Where are those who predicted 18 months lockdown now

[AfterAte]

Firstly I realise that the lockdown in England is only being eases not ended. I am also aware that it is entirely possible there will be a second lockdown necessitated by a second spike. Finally, I am aware of and grateful for the sacrifices of those frontline workers, sad for those who have lost loved ones and both aware and grateful for the sacrifices of those who died in the 2 world wars and in other conflicts.

On 21st March on this website a thread entitled "How long are you expecting this to go on for?" was posted. Several posters speculated that "this" would last 18 months or longer and others also said there would likely be a war as well. I realise there has been terrible suffering and my mental health has been I impacted. However, rightly or wrongly, the lockdown is significantly eased and plans are being made for a near future which can in no way be described as lockdown. I wondered if any of those who predicted 18 months would like to comment here and perhaps admit that they were wrong. I'm afraid I still see their motivation as primarily to drag others down, so I'm not holding my breath, but neither am I prepared not to call them out. They've ruined MN, and they made an awful awful time worse.

Sorry I really don’t get what you are getting at, how has MN been ruined. People purely said what they thought, not a prediction. Nobody was going for ethos just pure speculation, even now we really don’t know what the next year will bring. However I do think that if it wasn’t for the economy we would not have come out of lockdown so quickly.

MN made a CV section so that people with anxiety didn't have to see CV related posts. Can't see what else they could have done

I kind of understand what the OP means. I came here when lockdown started, quite frightened for our financial future and my mental health. Thread after thread of people muttering darkly about how schools would no way open before January 2021, life as we know it was over, and so on, all stated as fact, were not helpful. Whether or not they turn out to be true.

Here is an example - thread about someone worried they won't see their parents for 18 months and some joyful soul chips in with a statement that it will be at least a year IF EVER. Just why?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/3871787-Am-I-going-to-be-unable-to-see-my-parents-for-18months-or-longer

How bizarre. You're far too over invested in what strangers on the internet flung out as a random guess.

I've never put a date on it personally as far as I can recall. I have said and stand by we'll be in this alot longer than some thought (we already are).

Calling for people to come admit they are wrong? Well as we aren't out it yet there isn't really a hard and fast answer or whether they were wrong or not

@WorraLiberty

They've ruined MN, and they made an awful awful time worse.

Are you always this dramatic?

Catch yourself on. Unless they were advertising themselves as Mystic Meg and you paid them money for their 'predictions', what's your problem?

People say all sorts of things on the internet, whether you take any notice or not is your own choice.

I think this thread is a bit weird, (1) because it prematurely assumes that the situation isn't going to change again and (2) I don't think there's many people on here, who want the world to go to shit.

You're a massive drama llama with a disturbing need to be right all the time. I hope you aren't like this in real life. We're still in lockdown, albeit in a more relaxed version of it. We are not back to pre-COVID normal and looking at what's happening around the world we are nowhere near it. We'll be lucky if we are close to normal after 18 months - I suspect there will be some permanent changes. Some of these (home working) will be for the better. Learn to roll with what life throws at you, OP. You'll be happier.

The 18 monthers are still total ducks.

Now they get their jollies banging on about second waves and displaying their revolting snobbery complaining about the filthy oiks doing completely normal things.

Lockdown gives them the horn because it's about controlling the masses and they NEVER want that to end.

A world of snitching and control is what they crave.

I find the way you attribute motivation to others, then pick a fight with them, because you dislike this attributed motivation, demonstrates a flawed and unhealthy thought process.

You are literally having a fight in an empty room.

I do think, sometimes, a few nights away from the internet watching telly or reading a book might really benefit some folk.

You don't think this virus is going away anytime soon do you?

It's not. There's going to be repeated restrictions over the next year, or until they get a vaccine sorted. Have you seen what's happening in the US? Their numbers are exploding.

The 18-monthers are more likely to be nearer the truth. Just because Johnson says that the English lockdown is over, doesn't mean that the virus is going away - it's just that your government has bailed on you.

You can't say they are wrong yet because we are still restricted.

We may hope that there is no more, but we can't say that yet. I think 18 months is unlikely, but there is likely to be a second wave of some sort, whether localised ones or another national one.

And if they are wrong, why should they apologise?

Some people thought that end of April was the maximum it would go, and derided anyone who thought otherwise. Are you calling on them to apologise too?

I don't know what you're on about, I read a lot of the CV threads at the beginning and I remember a lot of people saying schools would be closed til at least sept, maybe end of 2020. Turns out they were about right.

And it does seem that CV will be around for at least 18 months? For people who are shielding, and who don't want to risk it, that could mean 18 months without seeing family and friends.

I think you are directing your anger in the wrong place, it's shit what's happened and it's been hard for everyone but it's not the fault of randoms on MN. It's not really anyone's fault, it's just a bad thing that happened.

@Nihiloxica

The 18 monthers are still total ducks.

Now they get their jollies banging on about second waves and displaying their revolting snobbery complaining about the filthy oiks doing completely normal things.

Lockdown gives them the horn because it's about controlling the masses and they NEVER want that to end.

A world of snitching and control is what they crave.

It sounds like you are looking for someone to blame in all of this and have for some reason zeroed in on people who thought lockdown was a good idea.

