To wonder why people aren’t more angry?

[Rainbowb]

Throughout this whole crisis I have really been surprised by the level of acceptance from everyone in this country of the whole situation. I know we haven’t had much choice in the decisions made and we’re probably a very polite nation as a whole but we have been so quick to accept the arrival of a deadly virus and drastic changes to our lives, seemingly without complaint. Is no-one out there demanding to know how on earth this was all able to happen? We’ve faced the huge loss of human life worldwide and it is continuing, surely we are all entitled to get angry and demand answers? I see grieving families, children missing out on being with other children and not having an education, families being separated indefinitely, people’s mental health suffering and vulnerable people potentially at risk and I feel so frustrated and angry. If we got fired up about climate change, why not this??

I can't understand why people aren't angry with the lack of PPE and our atrocious death rate compared to other countries

This

The fact is that this virus originated in China, whether by accident or freak of nature. The world needs to ask China some very far-reaching questions.

And no, I don't care whether you think that is racist, they are to blame.

@Sweetpotatoaddict er - if China really had successfully contained it, surely it couldn’t have spread around the globe?

I don’t think there’s anything to get angry about. Sad, scared, determined, I can understand but anger seems an odd reaction to me.

Nb a “wet” market just means a market that sells food that can rot as apposed to a dry market selling clothes or electrical stuff. Tesco/Waitrose/Sainsbury’s are all wet markets.

I look across the pond and I am glad that I am based in the UK.

Pandemics have happened throughout history, we are taught about them at school. They are part of a collective historical memory, the horrors are inbeded into our subconsciousness.

I'm normally a calm person but I'm pretty pissed off with all the MPs from all political parties who awarded themselves £10k each for costs incurred in working from home.

Unbelievable and totally unacceptable, especially when NHS workers were offerred a badge for their extra hard work.

OP, I'm working two jobs from home and don't have the resources to get as indignant as I should. However, I don't think you're emotionally investing in the right things. If you could work up a bit of ire on the following situations I'd be grateful:

Poor access to maternity services for women in the developing world.

Huge percentage of children living beneath the poverty line globally and without access to preventative healthcare or simpler life saving treatment.

Widening gap between rich and poor in the UK.

What's happening in Yemen.

Child rape and forced marriage in an abundance of countries.

The fact is that this virus originated in China, whether by accident or freak of nature. The world needs to ask China some very far-reaching questions.

And no, I don't care whether you think that is racist, they are to blame.

A bit like London is to blame for infecting the uk? how can you think that anyone is “to blame” for contracting a disease or that they could answer any questions that might help? It’s like blaming someone for catching a cold.

Absolutely no way would the country have accepted a lockdown and massive furloughing with only a couple of cases. No way. And banning big events pre lockdown sounds like a good idea but when out in the context of international travel with thousands of planes taking off daily it’s like what’s the point.

Easy to say now what we “ should” have done but lockdown is unprecedented . We’ve not done it when swine flu or SARS or anything else was doing the rounds.
I’m impressed they’ve managed it at all quite frankly.

Anger will do no good right now.

It’s not going to change anything. Best thing to do is keep our heads down and get on with it. We’ve been fortunate to see what’s gone on in the world before it got here. I think it helped with compliance.

I look across the pond and I am glad that I am based in the UK.

So you’re glad you’re not in the only country that’s handling it worse than the U.K.?

Wow. Low bar.

Except that they didn't "award themselves £10k"

Additional allowance claims up to £10k can be submitted. In all cases, MPs must pay up front and then claim back, submitting receipts, and only get the money if the expense is approved.

@LaurieMarlow took the words right out of my mouth.

I'm very angry at the Government. They've known for a long time that a pandemic like this could happen, but decided not to prepare, not to spend money on PPE or NHS capacity. I'm mildly angry that China silenced its first whistle-blower and was late informing the world. I also think the WHO could have acted a bit sooner, but they sounded the alarm bells a long time before our Government did anything and large events were allowed to go on at the same time as we could see horrendous things happening in Italy.

It annoys me when people moan about lack of PPE and blaim the government. It has a use by date and would have to be stored somewhere. If the government was spending NHS money on Warehouses to store PPE in year in year out, periodically chucking it and buying new PPE when it went out of date on the off chance we needed it for a global pandemic one day there would be uproar at the waste of NHS funds.

Also can we just clear something up once and for all? Criticising the government in ANY nation (whether China or Belgium or Ireland or wherever) for their immoral actions (or inaction) is not racist.

@loobyloo1234
Regardless of how many times you have visited China it doesn't change the fact that the darker side of these markets still exist, it's not my personal opinion its fact you only have to do your research.
Yes I agree with hygiene laws being put in place, we have that here in the form of a butchers shop and it works. I know this county is not perfect and animal cruelty exists here too but not to that extent. Its not just China i know that but that is the origin of this virus and that is why i have mentioned China, obviously this horrific practice needs to be banned worldwide to prevent this happening again. Regarding your Tesco comment if they didn't adhere to the hygiene standards they would be shut down wouldn't they!!

