose him.  He certainly would trust his version of the CDC if its scientists told him how deadly the virus was.

As for playing down panic, Snow thrives on panic and fear.  He’s want the people of Panem to know that the Coronavirus would kill them all if he didn’t take steps to protect them.

I do believe the manipulative Snow, knowing full well that the virus was not created in a lab, would blame its creation on the rebels in the Districts, and then use it as an excuse to lash out and punish them as he saw fit.

Of course, I wouldn’t put it past Snow that the Coronavirus was created in a lab in the Capitol to be used against his enemies (both in the Capitol and the Districts).

What I am certain of, however, is that if the Coronavirus hit Panem, President Snow would very quickly have things under control.  “Under control” could mean any number of things depending on how he wanted to use the pandemic to ehance his power, eliminate his enemies, align the country behind him, and further disenfranchise the Districts.

Coriolanus Snow would be swift and deliberate in his actions.  Masks would be worn.  Social distancing would be enforced.  The Hunger Games would still go on with an audience in the stands if he deemed that should be an added feature.

President Snow might not be real, but his handling of the pandemic would prove he is more of a leader than our actual President could ever hope to be.

Do you think President Snow would handle the pandemic better than President Trump has?