Yes I do think MN has been ruined and yes I am still on here right now, obviously, although I have not been on here for very long periods of time due to some of what was being posted. I realise that very many people disagree vehemently with me and perhaps there is camaraderie in knowing that you are in the majority disagreeing with someone else, questioning their sanity, telling them they are wrong, they are stupid, they need to grow up, they need to see their GP etc. I stand by what I said in the OP.

I think you're due another break 🤷‍♀️

I could say that I think fishnets stockings and pointed cone bras will be the fashion next year.

I hope not. Even at the age of getting on a bit I don't have the moobs to justify a pointed cone bra.

Is there any chance you could post a link to this ‘thread that ruined Mumsnet’? I’m interested to see what was so terrible about random worried strangers guessing what might happen, while posting on the internet. Because at the minute it sounds like you could do with some support for the effect lockdown has had on your mental health.

I don't remember anyone saying 'there will be an 18 month lockdown'. I am not doubting your memory...someone probably did say that, among many other predictions. I expect I read similar stuff to you but just took it as read that all were guesses of a sort, it hasn't stuck in my mind at all.I think for whatever reason you've fixated on it and given a few Internet speculations too much weight in your mind.

I am sorry you have found it depressing though. Sometimes it's best to step away from a forum for a while if it makes you feel worse...not that you aren't entitled to voice your thoughts, of course you are, but sometimes it's just best to come back in a while.

I think there were some people on here trying to make everyone as depressed as possible - almost gleefully.

On the other hand, we aren’t out of the woods yet, and it depends how you definite “this” - a degree of restrictions, areas going in and out of some kind of lockdown, etc may well also 18 months or more.

The bottom line is not to take what you read on MN too seriously - it’s just a lot of diffierent people’s opinions , not an authority on the subject. An example I always think is all the people saying “house prices will go up” and others saying “house prices will go down” - they’re all just saying what they wish would happen from their own POV most of the time.

@AfterAte

I really feel for you. It’s been an incredibly stressful time for many, and it sounds like hearing some of the more negative speculation made a tough time even tougher for you.

I wonder if you are aware of the idea of “locus of control”? It describes the degree to which an individual feels in control of their life. So, a someone with internal locus of control feels very in control in their life, certain of their own opinion and agency....someone with an external locus of control is very influenced by others views and feels little control over their own life, little sense of their own agency. It’s a spectrum of course, most people around the middle and some at either extreme.

It sounds like you were really affected by the opinions of others despite having no evidence of their expertise or qualifications. This might indicate that you have a very external locus of control. It might surprise you that other people cared not one jot about what those posters said; they had their own views and weren’t influenced by others at all...and those same people probably won’t understand why it bothered you so much.

I guess all I’m trying to say is that I can see you were affected by this stuff, but perhaps rather than lashing out seeking reparation from external sources (again) you could ask yourself why you were so affected when others might not be. After all, we can rarely change how other people behave...we can only change how we react.

@AfterAte

Yes I do think MN has been ruined and yes I am still on here right now, obviously, although I have not been on here for very long periods of time due to some of what was being posted. I realise that very many people disagree vehemently with me and perhaps there is camaraderie in knowing that you are in the majority disagreeing with someone else, questioning their sanity, telling them they are wrong, they are stupid, they need to grow up, they need to see their GP etc. I stand by what I said in the OP.

When the situation changes again (and it is likely to at some point), I'm going to come on here and start a thread specifically about AfterAte being wrong.

It's all a bit petty isn't it?

Click away from the threads you don't like, and enjoy the ones you do.

Simple.

Lockdown gives them the horn

You are funny Nihiloxica

You sound a bit like a child, where the adult has said ‘the virus will be with us for 18 months probably’ and you took that as lockdown, and are now cross. Complaining that you were not given exactly the right predictions by other people.

If you really knew what was happening, and could predict the future exactly, why were you even reading others opinions?

I was one of the people who posted that Covid19 was serious, that we needed to socially distance sooner than the Government, and that until a vaccine we would need a good contact tracing programme and social distancing for many months, in some form. Mumsnet was full of people calling me and others ‘hysterical’ and ‘inducing panic’. Even Mumsnet moved discussion to a separate coronavirus board - as if this wasn’t something that was going to impact every part of our lives, and to leave the main boards to ignore it.

The overwhelming majority of people on Mumsnet were saying that schools could not be shut down even for a short while and that this was utterly crazy.

I’m not pleased or smug that I was right and all the other posters calling me and others ‘fear mongers’ were totally wrong. However I think people need to start upping their own game and learning about the virus, how it transmits, and how we are going to get out of it - or if not, fine - but don’t put others like me down who have some knowledge. I have a relevant background and I based all my thinking on the data available. That is how we are going to get out of this.

It was only a opinion though the same ones who said it will last for months and you are a idiot to think otherwise, the army will come and shoot us if we don't obey . This has all been said on here , you can speculate how long it will last but that's all because none of us have experienced a pandemic before .
I honestly just took most comments with a pinch of salt pre & during Covid.

There are some threads that wind me up on here - or make me anxious, or I just generally disagree with the consensus. I just ‘hide’ those threads and accept they are not for me. The hiding feature is really handy and helps to curate threads you are interested in.