I'm angry.
I'm angry with our completely inept Government and opposition.
I'm angry with the idiots who voted them in and are still trying to protect them from scrutiny by saying 'this isn't the time' and 'we don't have the full picture yet'. The tens of thousands of people who have died needlessly, aren't coming back. No picture is going to change that.
I'm angry at the lack of PPE that is putting my family members in the NHS at risk.
I'm angry at the paid-for shrills calling for the country to reopen when we are still counting and adding to our dead.
I'm absolutely furious that no-one from the media or the secret Labour 'inner' group or the celebrities who fell over themselves to deliberately sabotage any possibility of a Labour government - are not showing any hint of self-awareness as they complain about how the Tories are handling this. This is on their heads too.
I'm angry that certain countries are fudging any talk of inquiries into either the cause, the spread or their countries' response.
And I am raging with the numpties who keep saying we can't compare the UK to elsewhere when they are the same people who would absolutely be crowing about how wonderful the UK was if we had implemented a policy of testing, quarantine and lockdown that had left us with a low death rate.
I'm not angry about lockdown or having to stay home. I'm angry it wasn't more extensive and didn't happen sooner.
And I honestly feel like I will explode if this country votes the Tories back in ever again.

I think fear and helplessness over took anger..

Sparkles please educate yourself on what wet markets are before you call for China to ban them. Like I already said. I’ll leave it there

@Naithnira Im really worried about this response. Its exactly what the US and UK propahanda machines want. Its all China's fault and the WHO. Nothing to do with UK and US downplaying it, mismanaging it and miscounting numbers of deaths. All China!

Talk about passing the buck. Worse still, it makes a tense public health crisis into a tense international relations crisis.

If you are looking for lying and mismanagement - look closer to home. Look at the failure to count deaths in carehomes (jst one example). Stop falling for the lined disingenuous spin doctors are all too ready to sell you.

Absolutely no way would the country have accepted a lockdown and massive furloughing with only a couple of cases.

It is the governments job to LEAD. To understand what’s required to keep the country safe, to make it happen and to bring the country along with what’s required.

Not ‘let the people dictate the terms’.

The evidence from Italy was there. The U.K. had fore sight that others were denied. They squandered that totally.

If the Government had stockpiled everything needed for a potential pandemic and this had resulted in other treatments say for cancer not being available due to lack of funds, people would have been angry I am sure. Also my understanding is that a lot of the items need to be replaced as they have a limited shelf life, so then there would be anger about waste. I am sure your average person could never have imagined a global lockdown like this ever happening.

I am kind of angry towards the Chinese Gov, for not understanding the nature of the virus they sort of unleashed upon the world.
I am NOT angry with the Chinese people. The virus appears to have started in the 'wet' markets of Wuhun, and I understand these grew up out of the very poor life many of the rural Chinese live or lived. Hence them eating the kind of wildlife most people in developed countries do not eat.
In our country, some people may not like the rearing and eating of animals and birds for food, but we do have some rules about animal husbandry, and rules regarding the slaughter of said animals, etc
From what I understand, it is not only the selling of live animals and birds in these wet markets, it is how they are sold, ie open cages stacked on top of each other, so the faeces of those on top, drop down into the cages below.
So, I am angry towards the Chinese Officials, who allow such markets to continue in the way they are organised.
In fact I am so angry, I would like to stop buying anything made in China, but I suspect this would be impossible, as Chinese produced items (including many of the PPE) has permeated through our society.
I am not angry with our Gov as such, who I think are tring to do their best on the available advice given. I suspect we would be at a similar situation with any Government.
I am angry with the Lockdown. I think the rules should be eased, and many people seem to be ignoring it anyway. Remember, the Lockdown was NOT to stop you from getting it, it was and is, to stop the NHS from being overwhelmed. This part seems to be successful. Of course there will be a second spike, unless you want people to stay in Lockdown forever, or a number of years until a vaccine is produced.
However, the Lockdown will ultimately cause more suffering than it is supposed to cure, due to the number of businesses that wil go bust.
I am angry that the social distancing rules / lockdown rules are such that elderly people are not allowed to see their family, even when they are dying. That funerals are happening without family being there. I am angry that nurseries and infant schools are closed. Schooling for very young children is so important for their development. And a couple of weeks, will seem like a lifetime to them.
I am angry for older teenagers in years 11 and 13, whose exams have been stopped. Teacher assessment is very unreliable.
I am angry for all the businesses going bust, and the people being made redundant.
I am angry I cannot see my adult DC who live on their own. (For myself, I would break the lockdown, but if in doing si, I caught the virus, and passed it to my DH, my adult DC would feel responsible)

And I dont think the government has done badly. Did you see the scenes in italy, with people lined up in the hospital corridors on folded blankets on the floor. Dying on the floor with no ventilators, no bed and no one around them because there simply wasnt room? On the contrary we havent hit capacity of hospitals, the NHS isn't overwhelmed and we managed to build a 4000 bed capacity hospital in 10 days as a back up which we dont even need.