toilet paper crisis

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‘Toilet paper crisis’ trends as people panic purchase amid coronavirus outbreak

Yes, there are memes.

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Siobhan Ball

IRL

Posted on Mar 4, 2020   Updated on Mar 4, 2020, 12:19 pm CST

The coronavirus has people going nuts in all kinds of exciting ways. The most recent fallout? A multi-country toilet paper shortage.

The hashtag #toiletpapercrisis is trending in both Australia and the UK with contributions from other parts of the world, adding a little bit of international flavor to what is at least a funny result of a mismanaged pandemic.

https://twitter.com/byronkaye/status/1235017935590055936

Australia took the chance to weaponize literal toilet humor at its government.

https://twitter.com/5SOSQUEEN1992/status/1235118689520775169

As well as just riffing on the situation in classic, earthy Australian style.

https://twitter.com/byronkaye/status/1235071501239332864

British people also latched on to yet another opportunity to drag The Sun, a particularly unpopular British newspaper that regularly trends on Twitter as people put out calls to boycott it.

https://twitter.com/P3T3RJOHNROG3RS/status/1235192732727021568

With some friendly ribbing between cultures.

Turns out toilet paper isn’t the only thing that’s been panic-bought out of existence, either.

https://twitter.com/NatFigBar/status/1235100448232632321

And there are some real concerns over what this shows about how we’ll all handle an actual supply crisis or disaster.

https://twitter.com/chloedentonxo/status/1235233070367862784

But at least the memes are good. That’s what’s important, right?

https://twitter.com/rick2511/status/1235154375611305984
https://twitter.com/Bishop64/status/1234995306040717313

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*First Published: Mar 4, 2020, 12:18 pm CST

Siobhan Ball

Siobhan Ball is a historian, archivist, and journalist. She also writes for Autostraddle and bi.org

Siobhan Ball