to think we really are 2 completely different cultures - the USA and the UK - just looking at the 'rebellion' taking place

[chomalungma]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8228769/Bleak-figures-China-US-economic-hit-virus.html

I know it's only some Americans. I know that it's a massive country with many many more people than the UK

But these scenes are astounding. People flocking to beaches. Protesting about lockdown.
Protesting with guns about lockdown

You just can't imagine these scenes in the UK at the moment.
Especially not the Ohio Zombie picture

It just amazes me - sometimes you think we are very similar to the USA, and then many times, you realise we are completely different.

My neighbour who is elderly and disabled has told me that it’s god punishing the wrongdoers. He’s not English though and I suspect that he’s a Jehovah’s Witness.

I think the only thing that will stop Trump is if he catches the virus.

The man is a deranged lunatic, and unfortunately he has followers. And I don’t buy the talk that he has dementia. He’s always been like this, it’s just that he’s now got more ability to be seen doing it.

I fear for America’s future after this. I have friends over there who say that this is going to get ugly regardless of who is voted in in November.

As an aside, last month is the first time there hasn’t been a school shooting in March since 2001. .

@noblegiraffe

It blew my mind to learn that children have 'Active Shooter' drills in school, the way we have fire alarms. I can't imagine a world where it's so likely that someone's going to go on the rampage slaughtering 6 year olds that they have to bloody PRACTICE it!!

Yes, they needed to defend themselves against fierce animals but they were attacking the native Americans and trying to steal their land rather than defend themselves against them.

Well said, bettybattenburg.

I live in the US Bible Belt. None of the organized protests are coming from this section of the country. No one here is saying it's a punishment from God. Even the conservative and fundamentalist churches are not holding in-person services. Many of them are organizing food drives, food delivery, and other relief measures. Religion in the US, and especially in the South, is a much more complex social force than most people outside the US realize.

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kenneth-copeland-blow-coronavirus-pray-sermon-trump-televangelist-a9448561.html

The Independent has clip of televangelist Kenneth Copeland 'blowing the virus away'

It blew my mind to learn that children have 'Active Shooter' drills in school, the way we have fire alarms.

Schools in this country have lockdown practice too, my DCs have had it at primary and secondary school.

thank you @TalkingtoLangClegintheDark

I have family and friends in the USA. This just makes me even more scared for them .... insane and terrifying.

All this freedom above all else stuff is all very well, but how is T the Terrible going to explain away the consequential death toll. He will, of course, have to have someone other than himself the take the blame.

USA? We should LTB.

Schools in this country have lockdown practice too

Yeah in case there is a dog on the field or an aggressive parent on site. Active shooter isn’t really that big a risk in U.K. schools, is it?

I agree it's the culture - it's not just what Americans are like in some abstract way, it's what the whole culture encourages them to be like. Freedom and the wonderfulness of the USA and its constitution are drummed into them from early childhood. British people generally don't spend much time thinking about anything resembling a constitution they might have, or what it might say.

It's a big part of US culture to think that America and Americans are unashamedly "great" and Brits are mostly the opposite - a big sense of cringe and shame about the empire, self-deprecation and irony is much more culturally normal. Things like the NHS encourage a sense of shared responsibility because that's how it works.

However I think the right president could have framed it in such a way as to make Americans want to do what's necessary. If they'd made it about America meeting a great challenge and showing the world how it's done, protecting fellow Americans and preserving freedom for the future, with emotional force and use of rhetoric - e.g. Obama would have done it better. Instead you have Trump who really leans towards the extremes of the "freedom" and every man for himself concepts and wheels that out whenever he wants to appeal to his base. Recipe for disaster - but I don't think it had to be that way.

(And of course I'm generalising, in response to the footage of protests etc - of course a lot of Americans are community-spirited and prepared to sacrifice freedoms if necessary.)

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1264183/coronavirus-UK-news-lockdown-social-distancing-covid-19-poll/amp

I don’t think we’re doing that great.

A few protests in 2 or 3 out of 53 states in a massive country does not make a national flouting of safety.

The United States - Land of the Free*

• Terms and Conditions apply.

Brit who's lived in US for 25 years here. I think some posters are being a bit holier than thou about the US, as witnessed by the thread on racism against Chinese people in the UK, not to mention the vandalized 5G towers. It really is a minority in the US who are making these protests, and in my community in western NC we are absolutely obeying all governor's rules and just hoping that it will be over as soon as it can safely be. Trump is obviously horrendous, but Johnson didn't exactly cover himself in glory early in this epidemic either.

I think the only thing that will stop Trump is if he catches the virus.

I'm amazed he hasn't been ill, as he's been so blase about it, and with him being in his 70s. But if he did, he'd either die, or survive in which case he'd just be smug about beating it and how it was no big deal, which would be just as infuriating. (And much as I hate him I can't wish for anyone to die)

I watched this on the news earlier and couldn’t believe what I was seeing.... what utter selfish morons who will be paying the price for their stupidity in one way or another.
I saw a man holding a poster with a swastika...I mean wtaf?
We are nothing like the Americans.

The most shocking difference is how the virus has highlighted levels od poverty as Catriona did in the south. Detroit has a huge number of people whose water has been cut off due to bills default. They are in lock down with no running water, toilets or anything. Handwashing ?

These are a fairly small group of people who have been funded by far right political groups because Trump needs these States in the next election.

It is in part a consequence of much stricter lockdown procedures than the UK has spread over a varied State.
So it makes sense to have a very strict lock down in Detroit, it is a very poor area which would get overwhelmed easily.
It actually makes sense to prevent Detroit residents from spreading throughout the State on business or pleasure.
But it is harder to persuade people living in small towns or rural areas with no cases that it is worthwhile to lose their incomes and freedoms for this.
The States have very different approaches so there is no use comparing Florida with Illinois for example. But most major cities are within state groupings that are taking the situation seriously and working together.
Trump is agitating those who don't for his own political ends.

Interesting that someone said compare the death rates between states that lift lock down and those that don’t ? But I think even that would be difficult . There surely are large differences in population density and health and percentage of those over 70 between states ? So it only could be a guide ( similar to trying to compare even European countries)

But New York and London have a similar population and density ? And at one stage New York had double the deaths of London?

I hope some states are not just being used as guinea pigs ?

We might ( and often do ) critisise our government but at least they are trying to use scientific data , even though even the scientific experts contradict themselves .

I think I know where I would rather be living now .

www.businessinsider.com/us-map-stay-at-home-orders-lockdowns-2020-3?r=US&IR=T

95% of USA is undef lockdown. Look at the map and it’s size compared to the paltry U.K..

And re New York. The populations of London and New York are similar but London is far bigger with far more green space 50% as opposed to 24%.

I get fed up with USA point scoring.

@SusieOwl4

I think I know where I would rather be living now

Yes... On a deserted island

Jokes aside I agree with your comment entirely

I’d rather live in the US at any time,even now. If anybody was to present me with a green card I’d be off like a shot.

However I think the right president could have framed it in such a way as to make Americans want to do what's necessary.

But the vast majority are doing what's necessary. Many people outside the US don't understand that the most important steps that affect how people are behaving through this are happening at the state and local level. Stay-at-home orders come from the governor, and in the cities, from the mayors.

Susieowl I feel safer in my State than I would in the UK.
I have been on a much stricter lockdown for much longer than my UK family.
My Governor and Mayor are listening to scientists, working on setting up enough testing and making longer term plans.
Trump is making dangerous statements but he has very little to do with how C19 is being dealt with in my area.