Clap for NHS has lost the spirit.

[Lemonslices]

Please don't come for me and be nasty.

The first clap for NHS and others was so amazing and I can't believe everyone did it, I thought it would be a yearly thing or an NHS day each year.
(I made a decision to donate some money each year to them

I think the clap thing has lost the meaning and its seems silly to stand outside and clap. It's like a song that's been over played,

And after seeing the idiots clapping on the bridge has made it a joke.

Does anyone else feel the same

I only clapped the first week. I quickly felt people were being pressured into it.

I was chatting to a friend who's a nurse yesterday. She's not comfortable with the whole "nurses are angels" thing at the best of times. She really uncomfortable with how the public are being encouraged to behave now, says nurses don't need free food and discounts. She also dislikes the way that people are being made to feel guilty for going out as they need to protect the NHS.

They got you there, cocklepicker, who takes the food to the food bank? Putting that expectation on 'participants' is exactly why it's a bad idea. The initial concept was nice but, now there's nowhere for this to go but Armageddon... and then what?

I'd take my own donations to the foodbank at a time/arrangement of my choosing. Not have some self-important food fuhrer rifle through it to check for worthiness, contraband or select morsels for themselves.

If it were left for people to clap because they want to - without demand or participation expectation placed on anybody else, with no self-important ramping up and impact to anybody else, I doubt anybody would mind. The fact that it's not like that in many streets is exactly why these threads keep popping up.

Love the posters who feel the need to judge their neighbours worthiness to clap based on their weight and smoking preferences. You're just as bad as those who judge others for not clapping.

Lying I know. We're doomed!

They collect up all the food from the end of the drive and then the "organisers" donate it along with customary Facebook photo

I feel for my elderly neighbour who came out with 2 tins, they could be from his own dwindling food stocks but the pressure is real. Some brought bags full out. I've told him my cupboards are full so if he gets short on anything to let me know because I've got spare. Don't know if he will though

The clapping I can live with, the how much food did they bring out pissing contest not so much.

I'm an NHS worker and I don't go out and clap. It's nice hearing the clapping, but we now have car horns, car alarms set off, fireworks and pits and pans. It's a bit too much. The first week made me feel quite emotional when I heard the clapping, but now it's just annoying.
I will clap when this is finally over and the lockdown lifted.

I agree with the statement that we don't need all the free food and discounts everywhere. NHS and keyworkers should be recognized all year round, not just when there is a crisis. Our jobs never stop, and there is always a crisis be it a world pandemic or a crisis to an individual.

I've been given free breakdown cover with the message that 'it's vital you get to work' it's vital I get to work every day, not just now. Companies are doing these things as a form of advertising in my opinion, and it's become a competition who can give the most!
I've not claimed anything that's I've been told I can...I would rather a pay rise instead of being minimum wage and struggling month after month, and recognition for the job we do, not just in a crisis 🤷🏻‍♀️

In fact I'm going to let the kids bring out just one tin each now in solidarity with my elderly neighbour. I feel now that although he enjoys the clapping he will feel he can't do it unless he pays in the form of a food donation

I quite like the food bank idea actually but done discretely so no one feels under pressure. Things like this are meaningful and useful.

I’ve not clapped but I’ve been making donations to the NHS Staff hardship funding and to a neighbour who was baking for the local hosp.

"Companies are doing these things as a form of advertising in my opinion"

Your opinion is correct. I work in advertising and the onus has been on making the company look as charitable and supportive of key workers as possible. Since we can't market our product in our usual way.

It's a nice idea @Laaf80 but this is not discrete at all. In fact it's the exact opposite

It's great what the NHS and other HCP's around the world do for us right now. I really appreciate them and respect their effort and hard work, risking their lives every day.

But, I feel like showing respect to them has turned into some kind of religion where they're being worshipped as if they were Gods and no longer any critizism directed at the NHS is allowed and clapping has become some sort of cult.
I don't really like this part and agree that clapping lost it's spirit.

The first week was lovely and that should have been it. Doing it weekly, it was obviously going to awkwardly fizzle out at some point.

The original idea was a good one and possibly still is but alas it has been all but ruined for the following reasons;

1. Hitler like neighbours scowling and victimising those who are not clappers

2)Others seeking to bask in the limelight eg bands of coppers etc gathering outside hospitals with vehicles and blueys on I even saw a picture of a parade of AA men . Various corporate /blue chip companies also trying to hitch a ride on it. I know of one company whos PR person actively requested videos of employees clapping and make sure company workwear/vehicles/signage was in view so that they could publish same

3. the many tiktok videos of apparently work ravaged NHS staff gliding around on hospital trolleys etc with all the spare time they have.

@cocklepicker could you drop some off with a note saying you went to the shop so you picked him up some stuff to save him having to go out? I've offered to go for my neighbour she's still going to the shops but she also has family dropping stuff off.

