To think this pandemic has provided deep insight into people's character?

[rosesbloom]

I have found it quite illuminating seeing people's reactions. Friends and family members I have known for years have surprised me. It is like this situation has acted like a catalyst to reveal people's true nature, values and character.

A friend I had known for years and thought was a kind and empathetic person said the vulnerable just need to accept that they will die if they catch it and everything needs to carry on as normal. I have an underlying health condition she doesn't know about. I just sat there in stunned silence.

It has even shown me things about myself I didn't realise. It has shown me how anxious I am about my health, usually all those worries are internal and I keep them to myself but they have had to be brought out into the light when I explain to friends/family why I don't feel comfortable going for a meal in a restaurant at the moment despite it being "allowed" and "COVID-19 secure". Even though I know I engage in risky behaviours all the time like driving a car, crossing a road, etc it is like I have a blind spot with accurately assessing COVID risks.

Have any of you had any surprising revelations from people?

I think it's really highlighted the dangers of social media and too much visibility of other people's lives. I think sitting at home a lot but with a direct window into other people's business has been dangerous and damaging. I don't think people are any more selfish than they ever have been...at times of crisis, we all look after our own first. And none of us are perfect.
Back in the war a black market flourished. Women slept with GIs while their husbands were off fighting. It's just it was all done behind closed doors and there's now a soft filter over it. In 50 years the same thing will have happened with this...we'll all be selfless heroes of the pandemic!

gbdeclaration.org/

Apart from a bit of ridiculous local curtain-twitchery about the whole clapping for the NHS thing, I have seen no surprising, horrible or selfish attitudes among my rl family, friends or acquaintances, either online or in person. The only place I've seen that has been in the media and on forums.

The vast majority of people I've spoken to in rl or on SM have pretty much been of the view "Isn't it all awful, but hey ho, we just need to follow the rules and get on with it eh?" Some are more worried than others, but that doesn't seem to be making them lash out. Some are doing fine, but understand full well why others might not be.

So, overall, it's made me feel lucky that I generally seem to know pretty reasonable, balanced people tbh. Nobody seems to have acted out-of-character.

I'm disgusted by people that refuse to wear masks and won't socially distance. It's exactly the same people that park where they're not supposed to, speed outside the school and insist on non uniform, shaved hair styles and brightly coloured dyed hair for their children.

Why do they refuse to follow the rules? What makes them feel they are different from everyone else? It's not just petty stuff like uniform - it's potentially life threatening.

I'm also disappointed in friends vitriol towards those in essential jobs. My neighbour keeps supposedly 'flaunting' her hospital work clothes on the washing line. People can't deal with someone else getting the slightest bit of extra attention for their low paid, high risk job. I can't believe neighbours had to gossip about whether or not they thought her job is essential. They hardly speak to her because she's always working; they don't know her. Yet they were piously doing the extended clapping.

Cant say ive experienced this at all with my friends infact we dont really talk too much about covid other than a quick 'would have been to have met up' etc.

Think its on here that you see alot of the behaviours showing

[quote Userzzz]@rosesbloom that’s exactly what you implied. That people that disagree with the current measures are not kind or empathetic. Maybe read your original post?[/quote]
I implied that my friend saying that the vulnerable should just accept that they will die (literally the words that came out of her mouth) is not a kind or empathetic thing to say, do you disagree? You are generalising my response to a specific interaction with a specific person to be my opinion about people in general.

@Serenity2020

I also know a couple of nurses with an excellent knowledge of history (it's practically their hobby), including various recorded plagues all the way back to the plague of St Justinian. And pretty much everything they have said is likely to happen, based on those historical precedents, has happened.

This is really intriguing - please come back and tell us what they forecast. Genuinely interested!

Actually, most of my social circle are being great. It is the people I've found a little difficult pre-covid that are now really getting on my nerves and I'm struggling to deal with them. I think my tolerance levels have decreased and I'm focused too much on the people pissing me off..

I think everyone I know has actually reacted more or less as I'd expect them to!

Not character but I've learnt that a significant number of people's grasp of science and statistics is vague at best. Its also added to what I learned since the EU Exit referendum about many people's grasp of law, government and legislation. As a Civil Servant in a science based policy role this is a bit depressing.

Tendencies towards curtain twitching, judging and an apparent enthusiasm for 'reporting' has also been an alarming insight.

I've been shocked at how few people know how to understand data (I don't mean calculating standard deviation, I mean understanding the difference between, say, the same death toll in different countries with wildly different population totals), and at how few seem to be able to estimate risk. And at how many people seemed to think that our world was completely safe and sanitised - the same people were the ones who melted down spectacularly when they realised it isn't.

But the biggest shock to me has been how people I know well - rational, logical, educated, compassionate, caring people - have behaved. @TheSockMonster had it spot on about the different types; some took to social media to scream hysterically into the void that we must all "STAY AT HOME FFS!!!!", others took to bullying those whose interpretation of the rules wasn't the same as theirs. Others have been rational and balanced but I've seen over and over again their voices being drowned out by the others. Any positive comment was met with an onslaught of negativity - dare to comment that the numbers are coming down? Well that's fine for you to say but what about everyone who died? And how dare you say that you're finding things hard, struggle to wear a mask or you're lonely. WHAT ABOUT EVERYONE WHO DIED?

