To think the UsForThem group are batshit?

[BeepBeepLikeASheep]

I joined the UsForThem Facebook group in its early days, having seen it advertised on here. I joined because I was concerned that schools weren't going to reopen after the summer holidays and our experience of lockdown learning provision was pretty woeful. However, I wanted schools to reopen in a safe way, whether that required PPE, rotas etc, whatever the experts feel would work best.

I tend to hide groups I join on Facebook to stop them clogging my main feed and then just check them occasionally. I've had a look at that group for the first time in months and they are unhinged! What I thought would be a campaign group to ensure the kids get an education has turned into a bunch of conspiracy nuts. Some gems from what I read this morning include:
"Scientists have proven that viruses are not contagious."
"We don't do any of this stuff for chicken pox."

Plus loads of anti vax stuff, loads of anti mask stuff, and a very weird conspiracy claiming that Matt Hancock is going to be arrested.

I can't decide if I should leave the group because I don't want to be associated with that crap, or stay in it for entertainment purposes.

Have I just checked in at a bad time? Or is that what the whole group is like now?

I joined early on for the reasons you mentioned. I left after a couple of months because it was getting crazy. I hate to think what levels of madness it has now reached!

I agree, it is pretty extreme! Unfortunately, the crazies with their anti vax, anti test, anti any acknowledgement of the virus at all are detracting from the initial cause. I believe the cause is still pro-kids being in school and all the safeguarding that goes with it which I am completely on board with but they are not helping the cause by giving air time to the crazies.

It's a shame that the core message has been lost amongst all the crazy.

The core aim is admirable: put children first.

But like any campaign group, it looks like it has attracted extremists. I agree with what the founders say in their own posts on the page and and have seen a couple of them in interviews and their views resonated with me which is why I joined, and it looks to me that they were speaking up for children before anyone else was.

Good things I've spotted include giving concerned parents pointers and advice on the actual government guidance so they can challenge schools that are taking measures too far etc and directing campaigns.

The problem is that it has attracted people who bang on about everything keeping their kids off school because of the mist in the air from other children getting flu jabs, to Covid deniers.

I think I'll stick to listening to what the two founders say rather than their followers. And as a parent interested enough to join, my aim is to keep my children in school and I will accept some measures as part of that as a trade off, but not others.

I thought the campaign has great potential to focus the government on prioritising access to education over recreational venues. I still believe it's a scandal that pubs reopened before schools.

However they haven't achieved anything in terms of influence and they have been taken over by nutcases.

Ugh, had potential.

I think a lot of the key narratives they relied on (children can't spread, schools are low risk, full opening will not affect transmission rates) are obvious to most as wishful thinking now!

Also, they were always, like many pressure groups, a vocal minority. There was a poor understanding of how spread happens and that even low risk areas could quickly become high risk. When push came to shove in the North West and other tier three areas, many parents were angry that their children have had a much worse quality of education by having to repeatedly isolate, than they would have had if schools had used rotas. It's beyond irritating to hear how someone else's school has no cases and everyone needs to stop whinging, when your own children have only had a week or two in school this year.

Yes the core purpose was good and there was a need for it, however as others have said it has attracted a certain mindset of people. It seems that a lot of people are the ones who post on MN about how they are 'fuming at the school' and need to tell the teacher 'exactly what is what' it seems that this is just another layer in their ongoing battles with the school.

No doubt some schools aren't being particularly great at times - but you know thus always has, always will, but there is a way of dealing with it. It just seems that it has to be made into a fight, they post and get a gang of cheerleaders.

In terms of masks, my ds doesn't wear one, we followed the requested procedure and that was that. I do also think there are a few making their children fight their (the parent) battle, as it seems more about the parent then the child.

They were full if bullshit, fake science and wishful thinking from start to finish tbh.

I was invited to one during the summer. I was interested so accepted. I didn’t contribute a thing to it as I was too at a lot of the absolute shite that was being spouted. I ended up leaving about a month ago as the anti teacher sentiment in particular was making my blood boil (I am not and never have been a teacher). There are bad teachers out there (and bad doctors/vicars/shop assistants/etc) but there was just no need for a lot of the vitriol.

Some of it though was quite entertaining. I had no idea how many people out there are nuttier than squirrel shit.

They talked nonsense, they are also partly responsible for how unsafe and crappy schools are, as they gave cover to the government to invest not one penny in making schools safer.

They really piss me off tbh, they are not thinking about children as they can't even be bothered to understand scientific facts that affect kids in schools!

It has been interesting to see how grassroots campaign morph and change and how groupthink sets in. It reminds me what happened with the Labour party so it has been fascinating to see it in real time.

I do think it a shame because their core aims remain relevant and they should stick to that message that children should come first in decision making and measures should be proportionate.

Totally agree, load of crackpots!

@Barbie222

I think a lot of the key narratives they relied on (children can't spread, schools are low risk, full opening will not affect transmission rates) are obvious to most as wishful thinking now!

Also, they were always, like many pressure groups, a vocal minority. There was a poor understanding of how spread happens and that even low risk areas could quickly become high risk. When push came to shove in the North West and other tier three areas, many parents were angry that their children have had a much worse quality of education by having to repeatedly isolate, than they would have had if schools had used rotas. It's beyond irritating to hear how someone else's school has no cases and everyone needs to stop whinging, when your own children have only had a week or two in school this year.

Agree with this.

Their delegates on MN were totally abusive and awful.

Hull council are now worried they won't be able to provide key services in a couple of weeks (think supermarkets, police, fire, NHS) as the children of key workers can't currently get a solid place in school.

This is the case because schools are so badly affected, and that's because they have been "open at all costs". I don't know how this could be made any clearer.