I guess everyone is getting frustrated but I am finding it hard to be patient with a few people:
the ones who make a social media post almost daily saying "get vaccinated"
There's no nuance here, there's not even manners. I firmly believe that people who are undecided or are against vaccination are not going to be swayed by a self centred demand by some nobody on social media so I wish they would just stop it.
the ones who make manipulative posts with photos of their grandchildren saying "protect the little ones"
Again, this plea is all about "me, me, me, me, meeeee" and stinks of "I'm scared so I'll use my unsuspecting toddler relative to try to convince the unconvinced"
the ones who blame "all the people doing the wrong thing" Yep, I hate hearing about people who break the rules because the rules are there to protect us all but the reality is, delta is one tough variant. Most transmissions are occuring where people are genuinely going about their business and abiding by the rules and get unlucky. Blaming your fellow citizen is not compassionate in the face of an evil genius variant.
I'm not against discussion, information, even debate but show me that you have no community spirit and I'll make a mental note about your meanness.
You are right Kylie. I guess I have been guilty of sharing a meme or two of what intubation looks like, but generally I don't bother. This is such a vexed issue.
ReplyDeleteI get mad at the selfishness on both sides of this debate - like the people who have parties or leave hotel quarantine to go to the pub. But I also get mad at the anti-vaxxers because although I respect there are valid reasons for not wanting it, most often they are just as selfish. I get most mad at the people who judge those in certain suburbs for going about their business, because a lot of the time these people have no choice. Nobody is handing out money so they need to work, and family members are very involved with each other because they carry out child and aged care duties.
There are no clear division lines in any of this.
Right now I am the one spraying everyone with my discomfort so I suppose I have three fingers pointing back at me. It's hard to explain exactly what I'm getting at. There are some who are obviously scared and concerned but manage to be considerate to others and there are those who are just rabidly finger pointing or rude without any display of empathy. When I notice these people it is usually the very most privileged, which also sets me off
DeleteIt is a sticky wicket that is for sure, but we know 6 people personally who have died from Covid, from those who are old to healthy folks in their early 40's. I do not dismiss the severity of this disease and do everything in my power to protect anyone I might come in contact with. I would like to think others are doing the same thing, but it is not happening here and the infection rates show it.
ReplyDeleteI'll be vaccinated when I can get there and I don't think I dismiss the severity of the disease. There's one who keeps saying to get vaccinated so she can travel again and it sticks in my craw because I haven't travelled in a long time. The self centredness of that kind of thing just blows me away.
DeleteWe have some idiots here who refuse to comply with public health orders but we also have a majority who do the right thing and don't deserve to be blamed for an infection they acquire innocently
Six dead among your circle is a lot, very confronting. I appreciate your careful comment here when you reason to be as blunt as you wish
DeleteI did not mean to imply you were not taking the disease seriously. I was talking about folks in my area.
DeleteMy intent in my response was never to be harmful. I am missing many things I would like to be a part of, but my choice is to keep away from folks I know who have the opinion that this whole thing is a hoax (I am specifically talking about some of my relatives here, and I will not be attending our family reunion because of some of their cavalier attitudes about the disease)
I would like to travel again and this new outbreak did screw up our plans for a beach trip and plans for our granddaughter and family to travel here. (I have not seen her since November '19 and it breaks my heart everyday).
I live in a state with less than half the state vaccinated and as soon as the mask ordinance was no longer mandatory the masks came off.
Now my state's rates are soaring. The six we know that died were not just people we had met briefly but people we have known for quite a while and had personal relationships with.
To me it is hard to understand how so many people in my neck of the woods continue with the large gatherings, no masks, no distancing and no vaccinations, see the death rates rise and still maintain this is not a problem.
I live within ten miles of Anne, and I concur with all she said. So far, I have not experienced great angst over what I am missing, but I may get there soon. I went into a store where no one else was wearing a mask. The employees wearing masks all had the masks below their noses and I could see the mouths of a few.