I don't clap but I can never articulate why when people ask. To me it lost all meaning when the ill looking pm was stood there clapping knowing he was waiting for the results of covid test.

@cocklepickerand that’s wrong, no one should feel under pressure to donate esp when getting food isn’t easy.

I really feel it for that elderly gentleman.

I was told off for not clapping but they shut up when I suggested that donating blood and having an up to date donor card would be more appreciated by the NHS staff I knew. Fuckwits.

No neighbours here so fortunately haven't had any of these virtue signalling tossers to deal with. Just go about your business, observe the rules, help where you can, and show your appreciation that way.

Kimlo yes I think I'll do that actually.

I'll leave a note saying I picked up some "treats" for him whilst I was out (so he doesn't think I want paying) but if he can't use any of it he can bring it out for the foodbank. The kids are drawing him a picture now so I've got an excuse to take it round

Just pointless Virtue Signaling that achieves nothing imo. And everyone on my street doing it does so in a group so defeats the whole point of self isolation

Totally agree. I managed to mis-time my walk on Thursday and was coming home at 8pm as everyone was coming to out to clap. Neighbours were clearly using it as an opportunity to socialise, which I totally understand but many were getting within the 2m distance. It can't be sensible to encourage so many people out of their houses at the same time, surely?

@YabbaDabbaDoooooooo I agree that all the ‘you are heroes; have some free stuff because you matter so much’ stuff is extremely opportunistic and ignores the simple fact that people are just trying to get on with doing their jobs. And those jobs are not suddenly more important than they used to be.

All the ‘protect the NHS’ stuff is really cynical too. It’s very clearly intended to make individuals feel that their behaviour is the issue. But, actually, it’s many, many years of underinvestment and de-valuing of the workforce that have made the NHS more vulnerable than it needs to be. Insisting that the people working in the NHS are ‘angels’ or ‘heroes’ (rather than just professionals) plays into all this. Because clearly the problem couldn’t be that the system was under-resourced, understaffed and overstretched anyway.

And it’ll all be conveniently forgotten when it comes round to reviewing the pay and conditions of the people working in the NHS. Similarly, providing a care work badge and clapping a bit doesn’t do anything to address the systematic issues within health and social care more widely. But doing something about that is difficult and involves choices people might not like. Let’s all bang some pots and give out a free cup of coffee and we call all just ignore that.

cocklepicker your post about your elderly neighbour has incensed me (not you, obviously). Would you feel able to speak to the 'ringleader(s)' and actually tell them what they're doing and what it means in reality, ie. a neighbour going short/feeling obliged to contribute food he can't really spare, if he wants to feel part of the community clap? That's appalling.

Would you/your kids want to 'take over' this thing by saying that you and Mr Jones (your elderly neighbour whom you're shopping for) will drop off your offerings (as and when you have them) directly to the foodbanks as they're 'on the way'... Who knows? Other neighbours may elect to do the same.

That would scupper the FB food photo fetish...

I'd be making Mr Jones my ally and 'shielding' him from this utter morons.

YANBU and the fucking fireworks are distressing the wildlife, farm animals and pets.

Absolutely, LaureBerthaud and even excluding animals, that some people don't care about, the firework accidents that happen to people as a result, put even more pressure on the NHS being clapped.

Some people are very stupid as well as entirely self-serving.

They've dropped letters to every house (with printed foodbank photo for anyone who isn't on Facebook). So it's too late for this week.

I think I'll go and suggest they don't do it during the clap and just put a couple of boxes on the street instead for anyone who wants to donate. Think I'll spread it round a few other neighbours too who might not really have thought of the potential impact.

It's all well and good for those of us with access to supermarkets/money/cupboards full etc.

Oh cockles, I wish I lived on your street for a week. I loath this sort of nonsense of co-opting others into doing x, y, z. Not only are they badgering, they're fly-posting/littering. Do they not realise that every supermarket has receptacles for people to drop in donations, straight away?

The idea of donating isn't that people are left short and your poor neighbour, feeling that he cant participate if he doesn't hoop-jump with the others. That's horrendous.

I admire your stance of suggesting that the foodbank donations be anonymous, that's tactful. I expect your others neighbours, some of them at least, also feel obligated and will welcome your suggestion. Good one... great idea!

YANBU.

It all seems a bit who can get the best video to post on social media now.

Others seeking to bask in the limelight eg bands of coppers etc gathering outside hospitals with vehicles and blueys on I even saw a picture of a parade of AA men

I’ve seen a lot of this too. Every Thursday the fire brigade and police gather outside the hospital with a “guest” local company. The local radio film them and then post it all over Facebook/websites. It came to a bit of a head last week when the “guest” company was a massive, national chain - a local business offers the same service for free to NHS workers, the national chain doesn’t.

A local transport company did a “drive by” of the hospital - and made sure it was filmed and put on social media

I