But the most unutterably hurtful thing has been finding out that people I thought were my close friends turning out not to be. It was fine in the good times, the rounds and the shits'n'giggles but now I'm limited to what I can do because I can't risk having to isolate, it's "See you around". I feel a grief over it which, on top of the general loneliness and isolation, I'm find very hard to process.

I've always tried to be compassionate and empathetic but the last six or seven months have really knocked my faith in humanity.

The hypocrisy gets on my nerves. I started a thread about Thames Water on the Coronavirus board. The posters who were moaning about the fact that most of the general public CHOOSE not to wash their hands enough were strangely unconcerned about hand washing when ppl WERNT ABLE to wash their hands due to a 24 hour water outage. Cognitive dissonance.

Some people are determined to blame it ALL on the public because they cant lose their hard on for the rich fuckers in charge.

I think that happened with Brexit for me, people who showed their dislike for 'bloody foreigners', a complete lack of knowledge of the world around them particularly our nearest neighbours and when seemingly intelligent people would spout nonsense about something based on what they had read on FB. The same people spout equally daft conspiracy theories about Covid and have moved from not wanting to be controlled by the EU to not wanting to be microchipped by a Bill Gates vaccine.

What it really has shown is how easy it is for a government to remove a whole bunch of liberties and how the majority of the population didn't bat an eyelid. In fact they were following without questions. (... and still do), even though its slowly affecting our livelihoods.

It did also show how far removed we all are from the prospect of our own death. I read again and again that death has to be avoided at all costs, it is unacceptable for people to die. It's time we think about our own mortality and the mortality of our loved ones. We can't save everyone, we might not even be able to save ourselves. Only time will tell.

Disclaimer: I am not against the protection of the vulnerable in our society! Or following sensible rules like social distancing, enhanced hygiene and mask wearing.

You are so, so right. Depressing really.

We're retired and our home is paid for.

I consider myself beyond blessed every single day.

My heart aches for those losing jobs, losing homes, losing lives - it is terrible for so many people.

And the hypocrisy!

Some people are determined to blame it ALL on the public because they cant lose their hard on for the rich fuckers in charge.

And some are determined to blame it all on the Government while taking NO responsibility for following the guidance at all.

@wheresmymojo

Those that go on about deaths from loss of livelihood, domestic violence, etc due to lockdown.

I've found that everyone I know who takes this view is suddenly interested in groups they've never before taken an interest in because it allows them to think they aren't just being selfish.

In reality all the people I know using this line haven't done anything for people suffering domestic abuse before and are now all of a sudden their biggest champions.

They aren't losing their livelihoods and have never expressed particular interest in other social injustices before but now it's their favourite topic to talk about.

They don't even seem to see the hypocrisy of labelling me a 'sheeple' for following the rules while wailing about the injustices of lockdown when it's me and my husband that have both lost our jobs and are facing bankruptcy while they are untouched.

What's really happening is that they don't like the impact the rules are having on their own lives and have simply latched on to a way they think they can argue against them while not looking selfish.

But...we see you.

If you weren't bothered about this causes before and now suddenly are when conveniently they align to you not being able to do what you want, don't expect the rest of us to be so stupid that we don't see through it 🤷🏻‍♀️

Oh get a grip, just because people haven't lost their jobs and businesses yet doesn't mean they're not scared of it happening soon if this madness doesn't end. We've only scratched the surface of job loses and businesses failing.

Not really. I always knew which of my friends considered themselves morally superior, and sure enough they're doing covid right... Its everyone else that's the problem.

Really @Jaxhog Explain this to me then.

I take it the Covid 19 threat is over then if the surgery can blackmail pensioner patients into going for routine blood tests with threat of loss of medication if they dont go. Must also mean the public can ditch the masks if thats the case!!!!

DH got a call this morning. Hes high risk. So doesnt want to go if its just routine.

You cant have it both ways.

I'm probably one of the selfish ones but I've been shocked that people I thought were sensible and strong have been cowering in their homes and raging that someone darea jog near them for fear of this "deadly" virus. What happened to keep calm and carry on?!

Ditto that a friend who, in height of the pandemic, were horrified at a "crowd" in the park near her house in london. Fuming that she didnt want to take her dog off the lead as he might go near the "crowd" and infect her. She posted a picture and it was clear to me that this elderly woman, a couple and there 3 kids were likely a family residing in one home and were probably living in a flat (due to the area surrounding the park). Friend unable to take dog off lead in park could probably just let him run round her massive garden tbf.

People also seen hugely uneducated in the economy. Nurse friend of mine was saying this week we should have never have come out of lockdown and just stayed like that until there was a vaccine. Be it 2 years or 10. Didnt seem to understand that very few people would have jobs or homes at the end of it

I follow the guidance @Jaxhog Im not an MP or an advisor.

I've been surprised how many of my friends, who I thought were intelligent appear to have no intelligence whatsoever. They seem oblivious to the fact that this virus is infectious.

Some very good things: people being unselfish, trying to help others whilst still keeping physical distance, learning new skills and honing up old ones, enjoying simple pleasures.

@TheKeatingFive

Actually, I don’t think there’s been anything terribly illuminating. Humans have acted like humans. When the situation gets difficult, people put their own needs first.

Society functions smoothly only so long as needs are balanced and facilitated to some degree. Once that starts to crumble, we’re in trouble and that balancing act has become very difficult - now feels like a pivotal moment for that.

There’s nothing surprising or concerning about the behaviour I’ve seen. We would probably not have survived as a species without the instinct to fight for our own needs.

Overall I agree with this, sadly.