DeleteI could and might scream and confront people. But, that is not my nature. People are attacking others who voice an opinion. So, I will keep wearing my mask and staying apart.
Who cares what method people use to get others to wear a mask. I don't.
Anne,
Deleteto miss 18 months or two years in the life of a child is a long time, perhaps 1/4 of her life and she will have changed so much when you see her. I understand that. You are wise to stay away from the irresponsible. Unfortunately it's just another case of the responsible paying the price for the irresponsible.
Linda,
You could scream and confront people but you don't and that's because you are a reasonable person who doesn't insist on making every one around you suffer.
Sigh.
ReplyDeleteThe misinformation and disinformation worries me. As do people being dogmatic about their particular bandwagon.
As always, I cannot change other people's opinions/behaviour. I do what I believe to be right. And yes, as a vulnerable person, I have been vaccinated.
I'm glad you're vaccinated. I haven't got there yet but soon...
DeleteI just want to live my life without my friends screaming (virtually) about it all. I take in enough news.
Sociologists will look back on these times and what will they see?
ReplyDeleteDecades ago I worked with a journalist who was good at his job, always checking his facts.
I saw a bit of immaturity in him, but his wife was level headed, and he was not yet 30. He hankered for some kind of inner authority that his father had not given him.
Today he is campaigning outdoors, braying into a mike that Covid is a scam.
He is thanking Covid sceptics (No Maskers) for their *support*.
Not once did he refer to the research of the virologists and immunologists.
The weekly journal New Scientist has run two cover stories on the long Covid.
Yet I know mature professional people who have fallen for the Great Reset myth.
Is it the internet?
Has it addled their heads?
Jack
I know some great reset believers, they are smart people so I don't know why this story grabbed them.....
DeleteI'm tired of the fear mongering and blame game, especially from people who should be able to do better
Is it conspiracy gone mad?
DeleteThe paranoia that the Bilderberg conference arouses in many people?
Now it is the Great Reset.
A features writer at The Times (London) wrote a story on Oliver Stone.
The interview with Stone was spiked.
The features editor said that the Kennedy assassination spawned too many conspiracy narratives, and that Stone was too obsessed with Kennedy.
I incline to the view that Lee Harvey Oswald did not act alone, and that members of the Corsican Mafia were at the crime scene (YouTube).
But none of President Kennedy's enemies within the U.S. committed anything to writing.
It is shocking to read Snow writing that his school cheered when they heard that their President was dead.
They cheered again when Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Jack
Best thing to do under present circumstances is to become very selfish and protect oneself to the best of one's ability. Not only physically but, also mentally.
ReplyDeleteI think you've nailed it. Lockdown or some combination of factors is making me crabby.
DeleteIt's crazy making for sure. I'm with Ramana on this, protect ourselves. Really protect ourselves and let all the partisan issues around this dreadful killer virus at it. So very many dead and some will have life long suffering having survived it.
ReplyDeleteXO
WWW
I really don't understand why it is a partisan issue, which is probably part of my annoyance
DeleteAnd this is the main reason I have a very low profile on social media (except blogging) - I find that Twitter and Facebook have an awful lot of people on there who do not seem to think beyond one sentence - sometimes beyond one or two words :) I can't be bothered reading it and I can't be bothered getting het up over it!
ReplyDeleteI probably take it too seriously and read it too much!
DeleteI hadn't heard of the Great Reset. I'll have to Google it.
ReplyDeleteI'll be i nterested to hear what you think
DeleteI think you are where the UK was a while back.
ReplyDeleteThe BBC has been very manipulative in trying to get reluctant younger people to get the jab - the manipulation is obvious and I think this rubs people the wrong way and doesn't necessarily help.
Anyhow, I do my best, I'm double jabbed and feel better for it. Stay safe, and don't let the lockdowns get you down.
Sx
There is very obvious manipulation in the media here, too. Young people are driving infection and we have a curfew now to reduce people's movements. A UK friend of mine said we seem to be where you were a while ago, that particular friend has vulnerable family in Australia so she is anxious all over again. It's rough
Delete